Darkwood

 PlayStation 4
Darkwood Image
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 47 Ratings

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  • Summary: Darkwood is a game about survival, exploration and fear, set in mysterious woods somewhere in the territory of the Soviet Bloc. It is a top-down, free-roam, surreal horror experience with a randomized world, taking cues from classic games, where oftentimes you had to figure things out forDarkwood is a game about survival, exploration and fear, set in mysterious woods somewhere in the territory of the Soviet Bloc. It is a top-down, free-roam, surreal horror experience with a randomized world, taking cues from classic games, where oftentimes you had to figure things out for yourself. By blending RPG, roguelike and adventure elements together with a challenging difficulty, Darkwood aims to please players craving for a deep and rewarding experience.

    The fear of unknown is powerful and the unknown will try to remain unseen, forcing you to watch your back. Your senses will be deceived, your sight fooled, your smell tricked by Darkwood's surreal terrors. No answer will be given to you for free, yet somewhere in the woods lies the truth, an explanation to what has happened in this godforsaken place.

    Looking for your weakness, your inner demons, only to devour you. Welcome to Darkwood.    … Expand

Trailer

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Darkwood - Launch Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 25
  3. Negative: 1 out of 25
  1. GameSpot
    May 14, 2019
    90
    While Darkwood is an absolute marvel in terms of its aesthetics and gameplay--as well as its disarmingly dissonant score--I experienced several bugs that caused me to lose minor progress. In one case, I was trapped behind a disassembled tractor, which forced me to quit to the main menu and restart the game in order to press onward. On top of this, one of the game's areas caused the frame rate to drop so dramatically that playing became a chore. This was easily rectified, again simply requiring a soft reboot, but these glitches are a disappointing nuisance plaguing an otherwise exceptional game.
  2. Worth Playing
    Aug 15, 2019
    88
    With its many surprises, Darkwood is a title with immeasurable depth that will keep horror fans gripped until the very end. An important focus on narrative-driven gameplay kept me hooked and desperate for answers. A horrifying aesthetic with spooky soundscapes plays with our instincts and terrifies the senses. When the title boasted "a horror game without jump-scares", I initially rolled my eyes. Most titles incorporate some kind of jump-scare to get a cheap reaction out of players. Even tastefully done jump-scares feel cheap to me because I'm not actually "scared," I'm just surprised. Darkwood succeeds where many other titles fail. It's a heart-racing experience that any horror fan worth their salt should attempt to survive.
  3. Gaming Age
    May 20, 2019
    83
    Despite my frustrations, I really dig the overall vibe that Darkwood goes for. Again, the sound design is the real champ, making great use of audio cues and sound effects to drive home the horror aspect in a way I wasn’t fully expecting. If you’re looking for an interesting take on the survival horror genre, I think you’d do well to check this one out.
  4. God is a Geek
    May 14, 2019
    80
    Despite a seemingly unnecessary level of challenge, Darkwood is genuinely one of the scariest games out there, featuring some of the best sound design in the survival horror genre.
  5. PlaySense
    May 23, 2019
    80
    Its steep learning curve, oppressive atmosphere and often frustrating control scheme make sure Darkwood isn't an experience everyone will enjoy. However, if you are a fan of indie horror titles that have the power to chill you to the core, you may just have found what you didn't know you were looking for.
  6. SpazioGames
    May 17, 2019
    80
    Darkwood is gritty, difficult and scary, and these are just three of the reasons why we liked it: the crafting system is good, the atmosphere is always tense and the sound design is excellent. Don't miss it if you like survival horror games.
  7. Digitally Downloaded
    May 29, 2019
    30
    I thought going in that it would be something special. I think it still probably is something special. But with the console and television set up that I've got, and no apparent way to make the text and font more legible, I wasn't able to experience what makes this game the stand-out horror experience that the other reviews suggest that it is (and I've got no reason to believe that those reviews are in any way inaccurate). Unfortunately for me Darkwood is unintelligible, and I'm genuinely sad that I wasn't able to appreciate the many merits of a game because I simply had no way of actually making sense of it.

See all 25 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. PunksNotDead200
    May 15, 2019
    10
    So dark... Damn. The game, actually, brings you to a state of primal fear. There are no many screamers, no, there is only a dark, endlessSo dark... Damn. The game, actually, brings you to a state of primal fear. There are no many screamers, no, there is only a dark, endless forest. And the creatures that inhabit it and want your death. Enjoy.… Expand
  2. hamzags
    May 27, 2021
    10
    Dont start this game on normal dificulty, if you do that you have infinite lives, and there is next to no punishment for dieing, all theDont start this game on normal dificulty, if you do that you have infinite lives, and there is next to no punishment for dieing, all the enimies you killed or injured Remain dead and injured, play on hard so death actualy is scary rather than a waiste of the, i will start a New game… Expand
  4. Kwar
    May 22, 2019
    10
    An excellent dark game that constantly keeps you on the edge of your seat. I love it. :)
  5. Yopper
    May 16, 2019
    10
    You.... I see you, you don't think I can but I can see you. Do not worry, your efforts are futile.
  6. Monsterrr
    May 16, 2019
    9
    You don't know the true meaning of 'horror' until you have played Darkwood.
  7. ruddiman_
    Sep 28, 2022
    8
    Such a cool horror game with a unique overnight mechanic that will make you terrified. The sound design is amazing and the overall world isSuch a cool horror game with a unique overnight mechanic that will make you terrified. The sound design is amazing and the overall world is dark and creepy. I really hope the developer does something else with this IP… Expand
  8. pongkrit03
    Oct 28, 2019
    7
    I gonna say this game is great but it crashs a lot ! ( I played with PS4 Pro, this issue might not happen with standard PS4). I love nightI gonna say this game is great but it crashs a lot ! ( I played with PS4 Pro, this issue might not happen with standard PS4). I love night mechanic of the game. It is very creative. It took me about 20+ hrs for beating the game first time (30 days in game). The game is always tensed and scary. NPC characters and lore are interesting. Ambient music is brilliant. However, I think this game could give better experience if you play with Keyboard and Mouse. The penalty of death is very low in normal mode and there is a lack of bosses (in fact there is no boss at all). Repeptitiveness happens near the end. Graphic is low quality but acceptable as indy game.

    In sum, if it is not for crashes, I would give it a 8.5 or even 9/10. Strongly recommend playing with PC instead. This game has a lot of potential, I would love to see and play Darkwood 2.    … Expand

See all 12 User Reviews

Trailers

Awards & Rankings

63
#63 Best PS4 Game of 2019
59
#59 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2019

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