I was drawn to Darkest Dungeon almost immediately upon first hearing of it back when it was in Early Access. The art style is incredibly well-crafted and perfectly to my tastes, the narrator is amazingly written and performed by Wayne June, and I'm a sucker for team- and base-building RPGs like this one. However, I was always turned off by complaints of rampant RNG and excessive grinding during its endgame; two things that always manage to turn me off of games. I thus avoided this game for nearly three full years until finally purchasing it this summer sale for just under $8.
The complaints about RNG and grinding are completely warranted. They both plague the game. If there were no Radiant mode and no mods with which to lighten the impact of these two features then I'd probably really dislike this game. However, with a few mods to soften the impact of RNG, and with Radiant mode to lighten the grinding, I'm finding great enjoyment playing this game.
Even though it's not a tactical game, I can't help but compare it to XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2.They're very similar in the way you upgrade your base and level and manage your squad, and they both see you growing attached to certain characters simply by playing the game and seeing them in action. You begin to remember times when somebody nailed an insane crit to save a fight, and the flavor speech they use after such moments and when at rest in town really adds to my enjoyment of the game. Growing your characters into true bad-asses (and the threat of losing them) reminds me a ton of tactical RPGs such as the aforementioned XCOM games and old Japanese "SRPGs" like Final Fantasy Tactics, and slowly progressing on improving your hamlet, and seeing the amazing results depicted in this phenomenal artwork as your town goes from a squalid, ruined squat for homeless heroin addicts into an 18th century proper English hamlet is so satisfying. I haven't felt this way about base management since Assassin's Creed II's Monteriggioni -- And Darkest Dungeon's improvements are far more deep and game-affecting than AC2's once you get under the surface. Going through missions and slowly upgrading the town and seeing the characters change are probably my favorite aspects of this game, and what gives me unmanageable "Just One More Mission Before Bed" syndrome. Seriously, I'm losing sleep here.
Even though it's not a tactical game, I can't help but compare it to XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2.They're very similar in the way you upgrade your base and level and manage your squad, and they both see you growing attached to certain characters simply by playing the game and seeing them in action. You begin to remember times when somebody nailed an insane crit to save a fight, and the flavor speech they use after such moments and when at rest in town really adds to my enjoyment of the game. Growing your characters into true bad-asses (and the threat of losing them) reminds me a ton of tactical RPGs such as the aforementioned XCOM games and old Japanese "SRPGs" like Final Fantasy Tactics, and slowly progressing on improving your hamlet, and seeing the amazing results depicted in this phenomenal artwork as your town goes from a squalid, ruined squat for homeless heroin addicts into an 18th century proper English hamlet is so satisfying. I haven't felt this way about base management since Assassin's Creed II's Monteriggioni -- And Darkest Dungeon's improvements are far more deep and game-affecting than AC2's once you get under the surface. Going through missions and slowly upgrading the town and seeing the characters change are probably my favorite aspects of this game, and what gives me unmanageable "Just One More Mission Before Bed" syndrome. Seriously, I'm losing sleep here.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the heavily stylized, thick-lined artwork that somehow still manages to remain colorful despite being supergrimdark. I know the art is a great selling point right up-front, but I really can't rave about it enough. This game is a pleasure to look at in every aspect. The characters and monsters are exceptionally well-designed and thoughtful. I'm wowed mostly by the fact that the team seems to have taken great pains to ensure that there are no generic classes in this game. There's no "soldier, archer, mage" or anything like that. Instead you have a Crusader who's fought many holy wars, an arbalest with a crossbow, a plague doctor specializing in curing and inflicting ailments. You get a Houndmaster, whose only real ability is that he has an awesome dog. Instead of a tanky solider-type class with bulky armor, you get a freaking Leper. A guy who is literally dying of leprosy. And all of these class types bleed over into their actual abilities, both in combat and when camping. For example, the Leper has the option to segregate himself from the squad, which will reduce the squads' stress levels (presumably by worrying less about catching his leprosy), but increasing his own by sleeping alone in a dark, scary place. This sort of singular design and the depth with which its accomplished are seen throughout the game, and it separates this game from other dark fantasies, which have become a rote and overdone genre, especially in RPGs.
Another huge positive is the sheer amount of depth that's been put into this game. I'm always surprised with just how many systems are at work. You're not only engaging the enemy in combat, but you're also battling to keep your characters sane as well. Fights become about more than just hitting the enemy until they die and healing your own guys. In addition to raiding dungeons with the goal of killing bosses, you're also collecting journals for worldbuilding flavor, and you're unlocking more superb June narration upon setting out to fight each boss. You're learning how to deal with each enemy in each area, yes, but you're also learning how to interact with objects to gain loot, or abilities; and they're vastly different in each area. There are set bosses for each, and other sub bosses which either roam the entire game looking for you and can chance upon you at any moment, or can be summoned by interacting with certain objects. This game could have survived and sold plenty just based on its great art, its narrator, and its promise of near-masochistic levels of difficulty. But the team that kickstarted it really went all-out and added as much depth as they possibly could to this experience — And they're still adding it with DLC. There are layers upon layers here that serve to keep the game fresh as you continue to dive through dungeons and build your team and your base. I didn't care much about the story or the world, at first, but after reading the journals and hearing more about the narrator's story, I found myself becoming more interested.
I do have some complaints, though. I'm really not a fan of the soundtrack, which struck as falling into the same generic pitfall of overdone dark fantasy that the class designs do a great job at avoiding. I ended up muting the musics and just listening to my own only 10ish hours into the game. And, as mentioned before, the punishing grind and the excessive RNG are just not for everybody. But if you like RNG, grinding, and punishing difficulty, or are willing to dampen those features with the use of Radiant mode and/or mods, then this game should absolutely be played — Especially if you have an interest in turn-based RPGs, or the art style appeals to you. Bonus points for fans of dark fantasy as well.
I do have some complaints, though. I'm really not a fan of the soundtrack, which struck as falling into the same generic pitfall of overdone dark fantasy that the class designs do a great job at avoiding. I ended up muting the musics and just listening to my own only 10ish hours into the game. And, as mentioned before, the punishing grind and the excessive RNG are just not for everybody. But if you like RNG, grinding, and punishing difficulty, or are willing to dampen those features with the use of Radiant mode and/or mods, then this game should absolutely be played — Especially if you have an interest in turn-based RPGs, or the art style appeals to you. Bonus points for fans of dark fantasy as well.
It took me a while, but I'm very glad I finally took the leap and tried out Darkest Dungeon. Kudos to the team over at Red Hook: They have obviously given it their all to make the game they wanted to. It's unapologetic, exceptionally well-crafted, and worth playing. But it's definitely not for everybody.
⭐⭐⭐
