Got a hankering for Darkest Dungeon

[hanselthecaretaker]

What say you, dear gamers? I've heard good things. Apparently the RNG is designed as part of the difficulty to be overcome through good planning.

I know it just released on PS4/Vita yesterday, but I'd still want to get it on PC because of KB/M.

 

[MHR]

Well, it's a timesink, sure. But It's an RPG where the choices really really matter. I've spent hours fine-tuning my strategy because I know if I choose carelessly, it could lead to disaster.

Yes, It's RNG heavy, but the point is to be ready for any situation. If you roll 5 snake-eyes in a row though, that's the universe taking a dump on you, but you can always run from combat and abandon the dungeon to regroup. Some people refuse to see these as options, so they push too far and end up getting guys killed.

It's a very rewarding game. From surviving extreme risk to get the best loot to getting that lucky crunchy clutch crit that saved your ass, it creates satisfying moments. And you'll never think it's too easy if you bring few torches to light the way.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

I spent several hours playing it yesterday. My first experience:

Started in the very first encounter. Killed the first enemy, ran into the second group and..."An error has occurred and Darkest Dungeon must close." Apparently, the stress got to my PS4 before I even got to town.

Anyway, after getting off to a proper start, I'm liking what I've played so far. The art is very unique, so it pops out. The gameplay, while seeming basic at first, is brutal if you slip up--or if the game just decides it doesn't like you. I have yet to lose anyone, but I have bailed on several quests so far. While we're not talking X-COM Iron Hardcore (or whatever it was) level of difficulty, the game has no problem kicking you in the face and then spitting in your crying eyes.

The story is still up in the air for me. The opening cutscene sets the mood wonderfully, and the basic story is clear the dungeon of evil, but otherwise...I haven't really been given a story quest. Not even sure if they exist. While I like prowling the dungeon, I wouldn't mind a little Diablo-style motivation. "This demon is raising an army here. Take it out" and whatnot.

Finally, I do have a few gripes, and they come from the controls in the menus. I had no idea how to equip trinkets (gear) for my heroes. I kept getting all this stuff, but all it would say was "Sort, sell, unequip". No where was I given the option to equip it. I had to look it up online, and even then it wasn't very helpful because they were talking about the PC controls. Finally figured it out, and I will tell you how to do it here:
Open the treasure chest in the bottom right corner. Next, highlight a hero and open up the hero's page. You should now have the two pages open next to each other. THIS is where you can finally equip your trinkets. The game never explains this, and it's kind of important, because these things will make a difference.

Another small annoying thing is selecting where to go on your quest. So far, I have four (or was it five?) areas to adventure in. The final dungeon, and the three beginning areas. However, I could only select the area on the bottom of the screen because when you use the thumbstick to move the highlighter, in order to get to the "Provisions" button at the bottom, the highlighter has to pass through the bottom area. It's not like Banner Saga, where you can control a mouse and just select stuff.
This, too, drove me nuts, because I didn't want to explore the Weild again for the fifth time. I was mashing all the buttons, trying to keep the cursor on a different level and somehow make it jump down to the bottom without changing my location. Finally figured this out just last night before going to bed, and again, I will tell you here:

Push the freaking touch pad. Push it like a button; don't use your finger on it hoping for a mouse. This will cause the highlighter to jump down to "Provisions" without changing the area you want to quest in. While this is mentioned (briefly), it's not explained very well because the guide says that pushing the touch pad says you are ready to "Embark", which is another option, and not "Provisions".


So yeah, so far I'm loving it. The controls could probably stand to be just a bit better explained, but once you figure out the menu navigation, then you are all set to start prowling and hoping you brought enough of everything before your heroes go nuts. Good times.

 

[meiam]

Fun game, but it gets insanely repetitive and I eventually dropped it because of that. There's not a big sense of progression from a gameplay point of view because your character don't change over time, they just get bigger number. So a level 1 crusader with no equipment plays pretty much the same as a max level one with super rare equipment. You start with all the technique you'll ever get and accessory are just stats boost for the most part.

The game has a problem with scaling, doing harder dungeon doesn't really reward you despite the bigger risk (losing high level character instead of low level one). So this, combined with the static gameplay, means you quickly realize that the best things to do is to go into low level dungeon with the strongest team that can still go in them and explore as much of it as possible without finishing it, you then retreat and your character gain no experience, so you can still go back in the same dungeon, rinse and repeat this about 50 time and you'll have enough resource to breeze trough the rest. Now even if you don't do that, you'll get essentially the same experience except it'll just take longer, maybe 100 time instead of 50, it'll be riskier but eventually losing character just means you're forced to go back to lower level dungeon, so it all come back to the same.

Some of the boss feel a bit arbitrary, like one of them get a super buff if you kill an add that's accompany him for pretty much no reason.

 

[Mangod]

Started in the very first encounter. Killed the first enemy, ran into the second group and..."An error has occurred and Darkest Dungeon must close." Apparently, the stress got to my PS4 before I even got to town.

"Darkest Dungeon: The experience so intense, your PS4 will brick itself in terror!"

While we're not talking X-COM Iron Hardcore (or whatever it was) level of difficulty

Impossible Ironman. I never understood why anyone would play that except as a self-inflicted torture session.

The story is still up in the air for me. The opening cutscene sets the mood wonderfully, and the basic story is clear the dungeon of evil, but otherwise...I haven't really been given a story quest. Not even sure if they exist. While I like prowling the dungeon, I wouldn't mind a little Diablo-style motivation. "This demon is raising an army here. Take it out" and whatnot.

The story is mostly told through snippets, short voiceovers, and from the bosses, with all of it painting a picture of what your Ancestor got up to in the game that led him to eat that bullet in the opening cinematic.

 

[Mangod]

Fun game, but it gets insanely repetitive and I eventually dropped it because of that. There's not a big sense of progression from a gameplay point of view because your character don't change over time, they just get bigger number. So a level 1 crusader with no equipment plays pretty much the same as a max level one with super rare equipment. You start with all the technique you'll ever get and accessory are just stats boost for the most part.

The game has a problem with scaling, doing harder dungeon doesn't really reward you despite the bigger risk (losing high level character instead of low level one). So this, combined with the static gameplay, means you quickly realize that the best things to do is to go into low level dungeon with the strongest team that can still go in them and explore as much of it as possible without finishing it, you then retreat and your character gain no experience, so you can still go back in the same dungeon, rinse and repeat this about 50 time and you'll have enough resource to breeze trough the rest. Now even if you don't do that, you'll get essentially the same experience except it'll just take longer, maybe 100 time instead of 50, it'll be riskier but eventually losing character just means you're forced to go back to lower level dungeon, so it all come back to the same.

Some of the boss feel a bit arbitrary, like one of them get a super buff if you kill an add that's accompany him for pretty much no reason.

Spoiler

Not a fan of the Dunwich Horror [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dunwich_Horror]?

The boss you're refering to, the Swine King, and his add, Wilbur, are based on the H.P. Lovecraft story where Wilbur Whateley wants to summon Yog-Sothoth into our World, but is killed trying to steal the Necronomicon he needs to do so.

With Wilbur dead, his brother, the "Dunwich Horror" no longer has anyone to control it, and it goes on a rampage across the countryside until killed by some scientists from the Miscatonic University.

In DD, you just killed Wilbur (the little pig), causing the Swine King to go berserk. Seems familiar?

 

[G00N3R7883]

Fun game, but it gets insanely repetitive and I eventually dropped it because of that. There's not a big sense of progression from a gameplay point of view because your character don't change over time, they just get bigger number. So a level 1 crusader with no equipment plays pretty much the same as a max level one with super rare equipment. You start with all the technique you'll ever get and accessory are just stats boost for the most part.

The game has a problem with scaling, doing harder dungeon doesn't really reward you despite the bigger risk (losing high level character instead of low level one). So this, combined with the static gameplay, means you quickly realize that the best things to do is to go into low level dungeon with the strongest team that can still go in them and explore as much of it as possible without finishing it, you then retreat and your character gain no experience, so you can still go back in the same dungeon, rinse and repeat this about 50 time and you'll have enough resource to breeze trough the rest. Now even if you don't do that, you'll get essentially the same experience except it'll just take longer, maybe 100 time instead of 50, it'll be riskier but eventually losing character just means you're forced to go back to lower level dungeon, so it all come back to the same.

Some of the boss feel a bit arbitrary, like one of them get a super buff if you kill an add that's accompany him for pretty much no reason.

I pretty much agree with all of this. I had fun for about 20 hours, but after that it turned into an extreme grindfest - the economy is horrible, it takes forever to unlock upgrades so you just end up repeating the same missions over and over and over and over again. Higher difficult levels don't add new tactics, everything is just the same but with a bigger number. I very rarely quit games before I've finished them, but after about 50 hours of DD I just couldn't go on.

 

[DoPo]

Impossible Ironman. I never understood why anyone would play that except as a self-inflicted torture session.

I think that's the only reason. I suppose you might count "achievements", too, but I'd lump it in the same category, personally.

 

[Fox12]

It's pretty great from my experience. It'll keep you on your toes. Nothing's better then being on the brink of total disaster, and then having one of your heroes hulk out and turn the tide. The RNG works both ways.

It was pretty funny seeing my priestess go on a debauched pleasure binge and then hobble back to town with a hangover.

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

It's certainly worth its price, just don't expect to ever finish it. It's great, tactical, high risk high reward fun where choices really matter. There's great variety in the character classes, the different synergies you can build between them and their skills and positions in the party, the trinkets actually make a difference instead of being just damage or defense boosts. It's got a great art style and a good, Lovecraftian dark fantasy atmosphere. It's definitely a good and fun game.

But only up to a point. Darkest Dungeon is one of those games where the further you get, the slower you progress. It goes pretty much like this: the higher level the dungeon, the stronger heroes you need. To get stronger heroes you need to upgrade their weapons and skills. For that you need money (lots and lots and shitloads of it) and upgrade materials. To get those you need to clear dungeons. As you clear dungeons, your characters' level will increase, and soon they won't go to lower level dungeons anymore. And then you'll need another group of heroes to clear the low level dungeons. And you need to upgrade their weapons and skills as well. And the higher the skill upgrade level, the more money it will take. And you also need to heal their stress. For which you need money in direct proportion to the character's level. To get money you need to clear dungeons. And the cycle repeats.

I've stopped playing both my save files around the time I got to the level 5 dungeons. The game's progression grinds to a screeching halt then and the difficulty makes one of the biggest spikes I've ever seen. Suddenly tactics that used to be waterproof (like using Blight in the Cove) don't work anymore, and even standard enemies become damage sponges that hit like a truck full of lead bowling balls.

 

[Sonmi]

It's a massive amount of rinse and repeat, but the assets are great.

The visuals, the mood, the music and sound effects, it all mixes perfectly with the stressful gameplay.

It's a shame the gameplay itself is so limited.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Damn, so it's basically a game for masochists. I was hoping that the combat itself was interesting enough to alleviate any tedium involved with grinding out levels. I still want to try it, but it sounds like it's such a slog lol. How is it compared to a JRPG like the early FF's? Because in those you not only have combat, but then the tedium of traveling between areas. Same with other WRPGs. Also even when playing Souls games you're constantly having to retread old ground, covering large distances to kill the same enemies. But the general gameplay is fun enough that it largely staves off tedium.

If DD mostly revolves around combat and assigning attributes, it wouldn't be that big a deal to me.

 

[Sonmi]

Damn, so it's basically a game for masochists. I was hoping that the combat itself was interesting enough to alleviate any tedium involved with grinding out levels. I still want to try it, but it sounds like it's such a slog lol. How is it compared to a JRPG like the early FF's? Because in those you not only have combat, but then the tedium of traveling between areas. Same with other WRPGs. Also even when playing Souls games you're constantly having to retread old ground, covering large distances to kill the same enemies. But the general gameplay is fun enough that it largely staves off tedium.

If DD mostly revolves around combat and assigning attributes, it wouldn't be that big a deal to me.

There's not really any assigning of attributes, characters all come with their class stats, which will vary accordingly with the traits that they can gain and lose along your playthrough.

It's considerably different from early JRPGs or WRPGs, it's closer to a dungeon crawler, and it's fair to say that RNG and preparation plays much more of a role in DD. Sometimes, you simply won't be able to protect yourself, and you'll have to deal with the loss of a character you used for several hours, setting you back an extra two hours.

The combat is formulaic as all hell, but at least the danger of getting hit by a rogue critical hit and losing a character always keeps you on the edge of your seat.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Damn, so it's basically a game for masochists. I was hoping that the combat itself was interesting enough to alleviate any tedium involved with grinding out levels. I still want to try it, but it sounds like it's such a slog lol. How is it compared to a JRPG like the early FF's? Because in those you not only have combat, but then the tedium of traveling between areas. Same with other WRPGs. Also even when playing Souls games you're constantly having to retread old ground, covering large distances to kill the same enemies. But the general gameplay is fun enough that it largely staves off tedium.

If DD mostly revolves around combat and assigning attributes, it wouldn't be that big a deal to me.

There's not really any assigning of attributes, characters all come with their class stats, which will vary accordingly with the traits that they can gain and lose along your playthrough.

It's considerably different from early JRPGs or WRPGs, it's closer to a dungeon crawler, and it's fair to say that RNG and preparation plays much more of a role in DD. Sometimes, you simply won't be able to protect yourself, and you'll have to deal with the loss of a character you used for several hours, setting you back an extra two hours.

The combat is formulaic as all hell, but at least the danger of getting hit by a rogue critical hit and losing a character always keeps you on the edge of your seat.

That actually sounds like a breath of fresh air in a way. "Expect the unexpected" so to speak. So many games I've played lately become predictable and I think I'm getting kinda burnt out on them. I really like Souls games for example, but it takes me a long time to play through them because the minute-by-minute stuff between the action gets drawn out and yawn-inducing sometimes.

The only other turn based I've played lately is Shadowrun Returns, which is ok but so far a bit stale in terms of combat options. I'd dig the original Fallout more if it wasn't for the traveling and excessive conversing.

 

[Redryhno]

It's good, but once you get to the actual Darkest Dungeon, it's just such a fucking slog simply because you have to have maxed out characters to even make your guys go in, which means that losing even one person means you're going to be pointlessly grinding because by that point resources are a joke. And you have to go through it alot.

But up until that point, it's very much worth playing.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

For as long as the game sounds it better have a good amount of variety and interesting combat.

When you get down to it, every game is repetitious and time consuming, but the key is how much it sparks your mind and/or fingers in the process.