DARQ

Let me just start of by saying that this is the first game that the developer made and it was solo! He also REJECTED Epic Games exclusivity. This deserves respect.
You can learn more about this from a *video* made by Yong Yea - the person that is a naranator for the DARQ Developer Book.
ABOUT
The game is about a boy, named Loyd, that is lucid dreaming and experiencing horrible nightmares. He has to solve puzzles so he can get out of the scary dreams but eventually he returns to the same place anyways.
You can sort of control gravity and walk on walls and ceilings. This allows the game to create interesting ways to traverse the levels and that makes the level design a bit more intriguing.
The whole game is very strange, bizarre and it has this heavily inspired Tim Burton style.
------------------------------ GAMEPLAY
There is absolutely no main menu. You start right in game without any explaining and that pulls you right in and instantly immerses you. One flaw about this is that it does not mention any controls and you have to figure them out by yourself. Luckily the controls are pretty simple.
Puzzles were interesting, fairly easy and quickly understandable but they were nothing unique most of the time.
------------------------------ SOUNDS
Amazing ambient sound that builds up that creepy atmosphere and tension will make you completely oblivious to the fact that there is no actual music or soundtrack even tho the developer was a film composer.
The jumpscares are a bit too loud when they happen but that problem can be overlooked and also you can just turn the volume down.
I had some minor audio glitching issues right at the end of the game where the sounds were 'tearing' and they got overlapped and louder the further I went. Decided to mention that if anyone had the same problem.
------------------------------ DLCs
They are completely FREE! With the new one released not so long ago.
The Tower DLC is pretty good. With different new puzzles that were not used before. It was pretty fun. You can finish it pretty quickly tho and there is even an achievement for it called *The Tower Runner* where you have to finish it under 6 minutes.
Overall this DLC served as a thanks for people that supported the decision of rejecting Epic. It was also more morbid but less spooky then the base game.
The Crypt DLC came out recently (December 4th 2020) and I have to say that it's not bad. The teasers and the trailers kind of spoiled most of it (and also the end of The Tower) but it was enjoyable either way.
You can control your head at specific locations that you put your cut neck inside. The head can fit throught the holes in the wall that your body cannot so you are able to unlock some stuff and solve puzzles that way. It can also be more closer to the camera so that it can be on the side of the character. The catch is that when you are controlling the head you can't control the body.
I didn't quite like some of the puzzles but two specific jumpscares actually got me.
The lenght is almost the same as with the The Tower DLC - short. With that comes yet another achievement for beating it in under 12 minutes called *Crypt Runner*.
- The whole game with all the achievements is just under 5-7 hours long. Considering the decisions of the developer and how wholesome and great he is, I would pay full price if you want to support him. If you just want a quick game that you would enjoy and finish in one sitting then rather buy it on sale as it doesn't offer too much replay-ability.
It's getting DARQ now. Time for sleep.

DARQ is a really great puzzle platformer game.
Amazing creepy/horror atmosphere, innovative gravity-defying puzzles and gorgeous art direction.
Overall it's really well made, not sure yet but i think this game might be as good as INSIDE, so yeah good stuff.
A must have, easily recommended.
Rating 8.5/10.
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What It Is & How It Sounds
Right away I must warn you: don't expect Inside or Little Nightmares. Despite sharing some visual and thematic resemblance, DARQ is more of a puzzle-adventure with neat horror elements rather than a stealth-platformer. It has a small portion of the latter, but it's much less pronounced than everything else. There isn't even a dedicated jump button of any sort, it's all contextual. Which doesn't make the game less enjoyable, of course, just different. Meditative and feverish in concert.
Aside from the nightmarish visuals that speak for themselves, professionally made sound design is the game's second most prominent feature - all the lovingly made creaking, stepping, clanking, buzzing, grinding, and whispering are accentuated by the humming silence. Not having any music was a bold choice that, in my opinion, paid off big time by thickening the atmosphere and adding to the authenticity. Them dreams usually don't have an OST. Shut up, Mr. "but I'm so special, my dreams are so different".
How It Plays
DARQ is divided into tiny chapters, each stars a specific kind of gimmick, with the ability to walk on walls and ceilings being common to all of them. The puzzles are mostly easy, but also pleasantly inventive. What you do is solve space orientation puzzles, labyrinth puzzles, timing puzzles, move blocks, pull levers, partake in FREAKISHLY INTENSE PANIC-INDUCING predicaments, look for items to use on other items, and occasionally sneak past them monsters. Who are very reminiscent of Silent Hill, my holy cow, and while this kind of appropriation usually annoys me, I find the game worthy enough to get away with it.
Stealth is used cleverly to escalate tension and I personally don't see it as a cynical way to pad the game as some people say, I think that it was applied tastefully. I mean, yes, in concept, the goal was to slow the player down, it is padding by definition, but I argue against the allegation saying that it was implemented in some cynical and unacceptable manner. Look at it as the only way to plug in these sweet monstrosities, a fair trade-off. For the most part, the game's flow stays intact notwithstanding.
Do some puzzles end up feeling like busywork, because in a couple of scenarios you need to stealth back and forth through the same section repeatedly? They do, but let's face it - in the main game, backtracking through any of these miniature locations takes less than a minute, more like thirty seconds, and you don't have to do this often anyway. If your time is so precious that you get frustrated after "wasting" a minute of it during the course of this short game, then why even bother? Go back to your rocket engineering and brain surgery, your country needs you.
How It Fares
It took me two hours to beat the game without finding any of the optional "dream journals". Then I squeezed a little more content from the DLCs. Loved The Tower that has brought some Kronenberg flavor into the mix, and absolutely hated The Crypt, haven't finished it. But hey, the DLCs are free, so whatever. The game's price is steep for the length, so buy DARQ when it's heavily discounted, problem solved.
Keep in mind that Unfold Games rejected Epic's indecent yet lucrative proposal, which should earn them a ton of respect in the public eye. Too bad that it doesn't replace a ton of dough! But that was the price of being ethical at all times. Considering the number of reviews, they seem to be doing fine though. Which sets a great example: you can fling the CCP's money aside and be a successful indie developer at the same time.
My curator

This is an extraordinary game, one of a kind. The amount of detail put into this game is unreal. I initially bought this game to support the developer for saying no to EPIC money. Now that I'm more free and just finished playing this beautiful game. And u get a free DLC too!!!! I just want to end my terrible review by saying a big thank you to Unfold Games. :)
10/10 recommended

--{Graphics}---
☐ You forget what reality is
☑ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ Paint.exe
---{Gameplay}---
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ It‘s just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Starring at walls is better
☐ Just don‘t
---{Audio}---
☐ Eargasm
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ Earrape
---{Audience}---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☑ Human
☐ Lizards
---{PC Requirements}---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☐ Decent
☑ Fast
☐ Rich boiiiiii
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer
---{Difficulity}---
☐ Just press ‚A‘
☐ Easy
☑ Significant brain usage
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls
---{Grind}---
☑ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isnt necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You‘ll need a second live for grinding
---{Story}---
☐ Story?
☐ Text or Audio floating around
☐ Average
☐ Good
☑ Lovely
☐ It‘ll replace your life
---{Game Time}---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☑ Short
☐ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond
---{Price}---
☐ It’s free!
☐ Worth the price
☑ Wait for sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money
---{Bugs}---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs
P.S.: This is my personal opinion, yours may be different.

At first glance it’s just a 2.5D puzzle platformer. Early into the journey you’ll realize it takes the best from the genre and upgrades it significantly.
The puzzles are varied and innovative. There’s just the right amount of time-based tasks. The concept of defying gravity has been implemented in a very original way. This, of course, requires a quite high level of both spatial imagination and memory skills from the player. As a result, you’ll be coming back to the same places several times throughout the level to figure out where to go next. This is not a bad thing, because the world created in DARQ is breath-taking.
The grim, creepy, enticing visuals are as top-notch as the puzzles themselves. It clearly shows that the artists standing behind the environment creation and character modelling didn’t lack imagination nor skills. It’s so fulfilling just to look at it, let alone interact with it.
This brings us to the story behind the metaphor. I won’t spoil it for you. Just play it with headphones on, and take a close look at everything (and everyone) you see. The real meaning of what happens here is heart-breaking. It is also… uplifting.
Some would say the gameplay is a bit short for the money. It may be true, but DARQ is in the same league with LIMBO and INSIDE. I’m willing to pay more to relieve this kind of quality gameplay experience. Oh, and at least first two DLCs are free. 9/10

Curator page here--> DaRevieweD #31<-- New review every Sunday
DARQ is the debut love child of horror and creativity by Unfold Games, better known as Wlad Marhulets. He's a critically acclaimed composer for films who has now taken to creating video games. I'd have gone through life not playing this had it not been for one fateful day- an account called Unfold Games just followed me on Twitter. Since then progress of its development popped up on my feed and ever fascinated, I monitored closely from behind the scenes. With the final product out for almost a year- I see that still not many have played it. So is this game worth losing sleep over?
"Dream Within A Dream"
The Gist:
It seems like a normal night and Lloyd is about to head off to sleep. His consciousness wavers, eyelids begin to shut... only to immediately be jolted awake? It's a familiar sensation- his surroundings constantly shift and questionable physics come to play under his control. His desire to snap out of the lucid experience grows ever intense.
! A spoiler reminder for the journal.
PROS;
(a) Out-of-Body Experience
A 2D platformer in the spirit of Limbo, Inside- at least in terms of formula where brain teasers have to be solved in order to progress. However, DARQ is mechanically much different because rules do not apply to dreams. You will be flabbergasted as to how far they can be bent, literally as the environments are transformed through levers and switches.
It could be a tweak in gravity where you can walk on walls or ceilings to even more death-defying feats where the orientation of the area can be shifted. I swear, every time I was allowed the chance to do so, it just fills me with a childish glee. There's also a spin-wheel inventory for Lloyd to store items lying around later to be improvised as marvel solutions to even more innovative puzzles revolving around power restoration.
(b) Nightmare to REM-ember
Made up of 7 distinct levels that I have to commend them on their grim, monochromatic but eye-catching designs. Ranging from steam-punk derived areas with gears, to an empty train station before finally advancing to uncanny places such as an inviting, rainy city and the obligatory depressing hospital. There's more but you'll have to see for yourself as I'm not doing them any justice!! Naturally the difficulty curve also grows steeper the deeper the dream lasts.
The first six will introduce new or build upon mind-blowing (I'll tone down the enthusiasm) mechanic one after another. DARQ would take up about two hours at most but this depends on how long the puzzles will keep you occupied. Don't fret, there's a free DLC called "The Tower" that you've guessed it has another "out-of-this-world" mechanic and another upcoming complimentary DLC "The Crypt".
(c) Dream Analysis
What the game does is it shows you many things and presto how you interpret will be it since there are no words or text!! I'm one of those that tend to skip the exposition portion until the end before finally being all involved. But here you kinda have to analyze as you play in order to fill in the gaps. From Lloyd's appearance through to the puzzles he solves and the items that come into Lloyd's possession. So, why isn't he waking up? Most likely because he can't.
Firstly, Lloyd doesn't talk except voice out gasps out of fear or shock. But his bald appearance and borderline skeleton frame screams out a frailty much akin to that of cancer. His clothing is reminiscent of a prisoner's so perhaps he's trapped in a coma or he's done something bad and this is simply a purgatory (situation of Limbo comes to mind).
Even the areas you pass by and the enemies that pose a threat hold major significance in symbolism. The hospital is perhaps the most telling hint because from there Lloyd's condition takes a literal plunge for the worse. There's also the fact the foes encountered have a disability in some way, either by sight, movement or etc. Therefore the hospital is the likeliest source of Lloyd's nightmares.I actually have a lot to theorize but I'll just leave the rest to your clockwork and gears~
(d) Are You Afraid of The-?
Now the big question- how scary is it? If I'm frank, not very unless the many sudden shocks count! But no doubt the game has lingering moments of dread and the way certain puzzles are overcome.. highly unorthodox. The no hand-holding presentation is impeccable. Without so much as a game menu, Lloyd appears on screen. There are no verbal communication or instructions to guide the player in navigating this creepy, unpredictable world save for trial-and-error. You could pause but for all you know this is all the help that's coming.
No soundtrack is played- except for the scary bits where you get caught or a false alarm happens, only then a loud warning is heard. The rest of the game is punctuated solely with sound effects to create an oppressive atmosphere from the weather, other objects and footsteps on a multitude of surfaces. It maintains this mood until near the end when an original classical piece by the creator himself is orchestrated to suck whatever happiness you had left (the feels), if any. It's exactly like a dream and I think it was wise to stick with it until the credits rolled.
CONS;
(i) Tossing & Turning
The enemy designs on the other hand looked grotesque and play around the notion of body horror but they are still your typical beasties. In fact the encounters with them are by far the most unforgettable parts, but not in the way you'd like. For example, the way to avoid detection differs from enemy to enemy. Some are acute to noises and others to touch. Not only that, these forced stealth sections have the enemies move so slow and it's particularly testing in the hospital where you have to backtrack several times past them.
Luckily, there aren't too many of said parts to irritate you out of your mind. I also know from player complaints and experienced firsthand a certain puzzle with a rotating camera where your view of the puzzle was obscured several times as a granny wheeled up behind you. I died maybe 10 times until I mapped out the solution by memory!! It was just so uncharacteristic of the game...
(ii) Left in The-
Last but not least, the story which I appreciated for one, but was also bothered by not knowing how close or preaching I was in my interpretation. That added with the "dream journal" collectibles that make for a satisfying scavenger hunt as you feel a sense of accomplishment in finding them. Which btw, I spent half of the playtime to look for- but ultimately led to nothing and just for achievements' sake. I guess I'm more disappointed than anything really.
"Isn't Life.. But A Dream?"
In conclusion, DARQ is a vastly surreal horror platformer that's full of variety in both brain-racking puzzles and inspired level designs. With the workings and ingredients of a typical incoherent dream- it's just as easy to be rattled as it is to be charmed by this bleak but terrific physics-bending landscape. The story, however covered with fine representations serve to be its undoing because of the different possibilities in outcome that can be drawn.
It's clear more thought went into making the mechanics as interesting as possible even if at the overshadowing of character and plot development. That's not necessarily a towering downfall though, working entirely in the favor of this game whose world echoes volume. I just wish the same could be said of some unfairly designed creatures. Perhaps, what's best to know is that it's a dream too good to pass up and a nightmare all the same, but one you'll never forget~
9.5/10
Also an author- Wlad's wrote "GAMEDEV" about making your first game a success!