Dark Fear Reviews

  • The Horror NetworkThe Horror Network216,846
    20 Jun 2017
    2 0 0
    It's safe to say that there is no other experience on Steam quite like the one that Dark Fear delivers. It's a retro horror adventure and RPG hybrid that's sincerely one of the first of its kind. Think 1980's Kings Quest gameplay mixed with 1990's Pokemon type battles, combined with a Myst point and click interface. On the surface it may seem like a complex amalgamation, but in reality it all works very well together.

    You play as an unnamed man who has awoke in a strange, dark cabin. You have no recollection of how you came to be in this place, and the memories of your past evade you. After escaping from the cabin, you find your way to a small town with a blacksmith, alchemist, tailor, and an unfortunate village idiot; all who will play a role in helping you to uncover the mysteries surrounding your arrival. The only thing that you have to go on is a strange, creepy old portrait that you picked up from the cabin; could this unknown person hold the answers that you so desperately seek?

    Dark Fear has a thick, aromatic atmosphere that conjures the feeling that one gets when flipping through the yellowed pages of a dusty, old choose your own adventure novel. The game feels genuinely aged, but new all at the same time. Its crude yet enchanting graphics allow your imagination to fill in the details, while still being able to firmly hold an air of suspenseful horror as you explore an abandoned old house, a cemetery, thick forests, and even more locations. Each area holds its own secrets that need to be uncovered, and most have a few battles along the way; whether it be something as simple as a bear or a horrifying boss battle. You really never know what's beyond that next click.

    Another feature that helps the retro vibe stand out in this game is the way that the dialogue is presented. The game utilizes very simple, and large, squares filled with text right in the middle of the screen. While the display is a throwback to oldschool point and clicks, the longevity and high quality of the writing reads like a novel. The story unfolds at a decent pace, and it has enough twists and turns to keep the player engaged at all times. There's also enough backstory to each character that no one would dare call the tale shallow.

    Both the mechanics and gameplay are very straightforward. Click the on-screen arrows to traverse the scenes, click on objects within them to get a closer look and interact, drag and drop items to use them; all simple point and click stuff. Like older adventure games from the 80's, this title has a score system and your end goal is to obtain all of the achievements plus a perfect score of 410. The RPG element comes into play by forcing you to grind for gold by hunting. Gold is used to buy weapon and armor upgrades, as well as potions. Both the hunting and fighting mechanics feature the same click-slider bar, wherein you must click at the perfect moment to make the arrow on the bar stop within the green zone. You will hunt to gather pelts to both sell for gold and use to upgrade your armor, and you can also fish to earn money as well.

    The only real issue with Dark Fear is the amount of grinding involved to get gold. At least once or twice every hour or so of gameplay, you're required to hunt for pelts to upgrade your armor. While that isn't a problem, the only way to make money is to also hunt and fish, leading to a repetitious grind that becomes dreary. At times it can put the player off from wanting to continue with the game, but thankfully the story, soundtrack, and graphics are all worth the effort that one puts in to gold farming.

    Even in writing it may sound like these ingredients don't quite fit together well, but trust me when I say that they do in a very unexpected manner. It's really something that one has to experience for themselves to understand and appreciate fully. Dark Fear is a very immersive game, not only within its enjoyable tale of horror and suspense, but also its fantastic retro graphics and absorbing soundtrack. It's also apparently a mobile port, but you would never know that by looking at it or playing it. We, the horror community, need more games like this. It's a shame that this one hasn't become more popular. A definite hidden gem.

    Rating: 4.5/5.0 - Excellent, highly worth playing.
    The Horror Network
    Steam Group: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/thehorrornetwork
    Steam Curator: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/thehorrornetwork#curation
    4.5
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