HomeNewsDark and Darker
Escape From Tarkov goes dungeon-crawling in Dark And DarkerYou can try the free alpha playtest on Steam
You can try the free alpha playtest on Steam
The skeleton-smashing and lock-picking action of first-person dungeon-crawlers combines with the PvPvE tension of Escape From Tarkov inDark And Darker, which currently has a free alpha playtest running. Alone or with a party of pals, you head into dungeons to mash AI-controlled monsters and fill your pockets with loot. Other players are out there doing the same, and might come to claim your goodies, especially as you’re all competing for the limited escape portals that let you keep your shinies. It’s an interesting one, and doing well on both Steam and Twitch.
Dark and Darker - Alpha Playtest TeaserWatch on YouTube
Dark and Darker - Alpha Playtest Teaser
So, pick from your usual dungeon-crawling classes (Fighter, Barbarian, Rogue, Ranger, Wizard, and Cleric, each doing what you’d expect from a fantasy dungeon-crawler), and set out to dungeon-crawl in the traditional dungeon-crawling way. Swing swords, throw knives, cast spells, pling arrows, use abilities, loot corpses, dodge environmental traps, pick locks, chug potions, open chests, and grab new swords and hats and shoes and such. The combat did not feel interesting or good to me, but this is still relatively early in development. And you can bring your pals, which is nice. You really will need your pals.
Like in Tarkov, you can buy and sell loot through merchants between matches
Dark And Darker does have persistent progression to level up and unlock perks and bit, but loot is disposable. If you die, you loose everything you’re carrying. To use it in a future fight, you need to reach the limited escape portals. One type sends you home, the other sends you deeper into the dungeon for greater risks and greater rewards.
It’s that Tarkov proposition: take good loot into battle and you’re more likely to succeed and come home with more good loot, but if you die, your death will hurt even more. Having escaped the grind ofDestiny 2, I have absolutely no interest in grinding for disposable loot, but I do appreciate the idea of it. It’s a good tension to bring to a game, for people who are not me.
To join Dark And Darker’s free alpha playtest, head onover to Steamand click the big green “Request Access” button. I received access instantly, so it seems the alpha is pretty open.
Dark And Darker’s full launch is still a year away, expected at the end of 2023, and it shows. The devs clearly still have a lot to tune and finalise and rework. This is to be expected because it’s a free alpha test. While I haven’t enjoyed the little I’ve played, I must say Tarkov ‘em ups are very much not my genre, and the potential is interesting. It is a game whose risks, dramas, and disappointments I can see making for fun Twitch viewing, y’know?
