Dead of Darkness Brings the Fear Back to 2D, One Hallucination at a Time
Dead of Darkness doesn’t just resurrect survival horror, it exhumes it, embalms it in pixel art, and lets it rot in your imagination. This in-depth exploration of Retrofiction Games’ grotesque 2D thriller plunges you into the decaying heart of Velvet Island, where every shadow hides a secret and every encounter chips away at your sanity. With its blend of cosmic dread, limited resources, and fourth-wall-breaking hallucinations, Dead of Darkness is a haunting homage to the genre’s roots, one that dares you to look deeper, even when you know you shouldn’t.
Dead of Darkness Review Pros
- Decent pixel art graphics.
- 468MB download size.
- Platinum trophy.
- You get the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 versions of the game, so you can potentially earn two Platinum trophies.
- Six game difficulties – Very easy, easy, moderate, hard, very hard, and in the dead of darkness.
- Cutscenes and interactions are a mixture of in-game pixel art scenes and cartoon hand-drawn character models. You can skip and fast click through these.
- Fully voiced characters and interactions.
- You have a scanner button that will highlight all interactable elements on the current screen.
- Murder mystery survival gameplay, and I can’t be any more vague.
- Tutorial pop-ups as you play.
- Save points can be found in the game world.
- Excellent cast of characters.
- The controls are simple enough, and you can obviously show prompts.
- It has many parallels to Resident Evil in that it’s zombies and in a mansion, oh, and it has scientists and blood, and guns.
- Find and equip weapons to take down the zombies.
- The Story, whilst slow to start, soon ramps up.
- You are free to explore and discover on your own; you are not locked into a set path.
- Find items like health, ammo and items for puzzles. You can clearly see them as they will emit a flashing white light.
- I really like that anything from paintings to rugs and furniture can be examined, and you get a description of it.
- Puzzles are everywhere, and sometimes you can finish them there and then, whilst others require an item and holding onto it.
- Tense atmosphere, not a lot going on, but that too can be creepy, of course, lightning lighting up a room really sets the creepy mood.
- Many cool locations within the mansion and the grounds of it.
- The run button makes a lot of the travel easier to digest.
- I know it has strong Resident Evil vibes that but it honestly does enough to only evoke them and is its own game.
- The map fills in as you explore and will show doorways and other points of interest.
- Music is not a big part, but it is used well.
Dead of Darkness Review Cons
- You cannot remap the controls.
- No accessibility options or support.
- Slow starter as they set the story up and introduce the characters.
- It is annoying that you cannot save when you want.
- The game is not always great at directing you or helping you find your next objective, so you can just aimlessly wander around.
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Dead of Darkness
Developer: Retrofiction Games
Publisher: Eastasiasoft
Store Link:
Dead of Darkness Review
Summary
Dead of Darkness – The Thrills and Highlights of Gameplay:
Dead of Darkness plunges players into a murder-mystery survival horror set on Velvet Island, dripping with Resident Evil vibes but refusing to be a copycat. You’ll explore freely, discover flashing interactables, and manage resources like health, ammo, and puzzle items. Weapon pickups matter, puzzle density stays high, and a scanner button helps highlight everything interactable. From pixelated cutscenes to hand-drawn character models, you’re equipped to fight off zombies, scour a decaying mansion, and piece together scattered clues. The experience scales with six difficulty modes, and there’s even a run button to ease the trek across its eerie grounds.
Dead of Darkness – Where It Falls Short: Key Negatives:
Dead of Darkness stumbles when it comes to player freedom. No control remapping, no accessibility features, and save points locked to fixed locations introduce friction. The opening hour crawls, with slow story setup and vague objectives, forcing you to aimlessly wander until the next thread reveals itself. Lack of guidance can be frustrating, especially when trying to pinpoint the next puzzle or item.
Dead of Darkness – Immersive Story and Narrative Elements:
The story starts slow but eventually builds into something gritty and unnerving, bolstered by a cast of well-voiced characters and fourth-wall-breaking hallucinations. It’s drenched in cosmic dread, with environments and objects feeding the narrative through subtle descriptions. Nothing is wasted; even rugs and paintings offer a peek into the island’s warped psyche. A sense of decay and unease grows as mysteries unfold, keeping you guessing even when you’d rather not know.
Dead of Darkness – Visual and Performance Aspects:
Dead of Darkness embraces pixel art to heighten the retro fear factor while mixing in cartoon-style models for character interactions. Locations are creepy and varied, and sparse use of music enhances the tension. Flashing item indicators and intuitive map fill-ins streamline exploration, even if visual polish leans more atmospheric than groundbreaking. Its download size is refreshingly small, and you score both PS4 and PS5 versions. Two Platinums await those brave enough.
Dead of Darkness – Overall Verdict: Is It Worth Playing?:
Dead of Darkness is a love letter to survival horror veterans craving something raw and unfiltered. It plays like a twisted 2D tribute with its own identity, packing cosmic horror, puzzle depth, and a mansion brimming with unease. The rough edges around guidance and accessibility might deter newcomers, but fans of deliberate pacing, rich atmosphere, and dual Platinum potential should take the plunge.
Back of the Box Quotes:
“Hallucinations, zombies, and a mansion full of regret, Velvet Island welcomes you.”
