Find resources by day, survive by night. Surely the approach sounds familiar to you, but it is also certain that you have never seen it posed as in the work of the Poles from Acid Wizard Studio. A challenging horror video game with a brilliant setting. We discovered it in our analysis of Darkwood.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about Darkwood is how it is able to offer a gloomy atmosphere through the top-down perspective , and also without making use of great technical resources. I would dare to say that much of its success lies in its sound setting, in listening to the enemy presence on the other side of the door, and seeing how little by little it is approaching through the footsteps.
Of course, there are other aspects that manage to define the interesting work of the Poles from Acid Wizard Studio . The most important is its powerful exploration with touches of survival, which seems to embrace recent exponents of the genre like Don’t Starve . Its mechanics are similar: obtain a number of elements from the environment to craft tools with which to put yourself safe from the horrible creatures that you will meet during the night. Create barricades to hide, or defend yourself by charging directly against them. The game has a strategic touch , where what you do at all times matters a lot.
I do not like to say that it is not a video game for everyone, but it is undoubtedly not aimed at all types of audiences. You will have a hard time not only through the careful setting, but also because of its challenging difficulty . It’s not packed with action, and most of your time will be spent exploring, creating tools, as well as trying to understand where the hell you are and what you need to do next to move forward. This is Darkwood, an indie project made by three students that was released on PC a couple of years ago and now comes to consoles with the support of critics behind them.
Trailer with the release date of Darkwood on consoles
The forestThe developers comment that their inspirations were David Lynch (Twin Peaks), from which he collects the aura of mystery and surrealism, along with that uncomfortable suspense for intuiting that something horrible is about to happen. They also cite Fallout or Project Zomboid, in addition to Dark Souls , precisely for creating a story in which nothing is evident, but we must be the ones to find and give order to the pieces of the narrative puzzle.
The lantern is our great ally in the darkness of the forest. You will get a scare, promised.
What is it about? All we can (and must) tell you is that we are in a gloomy forest on Soviet territory . Nothing else. Such a cryptic description will sound strange to you, but the game starts the same: blank. You don’t know who you are or where you are. The lack of information is always uncomfortable, but this is also a factor that Darkwood plays with so that you feel more lost and helpless if possible.
Speaking of helplessness, the video game has three levels of difficulty , and at the highest level, death implies the end of the journey. It is not a simple title, nor is it short: it will take you approximately 15-20 hours . All through environments that are procedurally generated, which means that it is not worth learning locations of enemies or objects, as well as the events that take place. Rather, the really important thing here is learning to survive , regardless of the threat that comes for you. Therefore, the only guide that will help you is the one that you build through your experience, of what works or not to overcome a certain situation.
It is not a simple title, nor is it short: it will take you about 15-20 hoursIn the video game it is important to run, as well as dodge and attack enemies. Here everything consumes resistance , and we already tell you that life is scarce (as well as the possibilities of being cured). This supports the sense of survival of the narrative and setting pillars, resulting in an experience that always keeps you on your toes. It seems incredible if you see the screenshots that accompany this analysis of Darkwood, but it is. Also, if you play it with helmets, the sensations improve even a little more.
The plot is built through the environment and what we find. It is not a conventional narrative.
We have been able to test Darkwood on Nintendo Switch , with quite positive results. The loading times are exaggeratedly high (a wait of just over 2 minutes each time we load the game), but everything else behaves perfectly. I would say that in portable mode it is better to play , when viewing the game graphics in greater detail, in addition to the sound treatment of the speakers is very convincing, even without headphones. Good fluidity and lighting treatment on this platform, making it highly recommended to enjoy this survival adventure.
Note that the video game comes translated into Spanish and that despite the low production values, it has an outstanding lighting system , which will probably be what you most notice in your games. Light is important in an adventure full of darkness, where there will be no shortage of frights or anguish to find yourself on the verge of death, without resources, and with monsters lurking on the other side of the window or door.
Prepare to meet beings from another world, in some cases creepy.
You must bear in mind that this is not Resident Evil, nor a Silent Hill . It is a very different work, of thinking things strategically and reflecting on the events that occur. It is also time consuming, and it is not at all simple, something that those who want to try it should value, since this is about stocking up during the day and surviving at night , locking doors with furniture and creating barricades. If you are not afraid of frustration, it will be satisfying to resist the monsters that swarm the game.
“Okay”
Darkwood
0.5
Readers
(1)
A survival horror indie that is reminiscent in mechanics of Don’t Starve and in the setting of greats of the genre like Silent Hill. With a strong degree of challenge and slow mechanics, as well as strategic, Darkwood is not a title aimed at a wide spectrum of users. However, if you are not afraid of frustration, it is a game that can give you a lot of joy, accompanied by the occasional shock along the way, thanks to its careful lighting and sound section.
- Very careful setting: you will feel the defenselessness of being alone in a forest
- Good and abundant survival options, with lots of looting and crafting
- The enigmaticness of the plot encourages us to move forward to continue discovering things
- Lighting is the most visually striking aspect
- Very immersive sound section
- The approach can be confusing and requires a lot of dedication
- The pace of play and its difficulty limit the scope: not suitable for the impatient
- Charging times too high (tested version: Nintendo Switch)
