Darkwood on GOG - gog.la/NotAsScaryAsFinnishWoods THE LIST - docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_K3ziSxT9zcUUGCddS4sF1uNJTWHSbOwB1CQX2Rx4Uo I'd strongly recommend giving Darkwood a try. It was hard not to show off too much of the game!
Don't mean to be pushy, but would you consider reviewing Harvester? It's a really dark FMV adventure game that is considered a hidden gem by many. I would be interested to hear your opinion on it.
A channel I like called ARealHuman did a really good Harvester video. Unfortunately that game might be too story focused for me to do a review on since it would be talking about plot most of the video.
Also, the devs gave out a free torrent of it, only asking that you buy it if you like it, so keep that in mind if you are interested. And support the devs if you do like it, of course
yep cause buying on reseller sites is worse than just loading it not sure why but I guess supporting key resellers with money is worse than supporting scene groups with mere downloads from a dev perspective
The reason why it's a problem is if a shady reseller purchased keys using a stolen credit card. The developer gets a chargeback, loses their sale and they also get charged for that chargeback. So it ends up being even worse than piracy. Now I don't know how often this happens with resellers as I am sure that in most cases, the keys are just bought when the game has a heavy discount and is then sold at a profit when the game goes back to a regular or higher price.
6 ปีที่แล้ว +20
Torrented under what name God knows I'm going to buy it when I get my wage again
Darkwood is just a constant feeling of "well, something just happened. I don't know what, why, or how, but it's got twelve hands and is running towards me at warp speeds and speaking backwards so I think it's time to leave"
I think the reverse stamina thing of “slow attack uses less stamina” is actually genius. It’s more exhausting to swing shit fast than it is to swing it slow and try to preempt it. Splitting logs doesn’t just use inertia after all, it needs FORCE.
Yeah I have a hard time understanding fight or flight. One time this guy covered in leather walked into my gym and I ended up fucking him in the ass after we fought.
13:28 Oh i know this one!(spoilers) The dreams affect the real world, cause they're not dreams, but hallucinations you get from injecting yourself with mushroom essence. It's why you only "dream" after getting a skill. In prologue the doctor injects you with it and you hallucinate that the house gets attacked by chompers, while it's actually being attacked by villagers. The burnt doctors bag you find in a village bonfire also supports this. The protagonist is a soldier on an expedition to the forest. Before the story begins the protagonist and his squad gets ambushed by the local savages, beaten and tied to trees(you can find the tied up bodies in the swamp). Protag. somehow manages to escape, but with his visor broken, it's just a useless burden, so he finds a scarecrow and switches clothes with it(you can find the hazmat suit on a scarecrow rack in swamp). He almost makes it to the doctors house, but collapses. The plague makes copies of its inhabitants, but it doesn't differentiate between organic and inorganic materials. The most notable example is the trader, who is actually a copy of the protagonist while he still had his hazmat suit on and before being affected and turned agressive. He also has a journal and key 21, but they're white thus associated with the plague.
Where did you find the lore for this game? I beat it a year ago and saw some cool stuff on a 4chan dump back then but could never find it again. The trader being a copy of the protag floored me.
The art style you were looking for is pretty much what Zdzislaw Beksinski did with his paintings. Have fun looking at those things (seriously worth googling for)
@@prowokator Ha, you're right about all the untitled work. If he was really painting (his?) dreams , I'm interested to find out about his history. Even his more abstract stuff feels almost sinister, not that I know anything about art lol. Well, except for knowing what I like.
@@andrewrobertson3894 I think the 2nd world war left a mark in his young mind for sure, if I recall correctly hus wikipedia page has more infornation on his background and life. Spoiler alert, it didn't end in a peaceful way :( Knowing what you like is enough :) He does have rather unique way of using colour and brushes in general, I love it! Great to hear I got someone interested of him! :)
I'm on a re-watch binge three years after this comment o/ Mandalore, you're great entertainment in addition to great reviews. My wallet will never recover
I remember when I first saw this review having never heard of Darkwood before, I stopped after three minutes and bought the game immediately on Steam. Now, almost a year later, several playtroughs, over 40 hours in-game and every achievement, I still think fondly of this game. Thanks, Mandalore!
@@DinnerForkTongue Amnesia the Dark Descent also has exactly one. Having one is ok. It can actually help you release some tension, which is good for pacing. The problem becomes when its the main "weapon" of a game to scare you. Darkwood, Silent Hill or Amnesia use ambience and context to keep a lingering sensation of something not being right that lasts beyond particular set pieces of an ugly thing going "boo". Five Nights and Freddy won't make you more scared of darkness or animatronics than you were before playing, but Darkwood or Amnesia will certainly have an effect for some time even when you are not playing.
The sound of a snapping twig outside at night has never made me feel like this. First playthrough and those first few nights are genuinely terrifying. Terrific horror game with terrific sound and terrific music.
I thought it would be a good for me as my first horror game because i can be scared by anything, and a top down game cant be that scary. Then i went underground to check out that door....
And ironically it was made by devs who confessed to being too afraid to play other horror games. I guess not having much prior exposure meant they could approach the genre from a fresh perspective.
I at first also got the "True Ending" by accident, but during my second playthrough, I noticed that the game gives you hints through the dream sequences that "lying down" and "going to bed" is the choice that the Being is trying to lure you into.
It's interesting how they didn't set out to make jump scares in this game. Instead any jump scare moments arise organically from the game's systems and ambience.
Great review, i was blown away by Darkwood and i'm so glad its released. Honestly, it feels sorta like those really good top down flash games you'd find on flash game websites 2009-2013 ish. The type that as a kid you'd go "wow this is great" and i'm so glad that style has resurged in this format.
The Autismo Piggo There was one that was quite similar where you played as a Van Helsing type dude and went through different stages killing all the werewolves and shit. Really impressed me when I was a young kid, unfortunately I forgot its name :(
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck i remember that one Its such a shame theres so many, but at the same time i'm glad they're still being made. Its like music, even when you find a killer track you know theres millions out there you'd love as well.
That thing about the flash game stuff really speaks to me. Playing the game feels like playing one of those old hidden gem flash games on a random game site back in the 2000s days.
Darkwood is way scary the first time. Second playtrough, a flipping breeze. Something to do with player confidence growing as he progresses the game. Thank you for shedding some... light to darkwood. I honestly feel like the game deserves more attention. A horror game, pretty much like a fairytale, that is also GTA2 :P
Thats why i rarely play/read/watch something the second time. It was the same for me with S.T.A.L.K.E.R, the first time when you know nothing of story and world is just perfect. Second playthrough is not that magical any more.
It was the same way for me with RE2make. Terrifying the first time, and then still fun but less scary when you play as Claire because you know the layout of most of the areas. Good horror plays on suspense and not just surprise. You know something out there is going to hurt you, you just don't know how, when, and sometimes not even what.
@@Gigaa666 try anomaly. It hits the magical feat of a living world. The ai is so good, you'll get horror jump scares and panic, just from the random ai interactions.
Mandalore, you are one of the few game reviewers I actually enjoy listening to! Keep up the great videos! I don't know if you have gotten a request for this or not but check out a game called Exanima! Just be warned though, the controls are really funky at first and will take you many hours just to get comfortable, but the gameplay and tense encounters make it one of the most rewarding games I've played! Just a tip though, play the arena mode first so you can get good at the controls before taking on the story mode!
3:20 The genre is magical realism, and a lot of theme/style influence comes from the works of the Polish painter Zdzislaw Beksinski. His work centers on themes of nihilism, war, and destruction, and has recurring imagery of bodies melting and morphing into one another, decaying and rotting, and lots of mushrooms. All of these influences can be seen in this game.
As weird as it might appear, it is legit. This is what they said: "If you don’t have the money and want to play the game, we have a safe torrent on the Pirate Bay of the latest version of Darkwood (1.0 hotfix 3), completely DRM-free. There’s no catch, no added pirate hats for characters or anything like that. We have just one request: if you like Darkwood and want us to continue making games, consider buying it in the future, maybe on a sale, through Steam, GOG or Humble Store. But please, please, don’t buy it through any key reselling site. By doing that, you’re just feeding the cancer that is leeching off this industry."
I didn't realize this while playing but damn the sound design is freaking amazing, moving furniture around and renovating your house has never been so scary
Thanks for selling me on this. I'd seen the game before, but the marketing put me off of it (YOULL NEVER BELIEVE TOPDOWN CAN BE SCARY! WATCH THIS REACTION VIDEO!), and had you not made this I probably would have missed out on this gem. The exact moment the game itself won me over? Night 2. I'm huddled in a corner praying for sunrise, hearing movement outside... And then someone knocks on my door. Not frantically, not trying to break in, just slow, methodical knocking. Something about it horrified me, and I was hooked.
I bought Darkwood because of this review and I absolutely loved it. I love your review temperament. I'd say style, but you don't make it all about you, so yeah, that's awesome.
10:33 Titles like these actually come up IRL too: The doughnut man. I'm sure everyone has someone like this in their life, a person who does or provides something specific and so you just know them as the thing you associate them with.
Your video got me to buy this game, but the first time I realized something special was on my hands was when I hid in my house for a routine night, and some kind of howling noise (A dog? A person?) that normally only played at sunset continued on into the dark of the night. Then about 30 feet from my house, a light appeared. Through the window slats I couldn't make it out but I could tell there was a light near my home. I didn't dare leave the safety of my house. I sat in the corner with a lantern and a nailboard at the ready repeatedly telling myself not to investigate the light.
My favorite Eastern European jerkaround ending is still Cryostasis. How do you top a game where your ally is the ghost of a nuclear reactor and your enemies are monsters made of furniture and guilt? Why, by playing a hybrid of star castle and lights out against Kronus, OF COURSE.
I've been binging your reviews, even ones on games I had no intention of playing. They're so well crafted, written and paced. I hope you continue to make more in the future.
Bioarboribus sounds cool but trees are part of the "bio" so here's my attempt on something that mixes animal with vegetal: Zooanthemum IPA: /'zʊæθɪməm/ Noun, Biological construct that displays the characteristics of both vegetal and animal organisms. Example: I am Groot. Etymology: zoo- ancient greek prefix for animal and -anthemum, ancient greek suffix for flower.
The thing about the lore of this game is it was to my understanding that it was left up to the players imagination with some subtle hints here and there, the biggest theory that I had about 'the being' was that it could communicate through radio waves, always speaking to the protagonist through the radio in one way or another, and when you get to the radio station you see the guy in the bed, whether he was alive or dead was unknown to us, but he had root like veins pulsating from his body that led out into the forest as if it was that man's mind connected to this entire plague that was affecting everyone in it. That was my own personal theory about the game, and I think when you leave these idea up to the player it can be truly terrifying. The idea that all of it was a dream of someone else and you were just living in it unknowingly and unwillingly. True horror. Love these games when no one is truly right or wrong about the games story. This game deserves all of it's praise.
I remember surviving for many days by just blocking everything and staying away from windows... I'd hear things outside but nothing would happen. That went on for a while, until one night I decided I wanted to "see" what was lurking outside. What I hadn't taken into consideration is that I too would be seen. They tore down the barricades in seconds, and swarmed me even faster. 10/10 would have a heart attack again.
Something about the creepiness of Darkwood really gets to me, much more than anything in Silent Hills or other horror games. I'm not sure if it's the presentation, or the familiarity of the setting. It all just feels so much more... grounded, I suppose?
I seriously have to thank you Mandalore. I discovered this game a few years ago because of you and am about to start my 4th playthrough for this October. This is by far the best horror game I've played and overall one of my all time favorite games.
I started this game on hard and the spook factor when up like 10x for me because I know if i die only 3 times my save data will be deleted. That made the monsters a lot more scary because dying actually had a major consequence. I ended up beating the game on hard as well with only 1 life remaining. Spooky shit man.
It's a tiny detail, but I think they made a brilliant decision in making your quick attack cost more stamina than your slow, wind-up power attack. This emphasises the utility of a quick interrupting hit, rather than just breaking them into "light attack" and "heavy attack" where heavy is basically just equal to 2-3 lights.
I do like the vibe that Mandalore is like a really knowledgeable friend telling you about this game he’s playing and adding in a funny here and there. Very comfortable
2:15 someone reacting to something in-game to something ghastly is one of my favorite things. I watched this review before I got Darkwood and this scene STILL rattled me.
Just watching you play this scared the crap out of me. I like that you review a lot of smaller developer games that I might not have thought about playing otherwise.
Dismissed this as another of 'those' indie games when I saw on steam, but there's really more to it. I think I'll buy it soon thanks to you. Great review as always. Also, would love to see a video on the Harebrained Shadowrun games from you.
Can I ask what's your personal opinion on them? I find Returns is borderline a bad game but Dragonfall and Hong Kong were pretty good. I do find the writing gets way too political at times, but that's kind of a problem carried over from the tabletop.
Returns definitely has a mobile game feel to it and is really the worst of the three in pretty much every way. (One good thing about it is that you can play it in Dragonfall engine.) Dragonfall, however, improved on every aspect of Returns. Interesting characters, a decent story and a really good soundtrack. Some argue that Hong Kong is not as good as Dragonfall, but I think it's just a matter of preference, because it only introduced small changes to the combat and things like that, but the characters are more fleshed out and the story is finally not as 'grandiose' as in the previous two games. Also, it's nice that you can get 2-3 ending or even more and I think here they mean something in a sense. I agree about the politics part, but I think that this just comes with the setting. I didn't mind it that much. A bit unrelated, but just yesterday they showed screenshots from their new game on twitter and it looked pretty good, but I'd rather have a new Shadowrun to be honest. I didn't really like turn based games before and I'm still not a big fan, but I think if you like the setting they are the best you can get aside from the SNES version. All in all, nothing groundbreaking in my opinion, but they're worth playing for the characters and the setting if nothing else, and it's nice that the three games are not connected aside from a few minor references.
You actually sold me this game. After about a year after purchasing this game on PS4, losing save-file and beating it on second attempt, I finally got here back to watch forbidden spoiler section. It felt as relieving as both of the game's endings. Thank you, Mandalore!
3:16 Darkwood is like Giger and more of a lesser known guy called Strzylkowski. Less steel and flesh so much as wood and chitin. I think people will like his work.
Stop dragging me - Sofa Aiming remind me Deus Ex - damage is barely changed with weapon proficiency but aiming time is different if you trained barely or much more . Just like in real life. 10:43 Dodge Viper 126p rlz, still got that little beast
Saw your review. Avoided spoiler part of the video got the game. Played it calmly and enjoying every moment of it and.... Man, thank you! A lot! It's been realy long since I enjoyed a game so much. I got here right after finnishing it properly and now I'ma watch your spoiler part as the cherry on top. Again, thank you for the awesome review that got me to buy this gem.
I found your channel recently because of den reviews and I remember seeing this game on TH-cam but for the love of me could not find it so thank you for reviewing games that most don't.
I followed this game all the way back from when it was on steam greenlight, to it's full release, and loved it. I also just recently discovered the game had an alternate ending, so that was cool to experience months after I finished playing it. Nice review, definitely highlighted the strong points of it. I love horror but hate jump scares, so Darkwood always felt like the perfect game for me. I can't wait to see what they guys at Acid Wizard Studios do next.
I've adored this game for years just because of it's artwork. I've never actually played past the initial 30 minute mark because I hadn't dedicated the time to it. Maybe now that I don't have so many games to burn through, I should check it out...
Initially blew this off as just another to-down newgrounds game with a solid understanding of mechanics. That introduction sold me on it. Thanks Mandalore!
I love your videos even though I won't likely play half the games you review. I hate playing horror games, but like a lot of people I have a morbid curiosity. Watching videos like this one is really great.
Darkwood on GOG - gog.la/NotAsScaryAsFinnishWoods
THE LIST - docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_K3ziSxT9zcUUGCddS4sF1uNJTWHSbOwB1CQX2Rx4Uo
I'd strongly recommend giving Darkwood a try. It was hard not to show off too much of the game!
I'll be sure to. This was the first video I actually skipped spoilers.
Always a pleasure to watch your content. Keep up the great work.
Don't mean to be pushy, but would you consider reviewing Harvester? It's a really dark FMV adventure game that is considered a hidden gem by many. I would be interested to hear your opinion on it.
do a hollow knight review
Whoa, have MULTIPLE people recommended AI War: Fleet Command? God damn, I hope that one gets some love. It certainly deserves it.
A channel I like called ARealHuman did a really good Harvester video. Unfortunately that game might be too story focused for me to do a review on since it would be talking about plot most of the video.
Also, the devs gave out a free torrent of it, only asking that you buy it if you like it, so keep that in mind if you are interested.
And support the devs if you do like it, of course
The polar opposite of EA.
yep cause buying on reseller sites is worse than just loading it
not sure why but I guess supporting key resellers with money is worse than supporting scene groups with mere downloads from a dev perspective
and mine
The reason why it's a problem is if a shady reseller purchased keys using a stolen credit card. The developer gets a chargeback, loses their sale and they also get charged for that chargeback. So it ends up being even worse than piracy.
Now I don't know how often this happens with resellers as I am sure that in most cases, the keys are just bought when the game has a heavy discount and is then sold at a profit when the game goes back to a regular or higher price.
Torrented under what name
God knows I'm going to buy it when I get my wage again
Magical Kalashnikov on a magical wolfman.
Hire me disney.
What with the talk of Stalker and all, I’m imagining a Bandit with a wizard hat running around yelling “CHEEKIUS-BREEKIUS”
@@matt6273all in a slav squat
I dont get it
SSchithFoo western spy
@The South or just watch a few of Boris' video.
"Eastern European attempts to walk to the store."
- Do you have...
- No.
- In that case, do you have...
- No.
- So maybe you have...
- No.
- So what do you have?
- We have year 1980!
*HARDBASS AND HAZMAT SUIT*
Z Tyłu Sklepu
Time to trade in for ham with toilet paper on the street then.
*W SKLEPIE U ARTURA.*
Darkwood is just a constant feeling of "well, something just happened. I don't know what, why, or how, but it's got twelve hands and is running towards me at warp speeds and speaking backwards so I think it's time to leave"
That’s......oddly accurately
Oddly specific
Monday mornings at the office, amirite?
@@evrfreez What you work at the scp foundation or something?
Ah i remember the first time i entered the swamp village. 2 of those mofos sprung up and i immediately NOPED and whipped out my shogun
I think the reverse stamina thing of “slow attack uses less stamina” is actually genius. It’s more exhausting to swing shit fast than it is to swing it slow and try to preempt it. Splitting logs doesn’t just use inertia after all, it needs FORCE.
"You can't avoid conflict if conflict is breaking down your window." I wish more people acknowledged it.
Totally
Yeah I have a hard time understanding fight or flight. One time this guy covered in leather walked into my gym and I ended up fucking him in the ass after we fought.
Wayfarin Stranger aniki...
@Mandeep singh it's just manly bro
Wtf is going on, how does that have anything to do with wat he said
I live in Lapland Finland and can confirm that our forests are full of dangerous woodcutters.
In reality polish forest's biggest danger are drunk hunters notorious for confusing anyone and anything with a boar
Airay552 i feel you man i am on The swedish side!
As a Swedish sometimes woodcutter, I think I should feel slightly offended.
Don't forget all the werewolves and people-eating trees. I'm surprised the Finnish government hasn't done something by now.
max larsen What about Mustakrakish The Lake Troll?
13:28 Oh i know this one!(spoilers)
The dreams affect the real world, cause they're not dreams, but hallucinations you get from injecting yourself with mushroom essence. It's why you only "dream" after getting a skill. In prologue the doctor injects you with it and you hallucinate that the house gets attacked by chompers, while it's actually being attacked by villagers. The burnt doctors bag you find in a village bonfire also supports this.
The protagonist is a soldier on an expedition to the forest. Before the story begins the protagonist and his squad gets ambushed by the local savages, beaten and tied to trees(you can find the tied up bodies in the swamp). Protag. somehow manages to escape, but with his visor broken, it's just a useless burden, so he finds a scarecrow and switches clothes with it(you can find the hazmat suit on a scarecrow rack in swamp). He almost makes it to the doctors house, but collapses.
The plague makes copies of its inhabitants, but it doesn't differentiate between organic and inorganic materials. The most notable example is the trader, who is actually a copy of the protagonist while he still had his hazmat suit on and before being affected and turned agressive. He also has a journal and key 21, but they're white thus associated with the plague.
Where did you find the lore for this game? I beat it a year ago and saw some cool stuff on a 4chan dump back then but could never find it again. The trader being a copy of the protag floored me.
@@poopsiepup1192 there is a detailed steam post about this
Dude i never knew about this, im glad i rewatched this video and explore the Comment section again
Except the game's creator actually answered the question for real, and it's an alien.
God Eastern Europe just needs a big ole hug doesn't it?
Keep your touchy feely to yourself unless you want a painful end by broken bottle.
i think america needs a bigger hug. We just dont like to admit it.
ikr xD im easter european, i have such dark ideas even way darker then this game
We consider ourselves to be part of "Central Europe".
That sounded gay and sissy af
The art style you were looking for is pretty much what Zdzislaw Beksinski did with his paintings. Have fun looking at those things (seriously worth googling for)
You weren't kidding. Thanks for the recommendation.
@@andrewrobertson3894 you're welcome! Truly amazing paintings, a shame he didn't name them so googling for a certain piece is rather tricky :D
@@prowokator Ha, you're right about all the untitled work. If he was really painting (his?) dreams , I'm interested to find out about his history. Even his more abstract stuff feels almost sinister, not that I know anything about art lol. Well, except for knowing what I like.
@@andrewrobertson3894 I think the 2nd world war left a mark in his young mind for sure, if I recall correctly hus wikipedia page has more infornation on his background and life. Spoiler alert, it didn't end in a peaceful way :( Knowing what you like is enough :) He does have rather unique way of using colour and brushes in general, I love it! Great to hear I got someone interested of him! :)
Yeah, Darkwood has a very Beksinski art style about it.
I really liked the game.
"polish apartments don't get this bad'
i think Ross would say otherwise...
"Neighbor below us hired an inspector for their apartment, he drilled a hole in their wall and water started coming out" - Ross Scott, June 20th 2018
Mexicans apartments do.
There is no Ross - only Mold Man.
Mandalore and Ross Scott really remind me of each other more than Mandalore and Sseth.
Ross has been consumed by the mold.
"Hey, look what I bought at Wolfman Target!"
I binged all your reviews about a week ago. Why are your videos so addicting? I don't even play video games.
Oh hey Im subbed to you
Do you know about ross scots game dungeon? You rinse it on accursed farms channel, it scratches me in similar away
Play this game and you'll be a gamer.
Same dude, idk what it is about Mandaloregaming but I can't get enough of his videos
I'm on a re-watch binge three years after this comment o/
Mandalore, you're great entertainment in addition to great reviews. My wallet will never recover
I remember when I first saw this review having never heard of Darkwood before, I stopped after three minutes and bought the game immediately on Steam. Now, almost a year later, several playtroughs, over 40 hours in-game and every achievement, I still think fondly of this game. Thanks, Mandalore!
oh damn, scary game with no intentional jumpscares ? im sold, thanks papa Mandalore
in my point of view any game that have intentionally jumpscares automatically became cheap
Black Knightz
Silent Hill 2 has a single jumpscare over halfway through. Good to know you consider it cheap.
@@DinnerForkTongue Amnesia the Dark Descent also has exactly one. Having one is ok. It can actually help you release some tension, which is good for pacing. The problem becomes when its the main "weapon" of a game to scare you. Darkwood, Silent Hill or Amnesia use ambience and context to keep a lingering sensation of something not being right that lasts beyond particular set pieces of an ugly thing going "boo".
Five Nights and Freddy won't make you more scared of darkness or animatronics than you were before playing, but Darkwood or Amnesia will certainly have an effect for some time even when you are not playing.
@@C0C0L0QUIN
I know and agree, I was just taking the piss out of people that generalise.
Minim it’s called the banshee
"This is a cursed polish forest, that's almost as scary as a normal finnish forest" xD
Is that an isolated joke or is that some kind of a reference to something?
@@orionion as a reI think. Also finland is a country with only a few people and big forests. Would you be comfortable there??
@@martinnolhaf3151 in poland you have an region that called "Podlasie" search this in google or youtube
@@martinnolhaf3151 yes, forests are amazing and they are the source of all life.
mandalore a day keeps the noose away
Vault But not for long, only 15:20 left
But he only uploads every few weeks
Wrong, wrong, wrong, the noose remains close, but, "Not today, old friend." It keeps the noose at bay.
Fa Kenews ...so you rewatch -_-
edgy
The sound of a snapping twig outside at night has never made me feel like this. First playthrough and those first few nights are genuinely terrifying. Terrific horror game with terrific sound and terrific music.
I'm still kind of shocked that Darkwood does me a big frighten despite it being top down
Exactly! I thought I was in for a bad time and it sold me in less than 10 minutes.
That's what good sound design gets ya.
I thought it would be a good for me as my first horror game because i can be scared by anything, and a top down game cant be that scary. Then i went underground to check out that door....
Geremy Tibbles shook
And ironically it was made by devs who confessed to being too afraid to play other horror games. I guess not having much prior exposure meant they could approach the genre from a fresh perspective.
The relief you feel in this game when a night is over matches that of beating a dark souls boss after 50 tries. It's so great.
I at first also got the "True Ending" by accident, but during my second playthrough, I noticed that the game gives you hints through the dream sequences that "lying down" and "going to bed" is the choice that the Being is trying to lure you into.
Holy, I'm reading this 6 years later and I remember laying down in the grave next to the laughing corpse.. that's kinda blowing my mind rn.
Darkwood captures the Lovecraft feeling I wanted better than anything else I have played. It was so good.
The most infuriating part of these reviews is that I want to watch the spoiler sections just to hear you talk about the games more.
I watched it. I shouldn't have watched it.
@@aFewBitsShort Same
Watch without spoilers. Play Game. Watch again, WITH spoilers.
It's interesting how they didn't set out to make jump scares in this game. Instead any jump scare moments arise organically from the game's systems and ambience.
Great review, i was blown away by Darkwood and i'm so glad its released.
Honestly, it feels sorta like those really good top down flash games you'd find on flash game websites 2009-2013 ish. The type that as a kid you'd go "wow this is great" and i'm so glad that style has resurged in this format.
The Autismo Piggo There was one that was quite similar where you played as a Van Helsing type dude and went through different stages killing all the werewolves and shit. Really impressed me when I was a young kid, unfortunately I forgot its name :(
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck i remember that one
Its such a shame theres so many, but at the same time i'm glad they're still being made. Its like music, even when you find a killer track you know theres millions out there you'd love as well.
there was one who went in a similiar way. Something about dark beasts afraid of the "big light in the sky"
i used to play the shit out of endless war 3.
That thing about the flash game stuff really speaks to me.
Playing the game feels like playing one of those old hidden gem flash games on a random game site back in the 2000s days.
Ever since my first night in Minecraft, this has been the Survival Horror game I've wanted. Thanks for the recommendation Mandalore!
Do you know any game with a similar feeling?
E.Y.E, Shogo,Republic Commando and now this. Good thing you only upload every two weeks otherwise I wouldn't have money to eat.
Gordonsnake 2000
Darkwood is way scary the first time. Second playtrough, a flipping breeze. Something to do with player confidence growing as he progresses the game. Thank you for shedding some... light to darkwood. I honestly feel like the game deserves more attention. A horror game, pretty much like a fairytale, that is also GTA2 :P
Yeah, when you get used to the eldritch horrors and avoid them you can get more confident, but it doesn't make it any less dangerous, IMO.
Honestly, this is true for most horror games. Fear of the unknown has a shelf life.
Thats why i rarely play/read/watch something the second time. It was the same for me with S.T.A.L.K.E.R, the first time when you know nothing of story and world is just perfect. Second playthrough is not that magical any more.
It was the same way for me with RE2make. Terrifying the first time, and then still fun but less scary when you play as Claire because you know the layout of most of the areas. Good horror plays on suspense and not just surprise. You know something out there is going to hurt you, you just don't know how, when, and sometimes not even what.
@@Gigaa666 try anomaly. It hits the magical feat of a living world. The ai is so good, you'll get horror jump scares and panic, just from the random ai interactions.
I found this review, loved it, and binged the rest of your content over the weekend. You're absolutely fantastic.
Mandalore, you are one of the few game reviewers I actually enjoy listening to! Keep up the great videos! I don't know if you have gotten a request for this or not but check out a game called Exanima! Just be warned though, the controls are really funky at first and will take you many hours just to get comfortable, but the gameplay and tense encounters make it one of the most rewarding games I've played! Just a tip though, play the arena mode first so you can get good at the controls before taking on the story mode!
3:20 The genre is magical realism, and a lot of theme/style influence comes from the works of the Polish painter Zdzislaw Beksinski. His work centers on themes of nihilism, war, and destruction, and has recurring imagery of bodies melting and morphing into one another, decaying and rotting, and lots of mushrooms. All of these influences can be seen in this game.
This isn't magical realism. There is no realism in this game. It's just fantasy horror.
@@headphonic8 Considering this is the average polish persons route to the store, I'd say its pretty realistic.
the game is also free on pirate bay, the developers uploaded it there.
Führer des Benutzers I just downloaded it and beat it 3 days ago. It’s legit.
As weird as it might appear, it is legit. This is what they said:
"If you don’t have the money and want to play the game, we have a safe torrent on the Pirate Bay of the latest version of Darkwood (1.0 hotfix 3), completely DRM-free. There’s no catch, no added pirate hats for characters or anything like that. We have just one request: if you like Darkwood and want us to continue making games, consider buying it in the future, maybe on a sale, through Steam, GOG or Humble Store. But please, please, don’t buy it through any key reselling site. By doing that, you’re just feeding the cancer that is leeching off this industry."
Woah. Those guys are amazing.
@@iiwi758 wow, I'm sold.
"Er yeah it's j ust a couple rocks for this full magazine of ammo... But I gave you a couple lanterns the other day"
*Click-click* "Noice"
The Handsome Arrow COMMUNISM the game
also look up Zdzisław Beksiński, his art I feel is a huge inspiration for this game
I've got strong Beksiński vibes while playing Primordia.
I didn't realize this while playing but damn the sound design is freaking amazing, moving furniture around and renovating your house has never been so scary
Thanks for selling me on this. I'd seen the game before, but the marketing put me off of it (YOULL NEVER BELIEVE TOPDOWN CAN BE SCARY! WATCH THIS REACTION VIDEO!), and had you not made this I probably would have missed out on this gem.
The exact moment the game itself won me over? Night 2. I'm huddled in a corner praying for sunrise, hearing movement outside... And then someone knocks on my door. Not frantically, not trying to break in, just slow, methodical knocking. Something about it horrified me, and I was hooked.
I bought Darkwood because of this review and I absolutely loved it. I love your review temperament. I'd say style, but you don't make it all about you, so yeah, that's awesome.
4:18
Dat Fallout Classic Ambient Muzak.
Patrician Core Taste, Mandalore
Yeah, i also hear it, although it starts earlier at 4:12
Weekend Warrior Yep, Vats of Goo.
Recognized it immediately. Mark Morgan's Fallout soundtracks have been deeply embedded into my mind.
I knew I heard it somewhere before, but I couldn't think of where
Thanks
I would never forget that godly soundtrack
10:33 Titles like these actually come up IRL too: The doughnut man. I'm sure everyone has someone like this in their life, a person who does or provides something specific and so you just know them as the thing you associate them with.
the defend them self with magic...magic kalashnikov i chuckle almost spit my food
A year late, but rather than "bioarboribus" as trees are alive, maybe "anthroarboreal" or "zooarboribus."
Great video 5:14 Finland mentioned!
Explain pls?
@@gestaltengine6369 Finnish inside joke
Torilla tavataan!
@@gestaltengine6369 don't worry, I don't understand it either, and I'm from Finland
Your video got me to buy this game, but the first time I realized something special was on my hands was when I hid in my house for a routine night, and some kind of howling noise (A dog? A person?) that normally only played at sunset continued on into the dark of the night. Then about 30 feet from my house, a light appeared. Through the window slats I couldn't make it out but I could tell there was a light near my home. I didn't dare leave the safety of my house. I sat in the corner with a lantern and a nailboard at the ready repeatedly telling myself not to investigate the light.
My god your channel is amazing. Been watching since your 13 review. Love it!
“Imagine Giger but he’s a little bit less Swiss”, you’re too funny
My favorite Eastern European jerkaround ending is still Cryostasis. How do you top a game where your ally is the ghost of a nuclear reactor and your enemies are monsters made of furniture and guilt? Why, by playing a hybrid of star castle and lights out against Kronus, OF COURSE.
I've been binging your reviews, even ones on games I had no intention of playing. They're so well crafted, written and paced. I hope you continue to make more in the future.
Your review convinced me to try this out, I have now about 120 hours on it...
Bioarboribus sounds cool but trees are part of the "bio" so here's my attempt on something that mixes animal with vegetal:
Zooanthemum
IPA: /'zʊæθɪməm/
Noun,
Biological construct that displays the characteristics of both vegetal and animal organisms.
Example: I am Groot.
Etymology: zoo- ancient greek prefix for animal and -anthemum, ancient greek suffix for flower.
I want this in the dictionary now.
Digicraftmon the Crystal Gem half bear
The thing about the lore of this game is it was to my understanding that it was left up to the players imagination with some subtle hints here and there, the biggest theory that I had about 'the being' was that it could communicate through radio waves, always speaking to the protagonist through the radio in one way or another, and when you get to the radio station you see the guy in the bed, whether he was alive or dead was unknown to us, but he had root like veins pulsating from his body that led out into the forest as if it was that man's mind connected to this entire plague that was affecting everyone in it. That was my own personal theory about the game, and I think when you leave these idea up to the player it can be truly terrifying. The idea that all of it was a dream of someone else and you were just living in it unknowingly and unwillingly. True horror. Love these games when no one is truly right or wrong about the games story. This game deserves all of it's praise.
"Sounds like Snoopy's back from his walk. Hey, look what I bought from Wolf Man Target." I'm so glad I found this channel
13:55 It truly does, having it explained makes it go from mystical to mundane.
I bought Darkwood because of this video. Just finished it and loved every bit of it! Such a fantastic game with an amazing atmosphere.
I remember surviving for many days by just blocking everything and staying away from windows... I'd hear things outside but nothing would happen. That went on for a while, until one night I decided I wanted to "see" what was lurking outside. What I hadn't taken into consideration is that I too would be seen. They tore down the barricades in seconds, and swarmed me even faster. 10/10 would have a heart attack again.
Something about the creepiness of Darkwood really gets to me, much more than anything in Silent Hills or other horror games. I'm not sure if it's the presentation, or the familiarity of the setting. It all just feels so much more... grounded, I suppose?
I seriously have to thank you Mandalore. I discovered this game a few years ago because of you and am about to start my 4th playthrough for this October. This is by far the best horror game I've played and overall one of my all time favorite games.
I started this game on hard and the spook factor when up like 10x for me because I know if i die only 3 times my save data will be deleted. That made the monsters a lot more scary because dying actually had a major consequence. I ended up beating the game on hard as well with only 1 life remaining. Spooky shit man.
nice
Your reviews are so damn good. Why you have only 80k subs is beyond me...
Just love your reviews! Wish it was more often, but it would ruin the very well written and researched content! Thank you for your work!
It's a tiny detail, but I think they made a brilliant decision in making your quick attack cost more stamina than your slow, wind-up power attack. This emphasises the utility of a quick interrupting hit, rather than just breaking them into "light attack" and "heavy attack" where heavy is basically just equal to 2-3 lights.
I do like the vibe that Mandalore is like a really knowledgeable friend telling you about this game he’s playing and adding in a funny here and there. Very comfortable
2:15 someone reacting to something in-game to something ghastly is one of my favorite things. I watched this review before I got Darkwood and this scene STILL rattled me.
Just watching you play this scared the crap out of me. I like that you review a lot of smaller developer games that I might not have thought about playing otherwise.
Dismissed this as another of 'those' indie games when I saw on steam, but there's really more to it. I think I'll buy it soon thanks to you. Great review as always.
Also, would love to see a video on the Harebrained Shadowrun games from you.
Can I ask what's your personal opinion on them?
I find Returns is borderline a bad game but Dragonfall and Hong Kong were pretty good. I do find the writing gets way too political at times, but that's kind of a problem carried over from the tabletop.
Returns definitely has a mobile game feel to it and is really the worst of the three in pretty much every way. (One good thing about it is that you can play it in Dragonfall engine.)
Dragonfall, however, improved on every aspect of Returns. Interesting characters, a decent story and a really good soundtrack.
Some argue that Hong Kong is not as good as Dragonfall, but I think it's just a matter of preference, because it only introduced small changes to the combat and things like that, but the characters are more fleshed out and the story is finally not as 'grandiose' as in the previous two games.
Also, it's nice that you can get 2-3 ending or even more and I think here they mean something in a sense.
I agree about the politics part, but I think that this just comes with the setting. I didn't mind it that much.
A bit unrelated, but just yesterday they showed screenshots from their new game on twitter and it looked pretty good, but I'd rather have a new Shadowrun to be honest.
I didn't really like turn based games before and I'm still not a big fan, but I think if you like the setting they are the best you can get aside from the SNES version.
All in all, nothing groundbreaking in my opinion, but they're worth playing for the characters and the setting if nothing else, and it's nice that the three games are not connected aside from a few minor references.
You actually sold me this game. After about a year after purchasing this game on PS4, losing save-file and beating it on second attempt, I finally got here back to watch forbidden spoiler section.
It felt as relieving as both of the game's endings. Thank you, Mandalore!
3:16 Darkwood is like Giger and more of a lesser known guy called Strzylkowski. Less steel and flesh so much as wood and chitin. I think people will like his work.
I hadn't heard about this game before your review, thank you so much for introducing it to me. I finished it today and it was fantastic
Stop dragging me - Sofa
Aiming remind me Deus Ex - damage is barely changed with weapon proficiency but aiming time is different if you trained barely or much more . Just like in real life.
10:43 Dodge Viper 126p rlz, still got that little beast
i love this video , it's so damn cozy to watch. your whole editing style in general is cozy as fuck somehow, love it !!!!!
this game kinda reminds me of this war of mine, not because of the art or imagery, just because of how goddamn bleak it is
Welcome to eastern europe
Well in this war of mine you can run a booze empire, I doubt you can do that here...
@@HungPham-qq6me Eh you kinda of can
Your videos are something else, i have been watching so much the past week.
Saw your review.
Avoided spoiler part of the video
got the game.
Played it calmly and enjoying every moment of it and....
Man, thank you! A lot! It's been realy long since I enjoyed a game so much. I got here right after finnishing it properly and now I'ma watch your spoiler part as the cherry on top.
Again, thank you for the awesome review that got me to buy this gem.
this is probably the first video of yours i skip to be spoiled, you sold me on this game man!
♂OW♂MY♂SHOULDER♂
Bought this game during the winter sale because of this review. Absolutely in love with it. Thank you for bringing it exposure.
10/10 Sufficiently bioarboribus.
I found your channel recently because of den reviews and I remember seeing this game on TH-cam but for the love of me could not find it so thank you for reviewing games that most don't.
I hope somebody picks up that phone... BECAUSE I FUCKIIIING CALLED IT!!!
Frieza did it.
I thought it would be Kholat, but... meh.
I followed this game all the way back from when it was on steam greenlight, to it's full release, and loved it. I also just recently discovered the game had an alternate ending, so that was cool to experience months after I finished playing it. Nice review, definitely highlighted the strong points of it. I love horror but hate jump scares, so Darkwood always felt like the perfect game for me. I can't wait to see what they guys at Acid Wizard Studios do next.
Fallout music in a Darkwood review. Excellent
Thanks for this video. Longtime fan here from yesrs ago. Now you famous Lord Mando!
I'd love to see another horror game in this style from these devs
I appreciate these videos, helps me find games I wouldn’t play normally. Thanks mang
Isn't bioarboribus is little redundant? Isn't a tree alive by default?
maybe animarboric or denrozoic
blantanttrashaccount fgd I thought the joke was just that the word was made up because he couldn't adequately describe it.
there was no joke
Maybe Androarboric would be a better fit. But not as funny so...
What about necroboribus
Subscribed for integrity shown by MandaloreGaming in the comments. Respect.
"There are roots growing under all the furniture - Polish apartments don't get THIS bad"... They do.
Man, your stuff is always great. Good work!
Please oh please review Arcanum! Its an amazing top down RPG back from 2001, published by Sierra and is one of their best titles.
It's on the list.
No its not... I looked and couldn't find it.
I've adored this game for years just because of it's artwork. I've never actually played past the initial 30 minute mark because I hadn't dedicated the time to it. Maybe now that I don't have so many games to burn through, I should check it out...
Dude you totally should, its absolutely worth it.
BTW. where there ever some patches for it? Like making guns not useless?
I just finished darkwood and boy oh boy i got slapped by how hard and deep this game is. It’s a must play !!!
"Better than Stalker" is a term that doesn't seem to make any sense to me :D
KnorpelDelux better than stalker is for when "better than sex" isn't hyperbolic enough
Cheeki breeki?
yep cheeki breeki
it's also wrong. This game is terrible.
It is tho
Just found this channel, been watching through the videos. This is great. Good job and thanks for quality content.
Ended up buying the game its really good.
Initially blew this off as just another to-down newgrounds game with a solid understanding of mechanics.
That introduction sold me on it. Thanks Mandalore!
I subscribed right after I saw your stalker reference. You know what you are talking about. Good Work.
Summary of darkwood: drunk polish person tries to get to the store
oh to be a simple polish worker, spending the days beating monstrosities and crazy homeless people to death
Great channel glad I found it! I love your reviews and your calming voice keep up the good work man!
Fallout 1 music in the background nice
I love your videos even though I won't likely play half the games you review. I hate playing horror games, but like a lot of people I have a morbid curiosity. Watching videos like this one is really great.
10:22 that scared the shit out of me and then i laughed