Summary
The Early Access co-op dungeon crawlerDark and Darkerhas attracted plenty of positive attention, but one prominent issue holds it back from becoming truly great. Although it has been a hit for many,Dark and Darkerwas not available on Steamfor a long time due to legal issues. But now, the title has been recently launched on both Steam and Epic Games, marking the start of a new period in the game’s history.
Although its fantasy setting gives it a notably different aesthetic,Dark and Darkerfollows inEscape From Tarkov’s footstepsby presenting an engaging PvPvE experience. Of course, much of the game’s content is still subject to change and expansion, but its combat, loot, and quest systems have all made an impression on thousands of players on Steam alone. Despite this, however, one prominent part of the game’s design can be disappointing to encounter in practice, which has had an effect on its overall reputation.
An Escape From Tarkov Competitor Is Taking Off On Steam, But There’s One Huge Catch
Recent missteps made by Escape from Tarkov have led to the popularity of a new extraction shooter - but the early access title has its own problems.
Free To Play Dark And Darker Keeps Some Features Behind A Paywall
Not Totally Free To Play
AlthoughDark and Darkeris available as a Free To Play title, in truth, this version of the game is arguably more akin to an extended demo.Having a “Squire Status” account limits one to playing Normal difficulty dungeons, locking them out of higher-difficulty challenges. Similarly, only one Character Slot is available with a free account, and there are also limitations on how items can be managed.Upgrading to the full game, referred to as Legendary Status, is paid for using the game’s own premium currency, Redstone Shards; more specifically, 15 Redstone Shards, which is equivalent to $30.
As is often the case for microtransactions, Redstone Shards can also be used to buy various cosmetics in addition to the full game.
DevelopersIronmacehave stated on Steam thatthe current Free To Play model ofDark and Darkeroriginated with a desire to avoid forcing early players to repurchase the gameafter its release on Steam and Epic Games. The sheer number of players registered through their Blacksmith Launcher made the distribution of game keys unfeasible, leading to the Normal difficulty content being implemented for free instead. However, the microtransaction-based payment model has also left a poor impression on those newer to the title, especially given the other restrictions originally imposed on free accounts.
The Best Classes To Use in Dark and Darker
While far from release, Dark and Darker has several alpha playtests letting players experiment with the game’s amazingly varied classes.
Originally, Squire players were unable to equip items found in dungeons. The ability to do so was instead limited to Legendary Accounts. However, theserestrictions on equippable gear have now been acknowledged by Ironmace themselves as an“absurdity,”and measures have been taken to address the issue. The game’s Hotfix #52-1 has now made it so that Squire Status accounts can now equip items up to Legend rarity, giving free users far greater flexibility in how they approach the game, in addition to giving Squire accounts the ability to buy (but not sell) items on the in-game Marketplace.
10 Games That Couldn’t Afford Summer Game Fest, But Still Deserve Your Attention
A lot of indies can’t afford to premiere their trailers at Summer Game Fest due to ad prices, so here are 10 that still deserve your attention.
Dark And Darker Presents An Unusual Mix Of Free And Paid Content
Dark And Darker Is Not Pay To Win
Dark and Darker’s Squire version is fun to play, especially given the recent changes to improve the Free To Play gameplay. But even so, the fact of the matter is that instead of this demo-like version being a separate application, it is integrated into the full game. This means that there is a constant awareness of the fact that a Squire account only has access to part of the full game, which can naturally be frustrating. A person both has the game, and they don’t, and this disparity can lead to a constant temptation to purchase the $30 Legendary version.
10 Best Co-Op Games, Ranked
There have been a lot of great co-op games over the years, and the best of the best cover a wide variety of genres while maintaining the fun.
On the other hand, in its present state,Dark and Darkeris not truly a Pay To Win game either. Again, the Squire version offers plenty of entertaining content, and the Normal Dungeons’ internal matchmaking system works to ensure that all players in a given grouping are at a similar power level based on their equipped gear. This means that players can enjoy a fair challenge without the risk of new players being overpowered by more experienced people (whether they have Legendary Status or not).
Ultimately,Dark and Darker’s approach to its major release has worked against it in several ways. Happily, developers Ironmace are working to lessen the disparity, but there is a clear incentive to also ensure that Legendary accounts retain their appeal and worth in comparison to Squires. Combined with the fact that some features are clearly locked away, the true game’s $30 price tag is never far from the minds of F2P users, a fact which may still lead to discomfort over the blending of paid gameplay experiences into what is otherwisea great dungeon crawler game.
