Darkwood

Worth PlayingFran Soto

8.8/10

Darkwood is an open-world survival horror with RPG, roguelike and adventure elements, seen from a top-down perspective.

COGConnectedAnthony Bacchus

82/100

When I first started hearing rumblings about Darkwood — even as far back as its Steam Early Access days — I knew it was right up my alley. I like challenging games, especially ones that encourage experimentation with little to no tutorials. I also love survival horror games. Darkwood is a perfect mashup of these two ideas but with its own set of gameplay twists and an intriguing mystery. It can be brutally tough at times — the game even opens up with a warning — but if you’re steadfast in seeing things through, Darkwood is an immensely satisfying and spooky ride.

TechRaptorWilliam Worrall

8/10

Darkwood manages to pull off horror to a truly stunning degree. What minor gameplay annoyances that there are in the game are more than covered for by the exploration and atmosphere.

Pure NintendoKirstie Summers

8/10

Darkwood introduces itself as a “challenging and unforgiving” top-down horror survival game and it absolutely follows through on that promise. The influe

Impulse GamerTory Favro

I really thought that I would not like this game when I started. I am a big fan of horror games and most survival games, but I was worried about the fact that

TwinfiniteKhayl Adam

It’s 2am, and they are outside again. The scratching gets louder, and you grip your rusty shovel closer. With a mechanical whine, the generator gives out, and your hideout is plunged into darkness. You hear a crash and an otherworldly scream. They have made it inside.

Game RantDalton Cooper

7/10

Darkwood's story is twisted and full of weird characters and unnerving moments. The ultra-tough gameplay is likely to turn quite a few people off and it can be tedious, but those that stick with Darkwood will be rewarded with a memorable survival-horror game that will linger with them long after they've conquered its nightmares.

Video ChumsAlex Legard

7/10

Darkwood recently released on consoles so allow me to give you an idea of what to expect from this unique survival horror game.

Nintendo World ReportJoe DeVader

7/10

On top of its issues with difficulty balance and quality of life, the port is also just poorly optimized. Starting up a new game or even loading up your save file takes Darkwood more than a few minutes sitting on a loading screen to begin, and even while playing the game will often hang for a brief second, sometimes several times in a row. The unfortunate optimization problems as well as the general gameplay may leave somebody who’s not a fan of survival games disappointed, but people already well acquainted with the genre will probably find it a thrilling and spooky experience if they give…

GameSpaceSteven Weber

6.5/10

Darkwood for the Nintendo Switch will certainly scratch the itch of a survival focused gamer. This takes the premise of games like Don't Starve, then takes itself much more seriously and makes it somewhat spookier. The harshness won't appeal to everyone, and the horror themes wear thin before too long, but for the right survivalist, or glutton for punishment, this may be exactly what you were looking for.

I need to make this crystal clear, because I’m certain that there will be some who see the score and get upset that I’ve “attacked” the game; 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…

DualShockersCameron Hawkins

Unscored

Darkwood is a game that more people should know about because there is so much here to be loved for those who like this genre. With a $14.99 price tag, it has a fair amount of replayability. For such a small price, I think this makes it worth it. Even though this was not a game for me specifically, I know others looking for an experience like this won't be disappointed.