PGC NEWS

Darkout – Gameplay Screenshot

The indie game scene has exploded in recent years, offering innovative gameplay and deep narratives that often compensate for graphical limitations. Darkout, a 2D sci-fi survival sandbox game, stands out as a unique blend of Minecraft’s world-building and Don’t Starve’s wilderness survival. This review explores Darkout’s strengths and weaknesses, examining its gameplay, graphics, controls, and overall potential.

Innovative Gameplay Blending Crafting and Survival

Darkout drops players onto a procedurally generated alien planet, offering a fresh experience with every new game. This element of randomness forces players to adapt and strategize, preventing reliance on rote memorization. The game cleverly combines the open-world building of Minecraft with the unforgiving survival mechanics of Don’t Starve.

Darkout – Resource Gathering

From the moment you crash-land, survival is paramount. You might find yourself scavenging for resources amidst the wreckage of your ship, desperately seeking light, medicine, and tools. Darkout emphasizes resource management and crafting, allowing players to harvest materials and construct shelters and equipment. This robust crafting system adds depth to the gameplay, constantly presenting new challenges and opportunities.

The procedural generation extends to the planet itself, creating diverse environments ranging from lush landscapes to treacherous swamps. This unpredictable element adds a significant layer of replayability, as each playthrough presents a unique set of challenges and resources.

Darkout – Crafting

Striking Visuals and Atmospheric Setting

Darkout boasts a visually captivating art style reminiscent of Trine. The game’s vibrant purple hues, shimmering starfields, and eerie alien flora create a mesmerizing atmosphere. The attention to detail in the environmental design truly immerses players in the alien world.

Darkout – Environment

This beautiful aesthetic contributes significantly to the game’s appeal, evoking a sense of wonder and exploration. The alien landscapes are both intriguing and foreboding, promising both beauty and danger.

Frustrating Controls and User Interface

Despite its strengths, Darkout suffers from some significant flaws, particularly in its controls and user interface. The camera is clunky and often disorienting, making exploration and combat more difficult than they should be. The item management system is equally cumbersome, requiring tedious scrolling and lacking the option for direct numerical input.

Darkout – Combat

Darkout – Alien Creature

These control issues detract from the overall experience, making even simple tasks frustrating. Combat, in particular, is hampered by the awkward controls and unintuitive hotkey mapping.

Unrealized Potential and Repetitive Gameplay

While Darkout presents a compelling concept and impressive visuals, it falls short in its execution. The narrative is weak and underdeveloped, lacking a clear sense of purpose or direction. The gameplay loop, while initially engaging, can quickly become repetitive, leaving players wondering about the ultimate goal.

Darkout – Exploration

The lackluster sound design further exacerbates the monotony. The repetitive and often jarring sound effects fail to enhance the atmosphere, creating an incongruity between the stunning visuals and the underwhelming audio.

Darkout – Landscape

Conclusion

Darkout offers a unique blend of crafting and survival in a visually stunning alien world. However, its clunky controls, repetitive gameplay, and underdeveloped narrative prevent it from reaching its full potential. While the core concept is promising, Darkout ultimately feels like a missed opportunity. Further development and refinement could transform this game into a truly compelling experience, but in its current state, it falls short of the mark.