DARK Reviews
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Rock, Shotgun, Paper kick starts our round-up with one of their scoreless "Wot I Think" pieces:
Overall, Dark leaves me with the same sinking feeling that always settles in the pit of my mind when I arrive at the unnecessary stealth level in an otherwise entertaining game. Usually they're of the sort that actively crumple and contort the game's game's central mechanics, eventually abandoning them, bending an engine unsuited to the task to the will of shadows and sounds.
Sadly, Dark is that level and it is also an entire game.
NowGamer, 2.5/10.
DARK plays like a tribute act to 2001, sifting through muddy pools of nostalgia to trigger the long-suppressed memories of yesteryear's abhorrent game design, when vampires were still relevant and these sorts of games were rife. Passable visuals are nullified by virtually every other aspect, making for a truly tiresome experience, leaving you longing for the far superior Hitman: Absolution and your money back.
BioGamerGirl is far more lenient, and awards the title a 6.5/10.
DARK has some intriguing story sequences that help keep gameplay fresh and fun. The game has its shining moments even with its clumsy combat, bad voice acting and lackluster stealth mechanics. DARK features superb graphics, a captivating soundtrack topped off with an entertaining storyline and fun vampire mechanics. DARK isn't for everyone but will be enjoyable for those diehard vampire fans out there looking for a game to kill time in between episodes of True Blood.
Xboxer360 is in the same ballpark, 62%.
If you can forgive the shackles placed on you and the lack of character development or story then DARK is an enjoyable game. It certainly has potential and had Realmforge developed the movement, combat styles and given the enemies an ounce of intelligence, then they would have had a winner, instead DARK is an acquired taste that certainly has room for improvement.
Official Xbox Magazine UK, 6/10.
DARK is frustrating, because that initial feeling of being a zippy blur of a vampire in a world of neon-lit night never leaves you. It's just swamped in frustrating design decisions, a script that lurches from passable to laughable, weak enemy AI, and a vortex of a lead character who's impossible to like or hate. It's easy to make DARK sound worse than it is, because there's so many ways in which I wish it was better. But even with the not-insubstantial amount of entertainment to be wrung out of it, this isn't a game for which you should be paying more than Arcade prices.
GameInformer, 2/10.
I've played a lot of bad Xbox 360 games for achievements, but hardly any are as unpolished and poorly executed as Dark. It's easily one of this generation's worst titles. Even when the stealth is working moderately well, the slow pacing is a killer, and no amount of blood sucking brings satisfaction. Most levels were completed through trial and error, failure after failure, and then success coming from exploiting an AI bug or an odd design decision.
The entire experience concludes in a fitting way: with Bane running in circles against a boss. He cannot raise a fist against this menacing figure. He can only run in circles. Before long, the credits roll, and the cowardly vampire vanishes, leaving nothing but misery and shame in his wake.
