Ancient, eldritch evil of the ‘send the bravest man insane just to behold’ sort. Darkest Dungeon frames you as the descendant of a quite foolish man, the aforementioned narrator in fact, who unlocks ancient, eldritch evil beneath the family home.
What really draws players, like particularly masochistic moths, is its unique approach to the profession of adventuring.Īt its heart, it’s a Lovecraftian horror story.
None of that stuff hurts, except when it’s meant to. All that, and a ludicrously grim tone that dances along the boundary of camp, but never quite pitches its tent. It’s got deliciously Gothic aesthetics, solid (and bastard-hard) turn-based combat, and a wonderful narrator whose resonant, bassy exposition underscores the whole experience. What makes Darkest Dungeon compelling seems obvious. Darkest Dungeon offers shot after shot of smouldering spirit, and politely encourages that you try the strongest variety, right after telling you how much it’s going to burn. Most will do something like offer a sensible selection of difficulties, a little challenge cheeseboard, maybe with labels denoting what you can expect from each option.
