GAME · RELEASED
Darkest Dungeon
Recruit a four-person party, explore dangerous dungeons and manage both injuries and stress before the next trip.
Media
Game Overview
Platforms
Made by
Developed · Red Hook Studios
Darkest Dungeon sends a party of four heroes into ruined halls, crypts and other dangerous places. The game is shown from the side: your four characters stand on the left in combat, the enemies on the right, and the available skills appear below. A hero’s position in the party changes which skills they can use, so putting everyone in any order can leave useful attacks unavailable. You also carry supplies such as food and torches into an expedition, rather than finding everything you need after you enter.
Read full overview
Fights are turn-based, but health is only part of the problem. Heroes build stress when they face frightening events and long, difficult trips. Too much stress can make them unreliable, and an injured hero may need time to recover before the next expedition. Some heroes die for good. The town is your break between dungeons: inspect the roster, treat conditions, upgrade facilities and choose a party that can work together. The gallery shows the combat line, hero details, town upgrades and a rest scene so those parts are easier to tell apart.
Red Hook Studios developed and published the full PC release on January 19, 2016, after an earlier Early Access period. PlayStation, Switch and other versions came later. Darkest Dungeon is a hard game even when you understand its systems. A first goal is modest: learn which skills work from each position, bring enough light and supplies, and retreat with surviving heroes when a trip turns bad. You can build a stronger roster over several expeditions rather than treating each dungeon as a one-shot challenge.
Community reviews
What readers think of Darkest Dungeon.
Loading community reviews…