Survival horror fans rejoice, because one of the best recent titles of the genre makes its way to consoles.
Darkwood, which made its debut back in 2017 on Steam, releases for consoles this month. PlayStation 4 copies release on May 14, the Nintendo Switch version comes out on May 16 and the Xbox One arrives May 17. Both publisher Crunching Koalas and developer Acid Wizard Studio handled the ports, and they also released a trailer to announce the game’s arrival on consoles.
I remember playing Darkwood way back when it was offered for free in an alpha state. It changed a lot since, but still, playing through the alpha was one of the most memorable horror experiences I’ve had. The game oozes an atmosphere of dread and hopelessness, and with each passing moment you feel like you’re losing hope, even though you’re well stocked on everything. Perhaps it’s the top-down nature of the game that really makes me feel uneasy – most of the horrific stuff I’ve encountered started as a brush in the dark from a few feet away before coming up to me and catching me with my guard down.
Darkwood features incredibly challenging gameplay, with no linear paths to speak of. There’s also no hand holding of any sort, so yes, consider that this game may be a bit too hardcore for your tastes before you commit into it. For reference, I died about fifteen times during my first two hours playing the alpha build. Your character can be improved with skills as well, giving the game some RPG elements. It also features a pretty deep crafting system, and in that regard, I actually liken this game a lot to Project Zomboid, only here you try to escape hellish monsters rather than zombies. There’s also an expansive choice system that impacts everything else in the game, making all of your decisions very weighty. What keeps the game fresh – and difficult – is its procedurally generated world, which means that no two playthroughs will ever be the same.
Darkwood is now available for PC on Steam. It will be released for the PlayStation 4 on May 14, the Nintendo Switch on May 16 and the Xbox One on May 17.
