Summary
There are so many fictional video games where players form a party of adventurers to go dungeon crawling, butDark And Darkeraims to make that sense of teamwork and dungeon delving a reality. You, friends, or strangers can team up to form an adventuring party to delve into randomized dungeons. You’ll have access to multiple class archetypes, like Fighter, Druid, Berserker, and so on.
It’s still going through a lot of updates and patches, but it has the potential to draw in large crowds of players and have them fighting over all the loot on the maps. Here’s how all the available maps measure up.
4The Howling Crypts
This game wouldn’t be adungeon crawlerif it didn’t involve disturbing the resting places of the dead. This map is quite literal in the sense that it has the whole underground and sealed away from the light vibe.
The main decor consists of coffins and resting holes in the walls with remains to be found all over the place. As such, many of the enemies you’ll encounter are those of the decayed persuasion or those that simply feel at home around them.
Mummies are slow melee attackers but can absorb a lot of damage.Be wary of ranged enemies hiding behind them.
You’ll be crawling around only to run into mummies and skeletons wielding all sorts of weaponry. If that’s not enough for you, the other main residents aregiant flying bugsthat exist just to annoy you, and then you’ve got whole networks of spiders and their webs to face.
Even though the Crypts seem cool, it’s also kinda boring. The monotone color choices and the fact that most of the enemies blend in with them make for bland visuals. It’s also not very memorable, since many of the areas share so many similarities that it’s easy to get turned around, making you check the map every few seconds. As a place for the dead, it works well since they don’t need to be entertained by it.
3The Inferno
You may hear Inferno and think that it’s going to be filled with fire traps, maybe some lava flows cutting through different areas of the map… and you’d be wrong. This Inferno goes for aDoom-likedepiction in that you’re exploring a dungeon that may be part of Hell itself, or at least has residents that are trying their best to make it look the part.
To get to this map, you need to head to the lower areas of the Goblin Caves or Ice Cavern andlook for glowing red particles.
As you explore this maze-like infernal zone, you’ll see blood splattered all over, with corpses and skeletons arranged in disturbing shapes. There are torture devices and plenty of prison cells to break areas into sections, and you never feel safe even when you’re alone. It adds more to the theme by including points where you can perform rituals and open portals.
The thing is that, even though it’s trying to be Hell, it’s mainly limited to the visuals and some of the events. But despite that, it still lacks a certain punch with more variety to be desired. This would be an opportunity to introduce some enemies unique to the areas but defaults to mainly skeletons and skull bats. At least if you’re playinga Warlock, they may feel more at home when taking on their demon form.
2The Goblin Caves
Anyone familiar with fantasy knows that a tried-and-true way to start an adventure off is to have the party encounter some goblins. This can be a random battle on the field, or you take the fight directly to them in the Goblin Caves. Dark And Darker uses it as one of their most recognized maps and for good reason.
Not only is it swarming with goblins of various varieties, but it helps show what kind of game it is by making what is supposed to be fodder enemies seem like a real threat. The caves have a layout that sells the idea that the Goblins have made them their own and will take advantage of narrow tunnels and entrances to swarm you and your party.
Goblins are almost always in groups and will sometimes be supported by a magic user, sotake them out first.
You are a trespasser in a cave that has been turned into a home for what may be hundreds of goblin mouths. The map is solid and works as a perfect introduction to the game’s dungeon-crawling style as well as the kind of difficulty you can expect.
However, it’s one of the easier maps to navigate, so the surprises may run dry after a couple of runs. Still, it can be enjoyable to run quickly on your own or in a group, and it’s great for practicing and testing.
1The Ice Cavern And Abyss
Dark And Darker has flipped it because this is a rare occasion where the ice level of a game is the best one. The moment you enter the ice caves, youfeel a chillnot just because of the ice, but because of all the darkness creeping in at various points.
This is because all the cool colors enhance that lack of light while simultaneously highlighting another feature of the caves: The Abyss. You’ll enter various open chambers with areas linked by flimsy scaffolding that will play on your vertigo.
The threat of falling and the even darker level of the areas below is made even more exciting and challenging with the presence of kobolds, horned skeletons, and the occasional yeti looking to punch your head off. Also, it’s nice to note that the area is lenient on ice physics so that you don’t have to slide all over the place. It would just be nice if there were more icy enemies.
