First Impressions: Darkout (PC) – Preview

First Impressions: Darkout (PC) – Preview

 

[Editors note: Despite a full release, Thomas has opted to preview the title, as opposed to a full review, due to this early ‘stage’ in Darkout’s post-release development.]

Sandbox survival games are and have been extremely popular for some time now, and it comes as no surprise why. Offering hours of explorative opportunity and presenting players with the necessary tools to make and build almost anything they can imagine, games of this genre tick a lot of the right boxes. Players have almost total freedom to make and do whatever it is they like. Customisation and personalised creative expression through how players construct and play could not be any more prevalent. However, one of the things these games are well known to do, which can turn players away is how they substitute narrative progression and development (often having no plot at all) for material progression through construction and creation. Material progression is by no means a bad thing, in fact it is necessary for the game to be successful, but for many players story is the main reason they play and so having both forms of progression can surely only be a good thing. For me, I feel that Darkout plugs many of the holes that games such as Minecraft and Terraria left unfilled.

I guess arrows are lethal to floating jelly creatures...
        I guess arrows are lethal to floating jelly creatures…

 

Recently released to the Steam store after a year in beta, Darkout is available for purchase now. It must be stressed, however, that while the game is in a very suitable place for release to the Steam store as it is at present, it is in ‘Stage 1’ of 4 post-release stages that developers Allgraf will be rolling out as soon as optimisation of each stage is complete.

 Information from the developers on the Steam store page.

                      Information from the developers on the Steam store page.

 

So, Darkout. What is it? And, equally importantly, how does it differ from what has been done before?

Darkout is a side-scrolling sandbox game. Players will craft, build and explore in a similar fashion to other games of the genre. But Darkout is cruel; Darkout is harsh. Darkout will challenge you to survive at every turn. You’ll die repeatedly (this is my promise to you) and you’ll learn and you’ll enjoy it. As the name of the game would suggest, Darkout is very dark. You’ve crash landed on Illuna, a strange, mysterious and perpetually gloomy world illuminated by angry light-infused creatures with a taste for human survivor (you). From this point onwards (after a brief tutorial during which I must confess to dying several times) Darkout challenges you to survive, giving you the world as your toolbox.

The survival orientation of Darkout is fantastic. The atmosphere that the dark environment creates really captures the isolation of your character which is a crucial aspect of the game. Because of its unconventional take on sandbox survival, Darkout does something other games of the genre tend to stay away from. It provides story through data modules that can be found all over the map and radio broadcasts from distress beacons and satellite feeds. One of the reasons Darkout can do this so efficiently is because of the style of the game. Clearly, for an escape pod to crash land on a distinctly non-earthlike planet filled with mystery and the unknown, the game must embrace sci-fi. This is a huge step away from other games in this genre as typically you would begin with almost nothing, simply coming into existence upon a world devoid of any technology and then progressing and developing until you reach a certain technological (or magical) level of advancement. In Darkout, on the other hand, you are forced to go back to basics from previously having advanced technology. Psychologically the game is exploring how we would fare without technology and is essentially using technology to replace magic and fantasy to drive a certain level of realism through the game. The game only seems more appealing because of this.

The visual style is well balanced and pleasing to look at, and yet the eerie mystery of the unknown depths consistently draws the eye and suggests that even a man that is the product of an advanced technological society is at risk to the whim of nature.                                                             

 

A shadow lurks in the deep.
                A shadow lurks in the deep.

 

As in all sandbox games, a portion of the game revolves around players creating and crafting objects to allow them to progress. What Darkout introduces to this accepted fundamental function of sandbox games is how players must first research a blueprint before they can craft it. Research is paid for with “Research Points” that players can earn through various actions in the game – from killing an illuminated, floating jellyfish monster (“Jelly Gloop”) to discovering new locations –  and also by having the necessary items required for producing the item once research is complete. By making players research these blueprints it entices players to want to fight enemies and to explore. I especially enjoy having a queue of blueprints being researched and feel that research as a whole is a good thing as it paces the game well and gives a clear indication of progression.

What’s more, the crafting menu looks damn cool, and I mean really freaking cool. The whole feel of crafting in Darkout, huddled in the brightest corner of my rickety shack as I rapidly combine my resources, appeals to me.

Beautiful, beautiful crafting.
                 Doing some crafting (menu on the left). The home looks cosy, eh?

 

There are a few annoying things about crafting though. Whilst it looks good, the slider that indicates the number of items you are trying to create can be a little bit fiddly. Numerous times have I spent a good number of seconds fiddling with the slider only to then accidentally nudge it too far from that tiny object’s craft segment and have the slider reset. But this is just a small issue that is probably indicative of my [lack of] crafting skill. Another annoyance I have – this one not specifically crafting related – is the little information box that pops up in the bottom left whenever you do something that the game feels worth telling you about. So, pretty much everything. You can minimise the box with a button but it pops up again whenever you get a message, which is almost all the time. There is probably an option to keep it hidden that I have yet to discover, but once I do the total number of  my issues with this game will significantly decrease.

When it comes to mining and building the game is exceptional. Building structures is great fun and very easy to do, assuming you have the necessary resources. Players can build much like they could in Terraria, placing main structural blocks and also a variety of background walls to make their home. Throwing in a bed and a door and as much light as possible completes this job, the end result a very humble little abode. It is the mining in Darkout though, this is where the guys at Allgraf do something a little differently to what we’ve seen before. Whether you’re shovelling earth, splintering and fracturing stones and ores or hewing logs from trees, all the player need do is point and click on the area that they wish to excavate/reduce to lumber and the game will, if you have selected the ‘Auto’ tool management slot on your tool belt, automatically select the correct tool for the job at hand and begin the process. The default is also that the game digs and mines blocks in a combination of three per time, meaning larger areas can be excavated in quick succession than most other exploration based sandbox survival games will allow. If three blocks turns out to be unsuitable for the task faced by the player they can also press a key to change the mode so that only one block, or two, is mined at any one time. This is very handy if you are doing work around your home and wish for all your walls to remain intact…

 

                           

You have to wonder at the skill required to mine that much at once.
             You have to wonder at the skill required to mine that much at once.

As you may be able to tell I am quite the fan of this game, however there is one thing that prevents me from recommending everyone to make a purchase. The lack of a multiplayer mode. The statement from the developers says we should expect multiplayer in stage 3 of the game, so it is definitely coming, but it really needs to be here now. Darkout had the misfortune to release on the same day as the Starbound beta which has no doubt cast a shadow over the interest people may have in this game. Let me tell you right now, Darkout has so much potential. However it needs multiplayer, and it needs it soon. Once they get that sorted it’ll catapult Darkout into the big league, out of the ironically concealing shadows of single-player sandbox based, survival explorer clone.

If you want to get ahead of the game, I definitely recommend getting your hands on Darkout immediately, but again I must qualify, this release is only Stage 1, and although it definitely is a solid game right now, until the multiplayer support is released the sheer awesome of this game is seriously in jeopardy of being lost.

Darkout is available for purchase on Steam, Desura, GreenManGaming, Amazon and various other online distributors.

You can find more information about the game online at: http://www.darkoutgame.com/

logo

Related posts

Pathfinder Second Edition: What You Need to Know

Pathfinder Second Edition: What You Need to Know


Pathfinder Second Edition: What You Need to Know

An exciting rebuild of Paizo's most popular tabletop RPG has been announced. Ten years and one week ago, the people of Paizo Publishing offered up a new direction for fans of pen-and-paper, fantasy role-playing. They released the playtest rules for their flagship product; Pathfinder, and have...

Into the Stars – Preview (PC)

Into the Stars - Preview (PC)


Into the Stars - Preview (PC)

Developed by Fugitive Games, Into the Stars is a first person space exploration game where the player is the captain of a spaceship which is carrying the last of the human race.

First Impressions: Tom Vs. The Armies of Hell (PC)

First Impressions: Tom Vs. The Armies of Hell (PC)


First Impressions: Tom Vs. The Armies of Hell (PC)

Vince takes a look at indie developer Darkmire Entertainment's first foray into the world of early access on Steam. Tom Vs. The Armies of Hell is an isometric action-adventure with a heavy emphasis on combat and shooting. The game was released this week in an 'early access' state - words that...

WORLD EXCLUSIVE – Voletic Plays FIFA

WORLD EXCLUSIVE - Voletic Plays FIFA


WORLD EXCLUSIVE - Voletic Plays FIFA

Once in a while an opportunity comes along that you can't pass up. Something so momentous that you would be a fool to let it slip through your fingers. And this week we saw one of those moments and I stepped up - I rose to the challenge. One of my relatively unreliable sources came...

“SLIPPERY BEEF JERKY” – PleasantKenobi Plays Monstrum (Badly)

"SLIPPERY BEEF JERKY" - PleasantKenobi Plays Monstrum (Badly)


"SLIPPERY BEEF JERKY" - PleasantKenobi Plays Monstrum (Badly)

  Vince returns for one final video look at Monstrum, which you can read his written preview of here. This time around he has brought a 'reaction cam' with him to show the world how manly he is, and how he doesn't at all react badly to intense pressure. Be warned, jokes about beef jerky...

Monstrum (Alpha Build – PC) – Preview

Monstrum (Alpha Build - PC) - Preview


Monstrum (Alpha Build - PC) - Preview

  The first person Survival Horror genre exploded with the heavy adoption of the early-access distribution model. It appears that the independent scene’s revival of the horror genre created some form of hulking Frankenstein’s monster. For every quality title like Outlast or The Forest...

Voletic Plays Monstrum – Video

Voletic Plays Monstrum - Video


Voletic Plays Monstrum - Video

Vince takes us on a whistle-stop tour of his own anxieties, as well as his inability to play horror games late at night. If his short play through shows us anything, it is that Monstrum is positively dripping with heavy atmosphere. Enough atmosphere to incite panic in fully grown man. I have...

10 Cards To Watch From M15 – Preview

10 Cards To Watch From M15 - Preview


10 Cards To Watch From M15 - Preview

 Article by Dave Cooke With the Magic 2015 Core Set's arrival fast approaching and the prerelease just around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to have a look at the set on behalf of all you spellslinging Voleticans out there. Unfortunately I won't be attending a prerelease myself...

The Forest (Early Access – PC) – Preview

The Forest (Early Access - PC) – Preview


The Forest (Early Access - PC) – Preview

  The Forest seeks to marry two increasingly popular genres; the survival horror and the survival sim, to create its own unique experience. Is this combination an awkward, watered down version of its base elements, or does it create something greater than the sum of its parts? Vince...