Dark and Darker is a game about escaping dungeons. And there's a problem with that - or there should be. Dungeons are so common in fantasy games that it's hard to pay too much attention to them. We've seen them all before, we know what they do. But when was the last time we really re-examined what being in one would actually be like? Dark and Darker does this, and it does it brilliantly well.

Technically it's a PvPvE extraction game, which means you go into a dungeon with - and against - other people, as well as monsters, and you have to find a way out. If you die, you leave with nothing but the experience points you earned. If you take too long, you'll be hurried and eventually killed by an earthquake, or by a deadly blizzard blowing in. The point is pressure. You know, even before you begin, you're never going to be safe. You will need to move, but where?

It's dark. So dark you won't even see the chests next to you unless you light a torch. You won't see platforms or the missing parts of platforms either. You won't see traps on the floor or the piles of bones that form into skeletons when you're nearby. In terms of setting, Dark and Darker lives up to its name. Light in the game, therefore, is valuable. But torches also mark you out to anyone nearby, and they occupy the sword arm you hold them with. They're a risk.

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Medieval looter Dark and Darker has finally returned to Steam as an early-access, free-to-play game.

Developer Ironmace confirmed the news at last night's Summer Game Fest show, during which it also revealed that the "unforgiving hardcore fantasy FPS dungeon PvPvE adventure" would be free to play on the Epic Games Store, too.

As a thank you, the team has added a "massive content update" which includes the Ice Abyss area, new boss Frost Wyvern, and an all-new Druid class.

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Since it disappeared from Valve’s platform in 2023, players have been eagerly awaiting the Dark and Darker Steam relaunch. As of Friday June 7, Dark and Darker is back not just on Steam, but the Epic Games Store as well, freeing the RPG from the dedicated Ironmace launcher which had previously been its only home. As part of the comeback, certain sections and components of Dark and Darker are currently free to access, but despite Ironmace’s original intentions, players on Steam are sharing criticisms regarding the game’s new free-to-sample model. In response, Ironmace says it has “failed” in anticipating players’ expectations.