Darkwood; A top-down perspective on survival horror is here for fans of the genre to enjoy. What kind of nightmares await behind the screen? Let’s find out on this Darkwood Review!

If you are a fan of horror, darkness, and survival, you definitely must read this Darkwood Review! I’m pretty sure that after playing this game you’ll have nightmares, the unique obscure world presented here will slowly make you go insane!

As I said, Darkwood is a game that can give you nightmares from playing too long. This unique horror game isn’t looking to scare you in the traditional way; instead, it will let you go slowly insane by being trapped in its world, grasping at little resources to survive the night. As soon as the game starts, you’re greeted with a message stating that you won’t be held through the game and you’ll need to have focus and be patient. During the prologue, we are given some backstory and hideous visuals about the woods closing him off from the outside world.

There’s no tutorial on the controls and the character just narrates actions that you can do while you explore the dilapidated house, so I’ll try to open the path for you through this Darkwood Review. Already setting an uneasy feeling, you get a chance to explore the forest for the first time and witness just right outside your faithful companion suffering. Wielding only an axe, you transverse the maze of trees and witness very unusual things like a human being consumed by the plants, people and animals cut together and tied into one being. Going towards the end of the forest, you find a man that only has a journal and a key, and you take him back to the house.

As soon as the next part of the prologue starts, we begin to play as the unknown man in the hat and witness the other character talking to himself and being very unreasonably violent. As the night falls, the house has grown very eerie with vain textures and the radio we saw earlier transformed into a human tied to the ground. The more we explore the house, the darker and gritter everything gets, and we are soon fighting off the other character we played because his insanity has gotten the best of him. We are then saved by a stranger and wake up in a new house where we will be traveling frequently during our adventures.

The survival aspect of Darkwood is truly fascinating because it’s simple and effective. In the hideout, there is an oven where you can collect poisonous mushrooms to cook and put into a syringe. Doing so will unlock new abilities such as being able to see further away, or having the ability to see where you are located on the map for a limited time.

On the other side of the hideout, there is a crafting bench where you can create basic items like healing items, weapons, and traps. More advanced tools unlock once you upgrade the bench, then you can create things like a lantern so you can light your way when you’re deep in the forest or even craft Molotov cocktails.

Just right outside you can find a Saw which will be pretty handy to chop up wood and make planks. This way you can barricade the hideout since, at night, you’ll need all the defenses you can get. Be prepared…

While I was by the bed in the hideout, exploring the small room, I noticed the door opened behind me, handling my weapon I decided to check out if there’s anything outside but there was nothing there. Later on, the same thing happened but this time something triggered my trap and I ended up fighting this creature in the bedroom till it decided to run away. Night time is always dangerous in this game.

Each night the hazards of the outside get more and more dangerous but with a trusty weapon and traps, you can survive the night and meet a merchant that visits your home in the morning. Instead of using money, the currency is the reputation you have, and you can increase it with what you trade with the merchant.

With each character having creepy designs, they truly bring you into the reality of this world and provide quests that will eventually shape the outcome of your story. Enemies of Darkwood have a good range of keeping you on your toes. From simple rabid dogs, large deer, to savages roaming around. You’ll find yourself with your heart pumping and running around attempting to give that final blow to the enemy before they interrupt your attack.

Overall, Darkwood is what every horror fanatic needs in their collection.

The creepy atmosphere creates this unique sensation and the art direction will drive you to see what else lies in this hopeless world.

While the pros of this game outweigh the cons, the major thing I found annoying is how you’re unable to see your location on the map but, as much as I dislike it, it puts you on the edge when the sun is going down. Everything has by far reached my expectations and if you have the chance, you should try this game. It’ll be worth it.