Darkest Dungeon®

Is not without cost. In other squad based games (Final Fantasy, XCom, etc) you can basically get to a point where you know how to maximize perks and battle options in order to create nigh-invulnerable teams. Not with Darkest Dungeon. In Darkest Dungeon, even upgraded crusaders or occultists with charm trinkets and amazing stats can fall in battle. Anyone can (and probably will) fall in battle. The Darkest Dungeon knows that everyone has a price. The strengths of the game relies on its atmosphere and the 'just one more quest' approach to hook you, and it does a really good job of it. It's been years since I've played a team-based RPG with such brutality... yet it beckons for you to keep struggling to overcome each dungeon's challenges. For those reasons alone, it is a very well made game. As others have stated, it is a very frustrating game with tons of surprises that will keep you on your toes. After playing several hours now, I have yet to defeat any higher level bosses and have lost several good team members. If you love a difficult game, or just squad based RPGs in general, Darkest Dungeon will be right up your alley... or dungeon.

After reading all the negative reviews I had doubts whether I should get this game or not, but after buying it AND completing it (on the medium/"Darkest" difficulty), I have no regrets, and feel that most of the reviews seem unfair, really (or pehaps outdated?) And I don't mean to say that the game is perfectly "fair" - you will fall victim to a series of unlucky RNG rolls many times, and your heroes will die as a result, but the game *literally* tells you in the opening screen that you should be expecting it. Yes, some of the enemies can occasionally land crits for 100% of a hero's HP, and then kill them before you can react, but It's all about minimising the chances of such scenarios happening, and if things go bad, in most cases you have a choice to either push your luck or retreat before any of your heroes die. I can't help but clarify at least one point: one of the reviews dismisses the camping mechanic as useless because of the chance of your group getting ambushed - and, sure, if they get ambushed, you can very well end up worse off than before you struck camp, but several classes have camping skills that prevent ambushes. 100% chance. No RNG involved there, you use the skill and your group is safe. It is a slow game that requires a lot of planning and takes many hours to complete. It can feel grindy because you need to keep recruiting new heroes in order to sufficiently upgrade everyone as they level up, so be ready for that, but there are so many classes and so many possible synergies that you can keep trying new things rather than repeat the same thing over and over again (the skill and combat system is brilliant in its complexity, it can definitely be overwhelming at first though) Biggest cons for me? I found skill progression on higher levels disappointing (cost vs effects of most of the upgrades feels ridiculous), and I feel that heroes' progression in general could have been made smoother and more interesting. But seriously, it's a great game.

Before i begin, i'd like to clear a popular misinterpretation: Darkest Dungeon is not a role-playing game! It is part management, part tacticle, turn-based battles, with some portions of dungeon-crawling, settled in a dark fantasy setting, und playing under rogue-like conditions, which means: very hard, extremely unforgiving, and iron-man only. If you are looking for a classic RPG or dungeon-crawling experience, i recommend to delete the game from your wishlist and stop reading already: Darkest Dungeon is designed for a very specific niche, and can be a really nightmare for the casual player! As well as it can be salvation for the right person... ... Still reading and interested? Then hear my personal story... My first experience with DD was terrible. I remember playing the game for 5 minutes, and experiencing so much troubles, that i deinstalled and refunded right away. A year later, and still unsatisfied with all those AAA titles in my library, i stumbled upon the game once more, and decided to give it another, this time serious try. That was the beginning of a relationship, that changed my life! Switching between ragequitting and mastering the steep learning curve, i slowly began to understand the deeper mechanics of the game, and realized, that playing good is just not enough, and that DD may very well be one the most demanding games of all time, but also, that the game, in its very core, is a fair and balanced experience, and that excellent play is rewarded immensely... Now, several dozen hours later, im more hooked than ever! Darkest Dungeon is one of those immensely rare games, that manage to stay exciting and attractive, and it is not even finished, with new patches and DLC still released! And even though the game does not entertain in a traditional way, but more like a puzzler, it is the only game in my endless library, that i always return to, and that i appreciate in an unparalleled way. Which is astounishing, as i spend the most time in DD with... thinking! I do literally spend hours (!) with the preparation and execution of each single single dungeon run, with micro-managing my party, their professions, their positions, their active skills, both fighting and camping, with curing and buying and improving and planning and preparing... and exploring and fighting and looting! And even while doing the action part, i think about optimal strategies each step i take. And i, who, admittedly, isnt the most patient and clever person around, love it! And love that i do! Playing this game seriously does also mean, to have to work on important real-life skills. In a game, that leaves no room for lazyness and brainless play (DD is the most unforgiving game i have played in my entire life! In fact, a single decision can cost you the game!), you either do your very best, or wont get anywhere! In fact, every time that i fail, do i take my time to think everything through, and realize, that it could have been avoided. Every failing is a lesson, i try to learn from... Now, some people claim, that this game is driven by a cruel, unfair RNG. Which is not completely false. The whole combat relies on chances, as well as several other, small mechanics. Still, a well prepared and optimally played party works together like a charm, and can handle almost every mechanic there is in this game... And the feeling, when everything works as intended, and when a party returns safely, packed to the brim with treasures, that can then be used to work on the strategy layer (the town), and prepare for the next tactics-part, is simply amazing! And even when RNG screws you completely over, and you should fail without fault, do i feel, that the real goal in this game is doing the best you can, and that the path is the real award in this game. So, even when you fail, and you will, because we are just humans: Take a break, relax, learn from your mistakes, and start a fresh run with a new party. I still recommend to use guides, as learning everything by trial-and-error IS an annoying and unnecessary part, and i wished, that the game would contain more and extended information! Also, while talking about negatives, dungeon-runs become a bit repetitive, and i hope, that this part will be extended, with more opportunities to do... The same flaws apply for the tactical battles: the little monster-variety, without any random elements added, will eventually lead to the same couple of strategies, used again and again... And lastly, the RPG-part is too shallow, with extremely simple random hero-attributes, and leveling up and improving skills is very unspectacular. Im also painfully missing some skill-tree, some options to specialize heroes. I really liked to have lesser heroes for hire, but more options to develop them... But, im sure that we havent seen the last patch and expansion, or maybe there will even follow a sequel :) Now, if you have read to this point, and am still interested, this might be the game you are looking for. A word of advice, though: The beginning of a new game starts pretty rough, with very little to do, and much to learn. Dont let you discourage in this stage: The more you play, the more features get enabled, and the better and fulfilling the game gets, and after you've failed a couple of times, and have learned the basics, the real experience begins :) I wish you a great time with this gem!!!

I've played this game for over 500 hours, what more can I say. Normally, I get tired of games, not of this one. At least this is the case in the base version + (optionally but recommended) the Shieldbreaker add-on. Unfortunately both The Crimson Court and The Color of Madness experiment with the formula (e.g. dungeon size) and end up feeling like work to me, but the basegame hit's my sweetspot. The story is lovecraftian, but the graphics aren't gory. The game can be unforgiving and random but this almost always can be mitigated by taking advantage of all the opportinities you get (e.g. bad things happen on high stress, so kill the the stressers first, have the light be close to 100%, take a proper healer with you, know -may even look up- all possible item interactions, purge the "bad" negative quirks, even if it costs money, the bosses are all vulnerable to specific strategies, don't expect that you can succeed over them by brute force). Once you're aware what the game can throw at you and how you can mitigate things, you've got one of the best turn-based strategy games ever!

Darkest Dungeon is a very well-made game. The music, the voiceover, the monsters - all work to create the athmosphere of Lovecraftian horror. Learning the world of the game is fun. Interacting with it is fun. The problem for me is the idea that lies in the base of the game - making the best out of a bad situation. It is just too bleeding blighted horrified irrational hard. Heroes die because you make wrong decisions, and also just because. You're supposed to fail. A lot. And when you fail, there's no "but you get better!", you just fail. The heroes are just buried. The quest just remains unfulfilled. The makers primise you a bad situation. They deliver.