Dark (Xbox Live Indie Game) Impressions
I’ve had a lot of people asking me about Dark last week. So, Saturday I sat down to check it out. I came away from playing through Dark very impressed with it.Dark is a platformer where you control a small diamond shaped character who is completely black except for his eyes. The whole game only took about 25 minutes to complete but at $1 I don’t mind. The atmosphere and design of the game are sweet. Graphically the game is dark, as you would expect, but not harsh. The light and colors are smooth and gently used. The music playing in the background is pleasant and fits very well. The game has no narrative or dialog. It just starts and you are on your own to figure out how to get to the end. Yet, I never felt like I was really lost or needed any help. There were parts that took me some time to solve but they were never so taxing or frustrating that I thought of giving up.
The game is not perfect though. Besides moving the only other control is jumping, but the jump mechanic is very finicky. You are a diamond shape, but unless the very bottom point of your body is touching the ground you can’t jump. It took me a few times times to figure this out but once I did it was not a big deal. It just is something you have to take into consideration and if the developer had given a little more leeway would probably have been much better.
Overall I’m really impressed with Dark and I would recommend checking it out. The level in the trial is form the middle of the game so if it seems a little hard at first keep in mind that it does not start off that hard. After you try it let me know what you think or leave a rating for it on XBLIG Ratings.
I'm an tech fan and avid gamer. Looking to have some fun and try new gadgets.