Darkest Dungeon for Windows

Unsettling but rewarding roguelike RPG

Darkest Dungeon is a role-playing game in which your worst enemy is not an evil sorcerer but your own folly. As the leader of a team of flawed heroes, you must keep them sane as they experience the horrific reality of dungeon exploration. The game even uses Lovecraftian and Gothic art styles to achieve a dreadful atmosphere.

Joining the ranks of some of the most challenging but rewarding roguelike RPGs, such as Into the Breach and Risk of Rain, Darkest Dungeon offers yet another remarkable dungeon crawl experience that can have you grinding for weeks on end.

Stress is your worst enemy

This adventure belongs to the sub-genre known as roguelike or dungeon crawler. The name says it all. The famous pen-and-paper tabletop RPG Dungeons & Dragons is its greatest inspiration. In other words, Darkest Dungeon employs a turn-based combat system familiar to fans who grew up playing D&D. 

This game focuses on the psychological stress of venturing into a dark dungeon full of monsters. You control the heroes who fall victim to attacks of paranoia, fear, and anxiety, all of which have consequences on the gameplay through the Affliction System. For example, if you don’t take good care of your equipment and something goes wrong, don’t be surprised if some of your warriors flee a key battle in terror. 

Abandon all hope and sanity

Darkest Dungeon presents even veterans of the role-playing genre with a challenge. It is hard and inflexible, and every victory is an oasis in a desert of despair and evil. The monsters, inspired by the arcane horrors of H.P. Lovecraft, are not typical of the genre. You will fail many times. If you're looking for a simpler game or a power fantasy, leave while you still have time.

As with any roguelike titles, you are presented with difficult gameplay mechanics that can be frustrating if you’re not used to them. First, you cannot manually save, deaths are permanent and psychological afflictions are incurable, and finally, you have to grind a lot.

Featuring five dungeons to explore, each with its own unique enemies, the game should keep you tortured for weeks to come. If you do beat the final areas, which is a challenge in itself, the pain doesn’t stop, thanks to the inclusion of a New Game+ mode. 

What’s new?

Considered one of the best RPGs to date, Darkest Dungeon continues to attract millions of players worldwide who dare to toil for hours, even for weeks, at the risk of driving themselves insane like the flawed heroes of the game. To welcome more daring completists, the title offers plenty of deals every now and then. Plus, a board game adaptation is in the works to the delight of hardcore fans.

A dungeon unfit for cowards

Darkest Dungeon is not for everyone. If you’re on the lookout for a challenging and complicated RPG in which your heroes always run the risk of going crazy, then this roguelike title is perfect for you. It features unforgiving gameplay, a dreary environment, and a host of Lovecraftian monsters to torment you.