DARQ
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DARQ tells the story of Lloyd, a boy who becomes aware of the fact that he is dreaming. To Lloyd's misfortune, the dream quickly turns into a nightmare and all attempts to wake up end in failure. While exploring the darkest corners of his subconscious, Lloyd learns how to survive the nightmare by bending the laws of physics and manipulating the fluid fabric of the dream world. Apart from gravity-defying puzzles, Lloyd will have to use stealth when nearby enemies. He has no chance of winning in an open confrontation, since the creatures he will encounter are much more powerful and faster than him. Instead, he has to rely on careful planning to avoid getting detected.
Steam User 11
Wait for a Sale
Is this game bad? Absolutely not. But very short.
Get this game if you like puzzle games, not because it's a horror game. However, it had a few parts that were really creepy and gave you a good heart racing. It has fantastic puzzles with a cool concept but also some standard puzzles that you solve quickly.
The atmosphere is very dark and fits a horror game and is very good.
DARQ has some really good and creative puzzles that are not always easy. The mechanics in the game, with multiple rooms/perspectives/worlds in combination with the puzzles is very well done and I have not seen in this style before.
After you've played through the main game (2 hours playtime) you should definitely check out the free DLC's
"DARQ - The Tower" I liked very much as a DLC and I had a lot of fun with it, even if it was very short like the other DLC. (About 20 minutes)
"DARQ - The Crypt" Was unfortunately a bit frustrating. It's not soo bad, but a few puzzles, especially the one with the bells really annoyed me. The rest of the DLC was okay though. (About 40 minutes of gameplay, with fewer, but harder puzzles than the first DLC).
Steam User 5
Darq follows Lloyd, a character who falls asleep and you need to guide him through his nightmares. While the nightmares themselves aren't terrifying, though there are some jump scares here and there, mostly it's the world in which you are allowed to roam around in that creates a dark atmosphere for you to experience.
Gamewise, it's a puzzle platformer. You need to find objects in order to move platforms around, open up doors, and more. Lloyd himself if near a flat wall, can just turn the screen 90s and turn that wall into a floor. Some mechanisms will not just move object or platforms but the spin the room around and more. In fact, the gimmick that this game plays with, is quite perculiar, innovative, and well utilized for the puzzles in this game, especially the hidden stuff that you don't actually need to find.
The game's graphics are really well done, quite pleasing, though still dark and lacking in colors outsides of shades of gray/blue and black/white. The animations are great, really well done and fit perfectly into the dream like atmosphere that you experience. The sounds and music also provide more immersion into this dark world that you travel through. Darq, while being a 2D platformer while moving, utilizes the full three spectrum, similar to Fez, as you get to not only turn 90 degrees on walls and pits, but there are levels where you can spin the level giving different access to the same paths. Again, quite innovative in the sense that most platformers do not utilize this, and it only adds to the puzzle's difficulty in trying to orient yourself through the levels.
The levels are very well designed, they are all fairly short. While they can easily taken 30-60 minutes each when you are new to the game or new to the level, in the long run the levels can be accomplished in less than 15 minutes each. With only about 6 different levels to roam through, plus some free DLC levels that were spectacular, the game is only about 4-6 hours long at the most if you don't experience too much difficulty with the games gameplay gimmick.
From what I understand, the majority of this game was created by a single dev over the course of 3.5 years. I'm fascinated by this, so many times we are finding games that defy the norms and break the status quo and it is these small development teams, often times single person development teams, that take the risk and try something new. While I enjoyed the game, I'm glad it was short as I'm not sure that there would have been anything new to learn that would continually attract my attention. I'm glad for these small but memorable games because adding more length would lose its flavor.
If you like puzzle platformers and don't mind a dark atmosphere and a couple jump scares, this game needs to be on your wishlist. It's not expensive, and it goes on sale regularly for an even better price. Not everything was perfect. There are times where you have to wait for enemies to pass by as you hide, and that can seem quite dull and boring to sit and wait, and be forced to experience that multiple times. There are other times where it feels that you going back and forth a lot on the level, but it's a puzzle game, and you need to recognize that it's not repetitive, it's another step in the puzzle process to complete your goal.
Overall, highly recommend this game, I enjoyed and look forward to more form this dev.
Steam User 8
If we take some of the puzzles from Limbo, add the graphics from Little Nightmares and spice it up with some awesome 2D to 3D transitions, you get DARQ. I like the visuals of this game, which is uncanny at some point, but not too scary at all. The game is a 2D puzzle platformer which uses the 3D areas as multiple 2D fields. The puzzles are not too difficult and most of them are different from each other. Music and the sounds are pretty good and fitting to the game. My only real complaint is the length, because the main game is not longer than 2-3 hours and even with the two free DLCs you only get around half an hour of bonus content, if you don't aim to get all of the achievements.
16.8€ is expensive for this one due to it's length, but I think if you can get it around 5€ and play the two DLCs, it will worth it. It's an all right game for sure.
Steam User 3
Creative and fun game.
Darq features a special mechanic where you could rotate the wall then walk on to the ceiling to pass the gap on the ground. Expanding this idea includes moving forward and backwards to see different layers in one area, like in the theatre level where player can leap forward from the audience ground level to the stage or back to the upper floor level, making a 2D game into 3 dimensions. I also enjoyed that graveyard level where player can rotate the map for new routes.
The puzzles are not hard, more of remembering which is where and getting back when you get the right item. The last level is a run-for-your-life escape from cave level, a test of quick actions from the previous levels and I enjoyed it quite much. The main story is 2 hours with 2 free DLCs each about 15 mins long. I prefer Darq over Little Nightmare.
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Steam User 4
DARQ: A Unique Horror Puzzle Adventure
Graphics:
DARQ's visuals may not be the most stunning, but they set a suitable stage for its eerie atmosphere.
Gameplay:
At first glance, DARQ draws comparisons to atmospheric titles like INSIDE. However, while INSIDE transformed a wordless narrative into a post-apocalyptic masterpiece, DARQ opts for a horror movie approach. Personally, I prefer the former over the latter, resulting in a less favorable impression of DARQ compared to INSIDE. Nevertheless, it's still a commendable game.
Puzzles:
DARQ's puzzles are its standout feature. They offer a satisfying level of challenge without veering into frustration, making for a rewarding gameplay experience.
Music:
The game's score effectively enhances its horror atmosphere, even though it's not my personal preference. Credit is due where it's deserved.
Length:
DARQ isn't a lengthy game, and even with the DLCs, it can be completed within 4-5 hours.
In conclusion, while DARQ may not captivate me as much as other similar games, it delivers a captivating horror puzzle adventure with challenging puzzles and an immersive soundtrack.
Disclaimer: This review was written with the assistance of ChatGPT.
Steam User 4
A short but sweet little game with good puzzles.
Steam User 3
DARQ is categorized as a 2D puzzle-platform game, but its mechanics are far from conventional, offering unexpected twists that often left me both surprised and impressed. Game definitely has a creepy ambience. The visuals perfectly embody a nightmare, supported by hauntingly good voice effects.
You move Lloyd around, pick things up, climb through spaces, and sometimes even walk on walls! The game has some cool puzzles where you need to change the world around Lloyd to solve them. There's no fighting in this game. When there are bad guys, you need to be sneaky or run away.
Puzzles aren’t too hard but can make you think. It’s not a long game, and there are two DLCs you can play that feel like extra two chapters. I had a good time playing and think it's worth giving it a try.