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Play Overview
Darkest Dungeon (2016) is a turn-based battling game where you fight monsters in dungeons to restore your ancestor's hamlet to its former glory. From a side-on perspective, you recruit an adventurer team to take on quests in the dank, dim dungeons that make you deal with their fears as much as the enemies that lie within. It's like other dungeon adventures, however, each character has shortcomings and vulnerabilities that affect the party and impact their mental health.
Play involves carefully selecting characters from the available classes that offer a combination of skills, abilities and (less helpful) foibles. Each quest takes you into dungeons with rooms guarded by enemies. You must manage your team through these difficult encounters as well as longer-term aspects like disease, mental afflictions and extreme stresses.
As you progress, it becomes tricky to manage your characters' illnesses and quirks while also advancing their skills, armour and weapons. Between quests, you can upgrade and heal your characters, but not without a hefty price. This means you must decide who is worth healing or upgrading.
This results in a game as much about balancing impediments as it is about creating a perfect party. You have to work with (rather than against) characters, often persuading them of the actions they should take.
Our examiner, Joe Eaton, first checked Darkest Dungeon 18 months ago. It was re-examined by Ollie Robertson and updated 2 weeks ago.
Play involves carefully selecting characters from the available classes that offer a combination of skills, abilities and (less helpful) foibles. Each quest takes you into dungeons with rooms guarded by enemies. You must manage your team through these difficult encounters as well as longer-term aspects like disease, mental afflictions and extreme stresses.
As you progress, it becomes tricky to manage your characters' illnesses and quirks while also advancing their skills, armour and weapons. Between quests, you can upgrade and heal your characters, but not without a hefty price. This means you must decide who is worth healing or upgrading.
This results in a game as much about balancing impediments as it is about creating a perfect party. You have to work with (rather than against) characters, often persuading them of the actions they should take.
Our examiner, Joe Eaton, first checked Darkest Dungeon 18 months ago. It was re-examined by Ollie Robertson and updated 2 weeks ago.
Kids not old enough for this yet? There are lots of games similar to Darkest Dungeon. Here are some similar younger-rated games:
Play Style
Duration
Play Time: This game will take between 60 hours and 87 and a half hours to complete. How long the game takes varies because there are many dungeons and locations to beat that depend on your approach and efficiency.
Benefits
This game is good if you want to:
Age Ratings
Rated for younger players in the US. Rated ESRB TEEN for Blood, Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, Alcohol Reference, Gore and Violence.
Skill Level
13+ year-olds usually have the required skill to enjoy this game. Still, it's important for parents and guardians to consider the maturity required to process the game content. Players will need perseverance to deal with bad luck and weak team members, as well as repeated failure of the more unforgiving quests.
Costs
Darkest Dungeon usually costs £4.99 to £20.99.
There are the following additional costs associated with this game:
It's important to set up your accounts and devices appropriately. More information is on our Financial Resources page.
Darkest Dungeon
![]() | Xbox One | £19.99 | – | – |
![]() | PC | £20.99 | – | – |
![]() | Switch | £17.99 | – | – |
![]() | PC | £20.99 | – | – |
![]() | Mac | £20.99 | – | – |
![]() | PS4 | £17.99 | – | – |
![]() | iOS | £4.99 | – | – |
- In-Game Purchases: Additional in-game purchases are offered for items that enhance the experience.
It's important to set up your accounts and devices appropriately. More information is on our Financial Resources page.
Game Details
Release Date: 19/01/2016, updated in 2021
Out Now: Mac, PC, PS Vita, PS4, Switch, Xbox One and iOS
Skill Rating: 13+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Adventure, Battle, Role-Play (Action and Strategy)
Accessibility: 0 features documented (Tweet Developer )
Components: 2D Side-On and Pixels
Developer: Red Hook Studios (@RedHookStudios)
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