Dark Fear is a DOS style horror adventure game, in the vein of old Sierra classics.
By David 64, June 23, 2016, at 10:00 a.m.
You can never go home again. But you can wake up in a cabin in the woods with no memory like it’s 1989.
Retro styled games are nothing new. Pixel graphics have been all the rage for years, and the success of games like Shovel Knight and Volgarr the Viking have shown that there’s not only a market for retro graphics, but retro gameplay as well. But, for every successful neo-retro game, there’s at least a dozen failures. With all the knowledge and resources available today, why is it so hard to make a game that can compare to those released 20 or 30 years ago?
I think it comes down to the question of what the goal of a modern, retro styled game should be. Should it be to capture the look and feel of an older game (For better or for worse)? Or should it try to capture the experience of playing that older game?
Dark Fear is a loving ode to the 1980’s, Sierra style Point & Click adventure game that is much more focused on the latter, and I think it’s all the better for it. When we played games like King’s Quest, Gold Rush, or Manhunter, the enjoyment never came from wandering around wondering where you’re supposed to click to progress or unknowingly losing an item forever that was necessary for completing the game, which, let’s face it, was so often a part of it.
It came from exploring new worlds, or listening to stories told by interesting characters or solving a puzzle because two items worked together exactly as you thought they would. And this is exactly what Dark Fear tries to capture. With a nice dose of nostalgic window dressing like a DOS boot screen because, hey, that was part of the experience too right?
In a sense, Dark Fear is more faithful to your memories of 80’s adventure games than it is to the reality of them, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Controls are simple and smooth, the game is a good four to six hours long without feeling artificially lengthened and it includes a number of gameplay elements you wouldn’t expect to find in an adventure game of that era.
There are lots of little animated minigames that help break up the static 2D world, and RPG elements give a satisfying sense of progress. All this is wrapped in classic DOS graphics and lo-fi sound effects and presented in lovingly crafted screens that always have something new for you to find, and keep you clicking long into the night.
Is it as challenging as some of the classics? No. But that’s because it forgoes the impenetrable game logic and punishing puzzles of the past and focuses on the adventure. And I’m sure everyone will agree that’s what’s most important.
The classic Adventure game genre is a niche one, but still much beloved by those who played them in their heyday. That said, the genre has not seen the growth you might expect with such a devoted fan base. Many new players interested in the genre struggle with the classics due to the dated interfaces, clunky controls or lack of direction.
It’s a tricky line to tread, but Dark Fear manages to modernise a classic genre while still maintaining that authentic feel. Sure, the story may not stick with you forever, and Diablo Valley is no Daventry, but if you want to sit back and feel like it’s 1989 again for a few hours give Dark Fear a go and you’ll probably be hooked from that black and white boot screen.