Darkest Dungeon - Review @ Gamespot

Gamespot reviewed Darkest Dungeon - Verdict: Superb

A werewolf, a paladin, a bandit, and a cleric walk into the abyss. The werewolf's transformations startle and stress the psyche of the party. The paladin's heart gives out. Our thief begins behaving irrationally. He compulsively opens suspicious chests and rifles through dead bodies. He falls gravely ill. Our cleric, pushed to the brink, finds resolve in faith. She fights back wave after wave of evil abominations far longer than she should. In time, she finds herself overwhelmed. Knowing that his friends broke down and died because of his monstrosity, the werewolf heads back into town, distraught, to self-flagellate and exchange his grief for blood.

That's the kind of moribund humor Darkest Dungeon works with. Everything here is a little weird, and it'd be easy to pass it off as yet another game inspired by Lovecraftian horror, but Darkest Dungeon's gameplay makes it so much more.

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The Good

• Deep, evolving play that encourages broad strategies
• Foreboding atmosphere sets a gripping tone of hopelessness
• Spectacular art direction sells this grim world
• Excellent city and party management
• Gratifying play that rewards cleverness

The Bad

• Interface can be overwhelming