And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Blown up on my telly, this could easily be something new.
That horror-movie voice over still shakes my bones, that paper-drawn art still oozes style.
But it’s not that which really stands the game apart.
Cross that line and a game becomes unfair.
Cross it, and you risk turning an audience away.
But Darkest Dungeon doesn’t care; Darkest Dungeon delights in it.
The entire premise of the game is cruelty.
Cruelty towards the heroes you send into the depths and cruelty towards you, the player directing them.
In many ways, Darkest Dungeon doesn’t want you to win.
Why else would it pit so much against you?
And on those missions, a number of things can happen to them.
They can simply take too much damage and die - as in, permanently die.
Your health, it seems, is always going down.
Especially if there’s a powerful evil nearby, exuding an overwhelming sense of dread.
Or they might become cowardly and have a similar effect, as they cower during battle.
It can feel desperately unfair.
The challenge magnifies the achievement, and that’s the allure of the game.
As the game goes on, the hand around you squeezes.
Juggle your roster well.
It’s a game of singular malice and throaty malevolence.
