Darkwood: Indie Survival Horror

Most of us grew up soaked in virtual gore, consuming media violence at a rate psychologists today would describe as “extremely unhealthy”. So when we tell you that Darkwooda top-down procedurally generated roguelike RPG is conspicuous-swallowing noise inducing capital s scary, you can trust we’re not exaggerating for effect.

As with Routine, a pitiless permadeath system ensures maximum player tension at all times and, in keeping with roguelike tradition, pretty much everything in this suffocatingly dark and unpredictable world can kill you. So when the shadows begin to ominously creep and the sound of gnashing teeth grows near, it’s hard not to get a little jumpy and start shooting at nothing. This is a game where you never feel safe. Period.

Underneath the scary exterior, developer Acid Wizard has crafted what appears to be a reasonably deep RPG replete with perks, skills, and crafting. A lot of people, we suspect, won’t be able to get over the game’s punishing difficulty to appreciate them, which is fair enough but also their loss. We couldn't be keener, though.