14 DAY TRIAL // 
DARQ is a truly bizarre game: it revolves around a character that could pass as a skinnier and younger Fester Addams, it looks like a nightmare Tim Burton would suffer from, and showcases some scenes that would leave even Alfred Hitchcock speechless. But is this dark gem originally launched in 2019 worth revisiting? Read on to find out what improvements does the PS5 version brings to the table.
First and foremost do not expect a story, because there is none. The seven chapters of DARQ have a lot in common with Limbo or Inside, the developers focusing rather on the really heavy atmosphere and the puzzles. Each chapter is actually a nightmare, starting after Lloyd, our hero, goes to bed.
The room where our young man lays his head to rest looks creepy enough from the get-go, but they are tame compared to the surroundings of his nightmares, and creatures he will encounter. The design of the game will truly make your skin crawl. After completing each nightmare scenario, Lloyd returns to the room that looks scarier and scarier, each time you revisit it until you finish the last chapter.
DARQ ends without fireworks, or even without an explanation. It feels almost like an artistic experiment, where the purpose is the same as the reward: navigating Lloyd through a series of challenging puzzles to escape his dark dreams. Our skinny hero’s bald and oversized head fits perfectly into the surrealist, monochrome nightmare realms he has to explore. Things become truly scary when you start encountering grotesque enemies like the mannequins with lampshade heads, or the creature in the wheelchair with a gramophone in place of a head.
Your main purpose is to escape each chapter, by tricking the laws of physics. Lloyd can walk on walls and the ceiling, but also can teleport among different dimensions by activating different levers. The cleverest game mechanic turns the 2D game world into a 3D space, challenging you to change perspective quite often to discover the solution to the various puzzles.
These stretch from item manipulation puzzles to logical ones, often making things more challenging by adding a time limit. The puzzles are complex but do not reach the challenge level of old classical adventure games. The increased difficulty comes rather from the need to explore every hidden nook and cranny of your environment to be able to find different items.
There are also some occasions when you have to hide and sneak around your opponents, and you will experience even a grand escape scene. The good part is that there is no repetition, each puzzle being unique. Also, each of them fits the macabre atmosphere of the game, no matter if you are collecting severed heads or stilling dynamite from right under the nose of a terrifying creature. But once you figured them out, there is nothing left to do.
Since there is no story, no alternative solutions, and no multiple endings, the replay value of DARQ Complete Edition is basically 0. You can return to each chapter in case you missed one of the collectible journal pages, but even so, you will finish the game in 3-4 hours. If you already know the route and the solutions you can finish the 7 base chapters in around half an hour.
The Complete Edition contains the DLCs as well, adding two custom levels, The Tower and The Crypt. These are even more challenging than the chapters of the base game, and extend the fun with around 30 minutes, or maybe a bit more. Even taking this into account, DARQ Complete Edition is very, very short. Other than that, the PS5 version comes with two display modes: 4K with 30 fps or 1080p with 60fps. Since there are no major differences visually, I would suggest you go for the higher frame rate.
The Good
- A particular atmosphere sustained by peculiar visuals
- Well-thought-out puzzles
- Full package, including the two DLCs
The Bad
- Extremely short with no replay value
- Sneaking sections are way too easy
- Lack of hints can get you easily lost
Conclusion
Still, it is hard to forgive the length, the lack of the story, and the fact that after you played or, replayed it once more, there is nothing more to do here. The atmosphere is special, the puzzles are well thought out, and the environment is very detailed, but each player has to decide for themselves how 2-3 hours of fun should translate into a price tag.
