Darkwood

This is a game you have to try. You will remember it for the rest of your life as a unique experience.

There is a certain feeing of mystery and bleakness that this game captures so well and fits cosmic horror perfectly. There really are no jumpscares (getting snuck up by a monster doesn't count, its your own fault), all the tension and horror comes from the atmosphere of the game. The rough, dark artstyle, limited POV and amazing sound design give amazing results. The story and mystery of the game is uncovered through NPC dialogue, items found throughout the world and even the enviroment itself. However, it never reveals too much, just enough to tell the story, but keep the mystery. It also doesn't hold back or holds your hand, you're on your own. The game runs smoothly without bugs during my entire playthrough. Darkwood is a perfect example of a great horror and would recommend it to anyone looking for a survivalist horror or any eldritch fan.

Aside from the Silent Hill series, this is my favourite spine tingling monster creation of a horror game. The game play and controls are reminiscent of old skool adventure games, particular the ones I remember playing as a kid on the Commodore Amiga. Combat can feel restrictive at times, but it's fair because the protagonist isn't a nimble gun toting madman. It's about patience, strategy and making sure that you spend your stamina wisely. It also reminds me of Stranger Things because of the mystery, intrigue, chompers, engulfing darkness and alien-like growth. I really hope the developers add a new story further down the line, expanding on the Darkwood universe. It would also be amazing if they allow modders to contribute their ideas, similar to how custom campaigns were created for Amnesia. The devs have a great attitude too, because instead of trying to prevent the game from being pirated, they supported the idea, and even seeded a torrent themselves. It's simple, if someone likes a game enough, they will buy it. I did! Thank you Acid Wizard Studio

Wow. I just finished this game, and I'm blown away... If you haven't finished this game appropriately, you do not have a right to tender an opinion. This game is in a class by itself. It cannot be judged by the same yardstick you would use to judge other games. It has to be experienced in full. At least a couple times. The game is genius. It is wistful and terrifying... You are alone in the dark on this one... and no moral compass to guide you. The game is so much more than it mechanics or interface... It is dark poetry. There are no cheap-shots. Everything about it is purposeful. I never would have thought a top-down game could be so captivating... but the story, the mood...the backdrop.... the lighting... comes together so masterfully that, if you open yourself to the experience, it will change you. Those of us of a more thoughtful, cerebral or philosophical bent will get a lot of out this game. Those of us who just want to blow shit up and move on to the next big boss... will find little of value here. This game is mysterious, frightening and humbling all at same time. It should not be rushed, but savored for its revolting, enigmatic and terrifying mystique. Buy it. Play it. You have been warned.

Lots to like about this - genuinely unsettling atmosphere with amazing sound effects which doesn't rely on jumpscares, with really cool gnarly lore and characters. The survival mechanics are pretty satisfying, with a gradual improvement in weapons/equipment and mutant powers throughout the game. There are no waypoints, GPS, or compass, but despite this I never felt uncertain of what to do next - the flow of gameplay moves along nicely, and leads to a nice sense of accomplishment because there is none of the aforementioned 'hand-holding.' Unfortunately the controls and movement are bad (I was reminded a little of the 'tank' controls of Grim Fandango back in the day), and this becomes especially apparent in combat. Aiming and moving is very fiddly, and as there is a long windup on melee attacks it's very easy to get mobbed and stunlocked if there's more than one enemy (this becomes especially punishing in the Swamp). The only concessions towards blocking or dodging is the ability to jump backwards a step, which I never found useful (the best I could come up with was running around in a circle to get behind enemies and have enough time to take a swing or stab.) By the time I got to the last part of the game I was dying about once every five minutes - I you have finished this game on 1life permadeath mode then I salute you. Moving furniture painfully slowly to fortify hideouts is just as dull and awkward as it sounds, and as there is no way to rotate as one is dragging something, moving stuff into the right position involves running against the item (usually a wardrobe) to turn it around until it is roughly where it should be. Darkwood is a great game, let down by bad controls.