Darkest Dungeon

-like the game
-buy the game
-try the game
-Get attached to my first party
-they became my primary team
-progress great
-primary party gets to level 4.
-first boss
-they all died
-Afflicted by depression
-try again
10/10

I bought this game on 2018. It has taken me almost 7 years to finish it. The main game, at least. When I first played it, it had been on Radiant. I was Not Very Good at games, and the unforgiving nature of Darkest Dungeon and my lackluster gaming skills, even on Radiant, meant that opinion turned from 'Not Very Good' to 'Oh Girl, You Are So Much Worse At This Than I Realized.' It had ended with me throwing my hands up in surrender after suffering a team wipe twice, almost in a row, first from the Shambler, and then later to Vvulf. Despite that, I resolved to one day come back and finish this damn game.
And 7 years later, I come crawling back with gritted teeth and bloodied fingers, triumphantly better than ever before. My days of being 'Not Very Good' was over. I was now 'Eh, Acceptable.' And that was enough to fulfill a goal that was more than half a decade old by that point. On Default Difficulty, even!
(I will not try it in Higher Difficulties. I know my limits. Confidence is an insidious killer, and all that.)
Anyway, all that was to say, very dramatically, that I've finally finished it. Wonderful game. I absolutely love the sound effects and, of course, the narrator. It all really sets the Lovecraftian vibe the game was going for. While I was playfully complaining about the difficulty earlier, I didn't actually hate it. Struggling to be better, to improve, to overcome said difficulties made the victories all the more sweet. From what I understand, the game was purposely designed like that. It's supposed to be hard. It's supposed to be frustrating. And the challenge of it really elevated my experience playing the game.
I might one day return. I still haven't defeated one of the mini bosses that made me quit the game in the first place (I Am Coming For You, Shambler). Some achievements here and there that I want to get. And, of course, the DLCs that I've been hearing good things about.
Truly, one of the best games I've ever played. <3

Very hard game to review. It's pretty much the epitome of an abusive relationship.
It's a game that you'd beg your best friend to play but wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy.
It's a game that you'll love to hate and resent yourself for loving it.
It's a game where skill is mocked and luck is a bipolar parent.
And it's addictive as crack.
You've been warned.

I'd recommend it, but it's not for me. I've tried multiple times to get into it, but it's not fun.
It's well made and decisions you make matter.
It's difficult, requiring planning and a bit of luck. Maybe more than a bit of luck.
If you like brutal RPGs where the decisions are permanent and luck can be for or against you, you would probably like this.
I don't like it because of how punishing it is. The intro rings true: "Darkest Dungeon is about making the most of a bad situation." There are too many bad situations for me to have fun.

a really relaxing game, if you ignore all the stressful parts

This game is frustrating, annoying and is at no point fun to play.

10/10 would recommend

also learnt the word indefatigable from this game

This is one of the best games ever made.
Honestly, not sure why it's taken me this long to make a review of this game. I'm kind of nearly 10 years too late (Oh my fuck-ing god it's been almost ten years jesus christ) but since the Autumn Sale is here a lot of people may be checking this game out so I need to pump out the propaganda.
I'll start with a brief overview of the pros and cons of the game for those who just want a quick review, and then go into detail afterwards.
Pros:
-Phenomenal Turn-Based Gameplay. Simple but so damn good.
-Incredible Art Direction and Character Design. Hauntingly beautiful.
-Amazing Atmosphere, and Narration. Seriously...Wayne June's performance elevates this game to another level.
-Challenging yet Rewarding. Loot is always exciting to find and earn.
-Stress Concept is Unique and Helps it Stand Out
-Perfect Music. Ambiance and Combat themes capture what they need to amazingly.
-Great Modding Scene....if you ignore the gooners (Seriously why for this game in specific is it so bad?)
Cons:
-Difficulty Can Be A Turnoff. Easier difficulty modes exist, but characters WILL die in this game.
-Critical Hits are Punishing. They feel good to pull off, but enemy crits can erase a heavily invested character.
-Idk man I'm struggling to come up with any uhhhh stress act outs are kind of annoying and the crimson curse can be too ig
Now for the detailed review. Where to even begin? The game-play is multifaceted yet easy to understand. This game is called a Rouge-like...but I don't think that's entirely accurate. Sure, dungeons are randomized but your heroes retain their upgrades, trinkets and skills. Progression is much more permanent in this game, with your dungeon delving allowing the estate to grow and grant you new bonuses, shops and better heroes for the future challenges. The game-play loop in very simple terms is to expand your estate and set out on ever more dangerous expeditions with your heroes in order to eventually take on The Darkest Dungeon.
Speaking of, let's talk heroes. There are several different classes in this game- each sporting 8 unique skills. The characters excel in different positions but can be played in many different ways. The back-line healer? Yeah, she can beat the shit out of people in the front ranks too. It makes understanding each one very rewarding and fun. The skills themselves are easy to understand but can also expand into many complex and powerful setups and strategies. Want a team that stacks DoT? Maybe on that applies a mark to one enemy and guns it down? There's a lot of variation here. Your party is still human, though, and are vulnerable to the stress of the expedition.
This game's big calling card is the stress system. It's extremely memorable, and much simpler to understand than it sounds. In short, you can just consider it as a second health-bar with lower stakes. Certain attacks will deal stress damage, which causes a hero's stress to increase. If it gets too high, they will face a resolve check. 75% of the time they will fall into madness, and gain a random affliction. These afflictions can make characters act out against your commands and even hurt their allies. It can admittedly be frustrating to deal with, so managing your stress is important. Many hero skills, trinkets and prioritization of killing stress-causing enemies can make this easier to deal with, thankfully. If a character's stress bar fills out again, they'll suffer a heart attack which can leave them only one hit away from death.
25% of the time, however, your character will become virtuous during a resolve check. Unlike afflictions, these make your character much stronger and even de-stress the rest of your team and themselves. It's very satisfying to dread having a character reach a resolve check in a hard fight, only for them to emerge virtuous and end up saving the entire party. Careful, though, because this game is not afraid to remind you of just how mortal a man really is.
If you're as brain rotted and mentally ill as me, you may know what a Pokemon Nuzlocke is. The game works very similarly to that. if you're normal, then its simply just that characters die permanently. Your favorite Crusader or Leper can be killed forever- barring a very rare event which allows you to bring one character back. This creates real, palpable stakes to each adventure and allows you to develop attachment to your favorite digital freak. I love Darkest Dungeon 2 as well, but this one of the things this game just does better than it. For some, though, this may be a turnoff. Pouring investment and emotional favoritism into your Grave Robber only for her to die brutally to a monster that looks like a deflated testicle? Not for everyone, sadly.
Moving onto the artistic side, this game is hauntingly beautiful in so many different ways. The art, music, voice-work and story are dark, grungy and desolate but are so enrapturing and sometimes even motivational. Sure, 90% of the game is about humanity's corruption and eventual inescapable demise...but god does it feel good to crit and enemy or kill a boss. Each victory feels earned and like one step has been made closer to the end of the corruption.
This is in no small part helped by the phenomenal narration by Wayne June, who has sadly passed away. In this game, he plays the role of your ancestor and constantly drops lore of the world and comments about your campaign. It sets the mood so perfectly and even bleeds into the game-play. This game has crunch to it- scoring a critical hit makes the game zoom in, and sparks a powerful voice line from your ancestor. Even non-critical hits will have voice lines that make the moment feel powerful and memorable. I think it's at its best when your character's stress breaks- only for them to remain resolute and virtuous. Hearing the narrator cry "Many fall in the face of chaos, but not this one. Not today!" as your beloved little gremlin Plague Doctor scores back after back crit? Yeah, this is cocaine for pathetic white boys like me.
The cons really are hard to pinpoint for me. Yes, the challenge can be frustrating. A badly timed crit can wipe an entire party of invested heroes and you'll want to just shut off the PC right there. It's always worth trying again, though, because as desolate as the game may feel sometimes, there are always more heroes waiting in the stagecoach. There is always hope of rising back up from the ashes and using the estate you've built to raise a new army and take vengeance for your fallen friends.
The odds are stacked against you, and the game wants you to feel the crushing burden of failure. The game may not be for you and that's okay. If you're willing, though, then there's always a path forward. This game is one of the best uses of video games as a medium to create art I've ever seen. Because you aren't just being told to feel despair, you're actively experiencing it. You don't have to look for the meaning, because it's what you make of it. You'll fall, and you will rise up again. The message of the game is hope- to keep trying no matter how many heroes die or how many expeditions result in disaster, because eventually you will succeed...
against The Darkest Dungeon.
10/10