Darq: Ultimate Edition (I’m a Sick Kid with a Weird Obsession with Walls Vertigo Simulator)
I think Darq is one of those bite-sized experiences that can either take a few months or be finished in a single sitting. It harkens back to puzzle games of an older era where hand-holding is at a minimum, and confusion is at the maximum. The game begins with no introduction, no tutorials, only you controlling the main character Lloyd in the overworld. Yet, Darq was wonderfully surprising in its puzzle variety with its spin on the orientation mechanic, while offering light horror elements, though it should be said it was seemingly simple until all of the sudden it really wasn’t.
The main theme is a forced 2d perspective and the ability to change said perspective in a unique and interesting world. Some of the mechanics have been seen before, but others are uniquely confusing. Again, no instructions or hand-holding here so certain timed puzzles can be failed without even knowing why. I liked this obscurity and it reminded me of the days long ago playing games like Silent Hill 2 where you had to check every door on the map. I think at certain points I was so lost until I simply turned another corner and was like oh, that’s what I needed to do. The horror elements of Darq are the weakest part excluding one stand-out rotating puzzle that had me sweating bullets. Their simple “hide from enemies here, stealth up to an enemy there” are fodder for the masses, and don’t add too much to the overall gameplay. However, the incorporation of one of the horror elements into a spinning puzzle was magnificent, and more opportunities like this should have been taken to exploit the game’s fantastic puzzle mechanics. Overall, I think Darq was a decent puzzler that still managed to surprise me at certain corners even when parts of the game managed to be stereotypical at best.
Darq: Ultimate Edition at Nintendo
Written by Steve, Cleaver of Plebian Flesh
Darq: Ultimate Edition
Unfold Games (developer), Feardemic (publisher)
4 / 5
