The screenshot was taken personally by me in the game, despite the fact that the exact same frame is on the game page on Steam.
- First thought after the first game session: "What was that?" or "What did I just play??"
- Second thought: yes, this is gaming postmodernism
Yes, the developers of DarKnot have gone much further than banal curtsy and Easter eggs toward the legendary horror.
They really fell into eclecticism and created something completely unlike anything, but very much like a lot.
The game starts as a first-person mystical horror walking simulator, then turns into a third-person action-action game, and then progresses into something similar to a survival sandbox in an open world (conditionally open). And all this is also united by a common plot, which, however, at the time of the accessible first act of the first episode, is almost impossible to understand.
All we know is that the protagonist's son is being overwhelmed by demons, and the city has been taken over by cultists.
The game jumps not only in genres, but also in the style of specific games. Mostly Silent Hill and The Evil Within.
Although most of all it looks like The Evil Within. We are embarking on a journey through nightmares, which is reported to us almost immediately in almost direct text. Even the download button on the menu is called Wake Up.
Along the way, we have to solve simple puzzles in the spirit of Resident Evil, where certain correct actions most often reward us with a beautiful key that is needed to open another locked door.
And here we suddenly encounter elements of yet another genre.
The game has safe save zones, like in Resident Evil and The Evil Within, but consumables are not saved and must be collected again after each death.
Consumables include ammo, healers, and crafting items. Oh yes, there is also craft. You can repair weapons because they break from battles. You can repair clothes because they are torn from blows. And without clothes, you can freeze. Oh yes!
After all, our character still has indicators that need to be monitored. He can freeze, get hungry or go crazy. In the latter case, we will start to see ghosts that cause real damage, even though they are psycho glitches.
It is almost impossible to understand all this in the first game hours, so you should not quickly draw conclusions about the game.
You can go through DarKnot quickly (meaning the content available in early access), but it is clearly designed for a leisurely passage.
All locations are literally crammed with secrets and Easter eggs, which do not have to be found in order to go to the end. But with a quick passage, it will be impossible to understand what is happening here.
And at some point, we catch ourselves that the game has turned into a sandbox in a gloomy cult city, where we rush around in search of weapons and useful consumables for crafting, repairing and healing.
I hope my first look at the game will help you understand if it is right for you.
Thanks for reading.
As written by Play or not
