Darkwood

Best horror game I've ever played, atmosphere and scariness better than any other horror game I've played, worth every penny.

When I first attempted this game, something stopped me in the prologue and it was a bit of a downer... suffering dog. When I decided to try again, I skipped the prologue entirely, yes, yes, the Dr. captures you, blah blah. I'm glad I tried playing again, because this game is phenomenal. Excellent story-telling, atmosphere, and sense of growth. Highly recommend for survival horror/action horror/base building(kind of) fans. Well worth the time and money.

I don't know how to put this, I'm not the kind of guy that gets easily scared, I personally watch random horror stories and horror monster design while taking a huge dump, why? idk, just passing time, but even so, this game absolutely scares me, I'm always over the edge because you don't have a 360 degree vision and opening inventory closes it, I'm not even sure how to get a decent weapon, I've been waking stuff with my stick in the woods

The game is harsh, contrary to the usual horror games being, here puzzle, here monster, figure it out yourself while I'm busy making unnecessary lore you can only understand through YouTube videos, the pure agony of having so much to care for distracts you from the monsters and once it's night, you know you must keep quiet and listen

Haven't progressed much, and won't progress further, I'm a massive f*cking p*ussy because this is genuinely terrifying, I can't give it a rating since I have no clue what it has, but as far as the tutorial and the first day goes, 10/10

literally like one of my favorite games ever. world building is great, dialogue and story is really good and well explained if you look into it, and the game is just all around fun. i had been wanting to play this game for forever since i saw markiplier play it like years ago and i loved every second of it.

I wish the journey would never end. But then, all roads lead deeper into the woods, and it's inevitable to reach your destination.

Without a doubt one of the best horror games I've ever played, both the story and gameplay is incredible, the tense atmosphere of the game and storytelling provide for one of the most immersive experiences I've had in a game. The top down perspective with limited field of view, the sounds you hear while exploring the woods, and worse, while hiding out at night, really put you in the shoes of the protagonist. I would and have recommended this to all of my friends, colleagues, random person I met online 5 min ago and coworker I've spoken to maybe once in the entire time we've worked together.

I didn't want to close the game and lose 3 min of progress after my last save, its just been running in the background, I had like 2 hours when I tabbed out-

The game builds tension without ruining the feeling throughout the entire game. Even holding a shotgun I felt unsure and unsafe. Exploration and problem solving shine brightly in this gem of a game; Equally the environment and field of vision mechanic are fantastic.

I absolutely can not recommend this game enough, I went into this not a fan of top downs at all and it has certainly changed my opinion. If you're on the fence about buying this, just do it. You will not regret it. If you do, say hello to Piotrek for me :)

This is how the first half-hour of the first chapter of this game went for me. I don't think I could convincingly sell this game harder than just describing what happened.

I woke up in an abandoned house, presumably deep into the woods, still feeling uncomfortable with the controls after the initially confusing and disturbing prologue. I had nothing in my inventory and could only explore the house a bit to find some items. My character explained that he'd barricaded one of the windows but needs to find more materials in the woods to barricade the rest, and I also found a generator with a handwritten note explaining how the generator will keep the lights on at night, but ran on limited fuel. From what I understood, the night is dangerous and I needed to be near a light source in my new hideout to survive... So, just like that, I already had two goals - Find some wood and find some fuel. With no way to defend myself or any idea where I even was, I had to step into the wilderness.

So I explored and ran around for a while. The only threats were some relatively passive dogs that only attacked when I got close, and I found some different materials whose purposes I didn't fully understand yet. I was afraid to leave too far from my hideout because my map never told me my exact position; but more than that, I didn't understand when night would actually fall. I wasn't experienced enough to recognize the tells yet, so I was always too paranoid to even leave the hideout for too long and actually didn't end up exploring very far at all because of it. That, combined with my lack of any weapon to defend myself, made me play things very safe. So then night fell.

I could only barricade a few windows and felt super vulnerable, not just because my hideout was incomplete but also because I didn't understand the threat I was coming up against. The game had shown me no indications of any paranormal entities outside of the hideout at this point, so I didn't know what to expect. I waited for about five minutes until the night ambience kicked in, it turned out that I had gotten prepared *far* too early and actually wasted generator fuel because of it. Then my lights began to malfunction and I suspected it was something to do with the generator, but I was afraid to leave the hideout because I began to hear growling and footsteps outside the walls. Clearly something was out there. I tried to sleep in my bed, but apparently that wasn't an option. The game forced me to stay awake the entire night until daybreak. I kept hearing more and more footsteps while being unable to see anything outside. I mean, even if something broke in, what could I do? I had nowhere to run and nothing to defend myself with. The footsteps get louder. The door to the bedroom suddenly creaked open and I hid behind the door for a minute, only to realize that nothing was there to open it. All but one of the lamps had malfunctioned and turned off at this point, and dialogue began to appear from the other rooms in the hideout. Something was talking to me.

I began to think that this was a scripted sequence, that I'm supposed to get caught and killed here. Even without having seen a single enemy, it really felt like things were over for me. The area began to turn blood red and I heard the ambient music in the background start to slowly rise and that confirmed it for me - I didn't have a hope of surviving this night. As the music got louder and the area became redder I was anticipating a jumpscare. The screen flashed white in my eyes and then the music calmed down - And then text appeared in the center of the screen. "Day 2".

Obviously, it wasn't a scripted sequence. I'd actually survived the night, and for a moment I was happy.
But then dread started to overcome me, as I made the realization that I was once again on another timer, and that the night was doomed to repeat once more by the end of today. If I don't change anything about my situation, then the night will only get worse from here.

That's what Darkwood does to you.
It puts you in a disturbing and dreadful setting and really sells it to you through the mechanics and the atmosphere.
This is my favourite thing the game does. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror.

I never expected to say that the best horror game I've ever played was actually an indie game. Darkwood is a great mix of survival and horror elements. No fancy graphics, no jumpscares, no cheap scare tricks. So what makes Darkwood special?

Darkwood brilliantly puts a constant feeling of tension, a feeling of insecurity, discomfort. It works in many ways, such as, for example. impossibility of knowing exactly where the player is on the map, time constantly passing, limited inventory, etc. To all that, one should add an interesting story told in an even more interesting way, as well as an excellent soundtrack that fantastically builds the aforementioned atmosphere.

In the end, it should be said that the developers of Darkwood have a much better understanding of the feeling of fear in people, that is, what actually scares people. I think it is closely culturally connected with the fact that the developers are from Poland (I'm not trying to joke about prejudices about life in the Eastern bloc, but about the very differences in the understanding of life that are also noticeable in literature).

I had the chance to play it for a bit, and while it’s interesting to a certain extent, I’ve decided to step away from it for now. The game does deliver a solid atmosphere of horror and survival, which is commendable. However, its simplicity in character design and gameplay mechanics holds it back from being truly engaging in the long run.

I would rate it a 7 out of 10. While it has its strengths, such as its atmosphere or core concept, it falls short in areas that could have elevated the experience to something truly memorable.

Had a friend recommend this game to me. Been enjoying it so far with the game play!

Really good job on the ambiance I was afraid even with my character full stuff.

It's truly a horror game. One with real tension and fear instead of cheap jumpscares though you could be occasionally startled by some noises and sounds including the times you step on a bear trap. speaking of sounds, the sound design is perfect in this game and is one of the primary indicators of what's going to happen and if continuing towards where you're headed is actually a good idea if you're ill-prepared since this game does no hand-holding and the previous sentence is what you'll see on the loading screen every time you load into the game.

However, it's not the game for me. It does take inspirations from the famous "Roadside Picnic" by the Strugatsky brothers but it leans more on its philosophical side than it's stalking side if you know what I mean. I bought this thinking I was setting off on a stalker-esque adventure albeit with some more horror but it kind of disappointed me in that aspect and it indeed was my own fault since i relied solely on my own perception of what the game was going to be like based on the screenshots and didn't read or watch any reviews and gameplay videos.

Still, the nights you spend in your hideout while trying to survive and make it to the next day are some of the most tension-filled and dreadful game sections I've ever experienced and if you're a fan of horror games, you will enjoy it.

PLAY IT ON HARD OR NIGHTMARE. The game loses a lot of it's tense atmosphere if u play it on normal

After 39 days struggling in darkwood, I was finally home. The first time I reached my apartment, I saw the noodles left by my wife with a note wrote "dear, heat and eat". Since I had been fighting in darkwood such a long time, who was supposed to be the person that my wife was well treating? Maybe my wife is cheating on me?

And then I reached the true ending, I could not believe that one day I would say this, which is, I really wish my wife is truely cheating on me, at least that is not a dream, not a delusion.

Another day, another dog and deer to pet.

The friendly neighbors are always up for a game of tag, and it's a joy to see everyone embracing the chaos. It's one of those games where you just lose yourself in the moment.

I wore my headphones at max volume the entire time, and wow. Help.

I saw PewDiePie play it first and thought, "Why not?" And I’m so glad I did!

This game definitely has a unique charm, may not be everyone's cup of tea. but is a hidden gem for those who "get" it.

It's a real treat.
*boops the dogs*

my door needs to stop randomly opening in the middle of the night or im gonna have a heart attack

this game starts extremely strong, for the starting 10+ hours alone, its worth the price, its scary, its tense, genuinely the best actually scary horror ive ever experienced, its so much more then "boo jump scare", its tension, and atmosphere and this tangible fear of the unknown, you grapple with it wanting to know more, but scared to delve too deep, scared to open the door to the foot steps outside cuz you dont know if they're real or not, stop reading my review here and just play the game if you haven't, its amazing, and i'd recommend it to anyone

the issue is in the last like 1/3th of the game, the combat starts satisfying, its heavy, hits are satisfying, and the sense of progression feels good, enemies are sparse and interactions are rare, going entire nights without anything, and thats where this game shines, just steeping in this atmosphere, and that first time the game truly hits you, its something you'll never forget, but then, it keeps hitting you, and its great, you feel the resources dwindling, having to maintain and defend your hideout each night, but eventually the later hideouts become so big and attacks are so frequent maintaining the hideout is very discouraged, you go from cowering in the corner of a small home with shelves propped against the doors, huddling besides a lamp, stalking around room to room with a wooden planks cuz you heard a noise, fearing every second youre in the dark, you'll create these rules for yourself because you dont understand the mechanics fully, like rituals you follow purely out of fear of what will happen if you dont

to eventually understanding the game, where you'll not maintaining the base at all, and just run around juking enemies, because every enemy in the game has the same forward lunge that you dodge by doing a lil spin, cuz they cant track any hard turns, followed by a smack cuz they often have very lengthy recovery when they miss (but not when they hit so dont try trading hits, just reset, try to spin em again, then hit) and it just becomes a chore very quickly, the game isn't nearly as hard as it boast, half the challenge is drowning in items, and tryna manage inventory space cuz i have TOO much stuff, now this power may sound kinda nice, but its not because the game ramps up the amount of combat later on to the point it becomes routine, youre no longer scared anymore, and you never feel it, cuz now youre good at the game, so there's no resources being spent to stay alive, cuz all you need is your melee weapon and a few healing items, traps are irrelevant or just actively sabotage yourself given room is the only limiting factor, so giving yourself less space to maneuver isn't too smart, and the nights are quick enough to make the few seconds they stall the enemy not really matter, and there's so many enemies even if you catch one, it doesn't matter, barricades are a waste of time and often just block you in rather then keep bad guys out, not to mention barely keeping anything out, so why risk blocking yourself in when you'll never get hit in an open field by any of the enemies if you just run in a straight line or zigzag, the only time youre in any inkling of danger is if youre cornered, guns are more trouble then they're worth, having to stand still for several seconds for the cone to shrink to a reasonable amount, and when movement is your biggest trump card, why would you ever wanna stand still?, so what you get is a very compelling concept, ruined by a very easy to master meta, with weak enemy variety, and underbaked base defense mechanics, after you've fought a dog and crazy dudes, you've basically fought every enemy in the game

i will specify the game has alot more to offer beyond the combat, alot of those strengths from the beginning still persist in story beats and the world and its characters, its just ashame they dont persist in the gameplay, cuz it started so raw and satisfying and matched the atmosphere and intensity of the world, and eventually gets so repetitive because the game leans into combat heavy nights EVERY night

an actual scary game, like no bullshit jumpscares, just a good game

Good but gets too repetitive with the gameplay loop and it all being the same. Still, its an interesting project

This is a horror game that stands at the peek of its peers. The sight mechanic of the game makes the game a horror game despite not having any jump scares. The atmosphere is always placing pressure in your heart. The game also has a lot of unique enemies, and they are pretty tough. This is a game with above average difficulty combat, and great horror environment.

It's good once you get the hang of the combat. I like the field of view mechanic, the sound design, the black metal music, the absolutely dreadful atmosphere, the carefully crafted ugliness of everything. It was clearly a labor of love. Keyboard and mouse is a must imo.

It could use more variety on night events to make it scarier; I got so used to them that nights became predictable and even a cakewalk when mildly prepared (yes, even in the Old Woods hideout) and towards the end resources seem sort of endless. I came out of it wanting to see more.

Hope the devs get together to do something similar again, as unlikely as it seems

I played a lot of horror games, but I dread playing this one because of how horrifying the atmosphere is. This and Silent Hill 2 Remake are tied in my #1 place for atmospheric horrors. Whenever night comes I can feel my heart begin to beat louder, it's insane how good the sound design is in this game. I'm even pretty geared up but I still shit my pants when I have to deal with a monster because of how freaky the sounds are.

If this is your first horror game you should absolutely not play it, try some regular peppers before you eat the Carolina Reaper. On the other hand, if you're a horror game enthusiast like me, this will definitely satisfy your crave for fear.

From a hand full of horror games i played, this is my favorite one. Love to see a new game with the same DNA as darkwood, or a sequel.

I had a lot of fun trying to figure this game out, after becoming slightly obsessed with it due to a YouTube video. Now, I have practically forgotten what the game is about, and can't say that I much care about it anymore, but I recall having fun with it briefly.

I tried it out, but it's just not for me, the decisions this game forces you to make do seem like it would appeal to the more hardcore crowd on this type of genre, but it just ain't for me.

I do like the setting/soundtrack/suspense/design of everything though, just not the actual gameplay of it.
I also think the game ends up looking a bit weird with the pixelization it uses. Just a pet peeve of mine though.

Incredibly detailed atmosphere. Wish I had used my stockpile of guns and ammo more often, fell into the trap of "I'll save it for a more difficult fight." Turns out all the difficult fights are in dream sequences where your inventory is removed. Didn't seem like there was much of a point scavenging the whole time if you're never really tested. More horror than survival, so usually the game builds a facade of fear with spooky noises, instead of any real threat. The story gives no answers and spending extra time searching through the context clues provides only a vague understanding to piece together the strange plot. Worth a playthrough of this odd polish game.

It's creepy and challenging. It has an amazing atmosphere, full of mystery

This game is so terrifying and well made, I can only play a day or two at a time. Definitely recommend

Amazing survival horror experience. No jumpscares but the sound and visual design keeps on your toes every second of the game. Highly recommended

scariest topdown ive ever fukin played lol, also interesting af story i love weird eldrich shit and anomalous nonsense like dark forests that dont let anyone leave (but when it gets dark shit gets wild)

Long, long overdue review but apparently I can't recommend this game to a friend without reviewing it first so here's the review. I hated 2D games until I found Darkwood. Cannot believe these legends made this on Unity, dropped it on us and then just disappeared. I hope they will come back and give us Darkwood 2. Instabuy.

Leaving a review about 6 months post playing -I still think about this game. Thoroughly engaging story, in a way I long for from most Horror. You will be stressed to hell through the night, hoping your thoroughly strategized traps work out, trying to figure out what in the world happened in this bizarre place. I thought it looked weird on the store page, and only played it because my wife wanted me to -so very glad I did. 10/10

Too terrifying to continue playing, too good stop playing
(TL;DR at the end)

Darkwooding muh wood straight darkwooding muh shi, Bouncing on my darkwood till I succum to my bed till I perish, Darkwooding muh wood till da bark tear off and peel in on itself, Darkwooding till I loose my wood, Would darkwood till I wood all over my roots till I blossom.~ Peak vide gam

An excellent Top Down Survival Horror game with slightly randomized elements. I do wish that the event or tasks that you do in the game could be randomized to enhance the replay value but not every game needs to an infinite replay time some just need to be a good time for a little while. Elsewise, there is so much to like about this game; the lore that vast and deeply rooted in Slavic Folklore, the randomized Nightly events that can make the night feel unyielding and a death trap even fully prepared, the artwork that adds to the atmosphere of despair and loss. I recommend playing this game as blindly as possible to get the full experience, being lost and all.

Darkwood has a phenomenal horror atmosphere that doesn't rely on cheap jumpscares and a great story that will haunts your mind. The combat and fog of war mechanic may feel clunky and frustrated at times but that's just what happen when you actually fight an oversized dog I guess.

9/10.
Excellent atmosphere and sound design make it very immersive. The game play has a surprising amount of depth and I was still learning new things even up until the end of the game. The story is more of a mystery but it was a pleasant and anxiety inducing ride the whole way. Once you know all the tricks the game kind of plays like what a horror-themed version of Home Alone would play like.

The dark of the wood hides terrors both real and imagined. The horror you can see becomes an odd solace against the horrors you can not, and as the night creeps close, you might be tempted to wonder if you are just too far away to return home, and every single step you take towards safety you may see as a sort of gift given to you as you pray for another and another and another... Every face you see is not your friend, even potentially your own, but the one true conquering, if you are to have any victory at all, it would be that against the odds, you have escaped a nightware that has tried so hard to keep you imprisoned by your own fear.

Honestly, this game is one of my favorite horror games of all time. I have yet to play another horror game that quite captures the exact feeling this game has you feeling at almost all times. Everything is so uncomfortable and scary but in the best ways, the tone is absolutely perfect, you just can't help but wanna play more to learn more about the world that is being built, like your curiosity getting the better of you, even though you know something is deeply wrong, leaving each part of the story with more questions than answers. The top-down view is an interesting pick for a survival horror genre, since you can't have jump scares or anything like that, but the way they pulled it off makes it so good and unnerving anyways, from the way your vision works, to how difficult it is to master the combat against the different enemies. If you enjoy any survival horror with an underlying very interesting story, play this, everything is so interesting and you won't find another horror experience like this!

Lots of fun coming from someone who doesnt like top down games or jump scares so I think this is a fantastic horror game!

I recommend this game very highly. After many hours in the game and multiple playthroughs I have found that this is one of the scariest and most creative games I have ever played from a story perspective. If you are a fan of story games or horror games then this is most likely a great choice. The combat and game-play is also strong in my opinion, with very many ways to go about any given scenario, you have so many options to handle encounters however you want and the tools at your disposal allow you to implement many different play-styles. From both a story and game-play perspective I highly recommend this game for any and all horror fans out there.

The horror and survival aspects are quite impressive, partly due to the fact that you have limited "lives" (only one on the hardest mode, which I highly recommend if you have the time and patience for a few restarts). This limitation made me feel every threat (both real and imagined), adding immensely to the already deep atmosphere. It also forced me to restore and engage my brain activity, which had been dulled by endless F5-F9 games =) by making me plan approaches to different encounters, prepare escape routes, etc

There's also a strong mystery element hanging in the air, so I would describe this game as more of a top-down adventure/mystery/horror experience, with medium survival/action elements and minor RPG mechanics. The crafting system is also quite nice.

However, some mechanics feel overused in my opinion. I would remove them after a couple of hours of gameplay, as they begin to feel more like a chore than a challenge at that point.

TL DR i recommend this game for horror and mystery enjoyers. Only for patient, slow-paced atmosphere-embracing approach, maybe for multiple short to medium sessions, otherwise it can become really annoying if you are trying to rush things.

I have never before been so intrigued and repulsed by a game to such an extent, simultaneously.

This game requires a certain mindset.

It starts with Fear.

Let's sidestep that for a little while, congratulations. Having reached this review, you already have taken your first steps. You've seen the game's title, you've seen some screenshots, a trailer or two, likely purchased it, maybe booted the title, or even played the first hour of the game, including the small intro perhaps. Now what?

It all starts with your thoughts. You've already formed a preconception, a ghost-projection about this game. Based on the evidence you've seen so far, you might think many things about this game. Throw all of that away. There is an important distinction to make - this game does not hold your hand, as it has said, however, when it tells you something - it means it. Listen to the cryptic advice you receive. Do not disregard it, and do not doubt it. It can lead you astray, but for now, any information is crucial.

Secondly, immerse yourself in the world and your circumstance. The only thoughts you need to have are of Survival first and foremost, and Fear second. Disregard everything else.

Thirdly, this is the only time I believe a "spoiler" will be necessary, and it's not a shocker at all - night will come. The Night is dangerous and you should rightfully be paranoid about it. Time progresses at a steady pace, you have exactly 20 minutes each day. How long the night takes to pass, you'll figure out. Search your immediate surroundings with care, but also with intent. Do not dawdle too much, and once you open your map, there you have it, your first immediate objective.

Search that place, get everything you need. And what you need, first of all, is a weapon. Conflict can be avoided, but not when it's breaking down your door. A hint - if you cannot find a reliable weapon on your first day, have a good look in the workbench crafting selection. There might be something there at your disposal. Use it.

Before night sets in, you get a very visible warning - the sunset. Be prepared. Listen to Survival and Fear. They mean you well.

Depending on your actions during your first night, you may now have an idea of what to do. You've listened to Survival and Fear, and chose to confide in one of them. Prepare for what is to come, get your bearings. You have an inordinate amount of time at your disposal now, make use of it. Invite Survival and Fear back to your table, and discuss the plans you'll undertake. And if things don't go according to your plan, it's perfectly fine to let either of them take over. They will try their best.

Now go, explore. The world is not as dangerous as it may seem, and you are more cunning than you think. At least, for now.

Honestly, one of the most anxiety infusing games and it does that by being 2D. The fact that you have a limiting point of view creates a state of constant alertness as well as the passing of time that makes you rush all the time. Although nothing should be done with rush in this game as you must always be cautious and well prepared when you enter a new area or just exploring. The whole story and the characters fit the name of the studio, as they seem to have been written by some wizard constantly on acid and mushrooms.

Patience yields you an intricate world with one of the most unique aesthetics you will find in a horror game. I have not felt as much tension playing a videogame as i have felt surviving some of the nights in Darkwood. It can be frustrating at times but from the very first loading screen the game tells you itself that it wont hold your hand, and if you put a little effort into it, it really makes it worth your while.

9/10 Game!
It grows on you if ever the first playthrough didn't catch you much.
I saw this game long ago through markiplier and decided to get it, but didn't get a chance to play for a few years. But now I finished the game.
Truly a unique horror experience that you wouldn't see much in today's games.

Im really bad at this game sure. However the vibes, quality, and effort that is put lovingly into this game has not gone unnoticed by me. IF i wasnt so shit i would progress further and see more amazing quality. Get darkwood, its worth it.

This game is a masterpiece!

I've always been too scared to play horror games in the past, and have never enjoyed the experience when I have... but Darkwood is a worthy exception. It is genuinely terrifying don't get me wrong, but everything about it is just so well executed, and so engaging that it always feels worth the torment it puts you through.

Hotline Miami for big adults -> lovecraftian horror at its best.