Ultimately, I really enjoyed my time with DARQ. Severed limbs must be used to operate strange devices in order to proceed, converting something that symbolizes helplessness into a tool. The game then pushes back against this motif by tasking the player with exerting control over the dreamworld and its physics to solve puzzles. There are numerous nods to time (clocks, watches, timed puzzles), masks play both practical and metaphorical roles, and there are numerous symbolic references to concepts like losing control and uncertainty. Why is he so nervous, sunken-eyed, and emaciated? Answers seem to be there, if you pay attention to the details and apply a few spoonfuls of cognitive dream theory.Īfter a bit of research, even the more obscure elements turned out to be symbolic hints at the meta-narrative. Lloyd’s striped shirt is reminiscent of old penitentiary uniforms, likely reflecting the feeling of being imprisoned in his own mind. Some of this symbolism is relatively obvious on its face. As it turns out, DARQ uses common conceits of dream symbolism and interpretation to flesh out important elements of its backstory. On my second playthrough, I tried to approach the game from the perspective that everything in it comes from Lloyd’s subconscious. Although the game presents a relatively definitive conclusion, one of its most fascinating (and less obvious) puzzles is piecing together the game’s surreal imagery to deduce what might have happened to Lloyd in the real world - a place the player never actually gets to see. Yet hours later, something about DARQ was still eating at me. It took me less than a couple of hours to reach the conclusion, though the puzzles made me feel smart for solving them and none of the game’s self-contained levels ever overstayed their welcome. They’re hidden in clever places, but there’s no need to hunt them down unless you want the Steam achievements.ĭARQ is mostly well-paced. There are also some hidden dream journal pages to find, though they don’t actually yield any additional story information, which seems like a missed opportunity. The timed puzzles got my heart racing more than the relatively infrequent stealth and action bits.
Darq chapter 3 plus#
There are a couple of chase sequences that aren’t well-matched to the gameplay mechanics, plus some lackluster stealth segments devoid of any palpable tension. The game isn’t without its faults, but they feel more like rough edges than real problems. Using levers, I rotated the train to frantically locate and grab gaps in the cable, acting as a human electrical bridge so that the current could proceed to its destination. One of my favorites involved chasing electric current through a cable that snaked across the walls, ceiling, and floor of a train car interior. This makes environmental exploration a treat, and the game’s best puzzles utilize the pseudo-Escherian design to great effect. Lloyd can only move on a 2D plane at any given time, but there are devices and levers in the environment that enable him to lurch into parallel 2D planes or even rotate the environment to walk on a different axis. Instead, he must walk on walls and ceilings to progress. Lloyd’s ability to jump is contextually based, not mapped to a button. This may sound typical, but Lloyd’s ability to manipulate and traverse his dreamworld in atypical ways elevates DARQ beyond puzzle game standards.ĭARQ isn’t a platformer in the traditional sense.
Some puzzles are action-based and timed, while others are more contemplative. As I navigated Lloyd through seven distinct chapters of increasingly diabolical mindscapes, the puzzles I solved were mostly satisfying, thoughtfully designed, and logical. The use of grayscale, soft lighting, and muted colors masterfully set the mood for DARQ’s core premise: A boy named Lloyd knows he’s having a nightmare, but he can’t seem to wake up.ĭARQ is more than just a pretty face. Though there are some tense moments and a few jump scares, the horror elements mostly come from unsettling surrealism. The first thing that jumps out at you likely won’t be one of DARQ’s freakish antagonists, but its creepy, Tim Burton-esque aesthetics. But it’s DARQ’s novel approach to puzzles and platforming that really sets it apart. DARQ is dripping with atmosphere and clever puzzles, adroitly telling a surprisingly nuanced and macabre story without relying on text or dialogue. While lucid dreaming my way through a seemingly inescapable nightmare in DARQ, the debut title from Unfold Games, I was initially struck by its kinship to games like Tarsier Studios’ Little Nightmares and Playdead’s Limbo and Inside.
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