DarkMaus is an isometric Souls-like game set in a world mostly devoid of color. We play as a rat that has crash-landed onto an island with nothing but a sword & shield to his name. The blue of the uncaring seas is about as much color as we’ll ever see. This is a moody intro with a real sense of mystery. DarkMaus simply begins with no explanation of the setting and gives a quick tutorial of the gameplay mechanics. With nothing left to do on our completely ruined ship, we head deeper into this unknown land and immediately encounter its perils. It perfectly encapsulates how it feels to exist in this world, as you’ll soon discover that even the trees hold contempt for your incursion.
One of the key things that differentiates this title from Dark Souls is the lack of healing items just being given out. They are random drops here, and are more valuable than even the Bone Marrow/Souls we collect from fallen enemies. I’ve often found myself willing to risk death or a massive setback just to preserve them for real emergencies. This small change lends it a different feeling than its inspiration. Any second chances via healing have a genuine cost to them, as do any mistakes we make. With how brutal DarkMaus is, death always felt just around the corner. It may be a positive or a negative to some. This doesn’t have a difficulty curve. I’d liken it more to a wall you must climb. Your character isn’t special by any means. Everything you’ll learn throughout can be used by NPCs, and even top-tier equipment won’t change much without the skill to back it up.
We start off knowing how to perform both a quick and strong attack. Although there is no rolling, we can dash away from or through incoming damage thanks to the brief invincibility frames it grants. I recommend caution against the latter until you know how an enemy fights. You’ll likely dodge the first, only to get nailed by its follow-up attack. Or exhaust stamina to the point where you can no longer attack. It is often a balancing act in this game. From how much your equipment weighs and whether it’s worth the reduced mobility, to what type of weapon best suits your playstyle or current situation. You have bows, pyromancy magic, two-handers, and more. There is a surprising amount of depth. To my knowledge, there is no way to reset your stats. It is best to experiment before going all in on one type of build.
About 15 minutes into DarkMaus, you’ll be met with a roadblock of sorts. You’ll meet a swarm of spiders before you have access to ranged weapons. These little fiends will keep their distance up until you turn your back on one of them. Their sheer speed and numbers make dealing with them using your existing moveset nigh impossible. A short message will suggest you look at your Abilities tab and purchase the sprint attack. Being able to rapidly close the distance and swing before they can react is a game changer. This is the only occasion when this guidance is given. Make sure to use abilities in the future. You’ll be given a point to spend every couple of levels and can retract them to experiment with others. If you’re met with a heavily armored opponent, it may be time for a shield-breaking attack. Poison hazards covering the floor? Put some points into increasing your dodge/dash distance.
It is a fairly open-ended game. Strictly speaking, your main objective will always be further up north. In practice, however, there is constantly something to block your path, such as a locked gate or similar to encourage exploration. You may run across friendly NPCs that could ask for your help or demand things. They can all be killed, whether by your own hands or failing to protect them. It is also possible you may regret lending someone a hand. The sense of mystery is ever present throughout our adventure. You’re never quite sure what to expect next but must trudge forward nonetheless and accept what may come to pass. Speaking of things out of our control, we may randomly be Hunted by a red specter. These formidable foes will relentlessly chase you down and steal your bone marrow if you’re slain. Not only that, but they will also steal half of your health bar. The reward for defeating them is grand, yet the heart-sinking feeling of the music changing and being notified of their arrival is not a happy one.
You may find items and equipment from corpses scattered around these devastated lands. They will be of low tier. If you want the good stuff, you’ll have to risk your neck by finding a living possessed Mouse. Typically, they are located far off the beaten path and will only turn hostile if prompted. Good bloody luck. The previously mentioned Red Specters that hunt you are a joke in comparison. We have an unofficial timer as well. Our torch will only last four minutes before being extinguished. Far from being just an art style gimmick, the world in DarkMaus is truly swallowed in darkness. It is another factor with some tradeoffs. The bigger the torch you carry, the further your vision. With the cost being its flame’s total duration. Braving the dangerous environment to reach a possessed mouse and making it back again is a cause for celebration.
I really love the lighting system. It is endlessly entertaining to see the dynamic shadows at work as we dance around an enemy, trying to find an opening. Your limited vision does become more unfair as you progress further into the game. It’s too often that bad angles completely hide a trap. Not to mention the ranged foes, such as archers, can shoot you from outside the screen. Even if the location was fully lit, you wouldn’t be able to see that arrow being shot at your throat. Trying to kill them also highlights another issue. Enemies become too damage-resistant. The entire reason I used a greatsword and pumped my stats into strength is to deal lots of pain quickly. Now let me explain what happens when an archer is hit. He is knocked away from us, bouncing like a pinball, but able to fire more arrows. They are rarely alone, so imagine that process of continually chasing them down while they deal damage you can only dream of doing. I don’t mind that things hit hard, yet their overall health became a negative aspect that felt poorly balanced with the stamina system.
Most of what you’ll be doing throughout is combat-related. DarkMaus does a respectable job of keeping things varied, be it enemy placement or new gimmicks. It’s not too sadistic, but I wouldn’t call it the most fair Souls-like out there. For Dark Souls players that remember Sen’s Fortress, you’re about to get a sequel and an extra helping of PTSD in a certain late-game area. The mercy comes from frequent campfires, which act as save points and a way to level up by using Bone Marrow. DarkMaus features short bursts of intense challenge rather than one hellish trek. This also means that any marrow that is dropped upon dying can quickly be reclaimed if you’re careful. Try to rush things, and you’ll soon discover that some foes are faster than you. Another thing to note is that most enemies do not drop marrow. It is based on a hidden percentage chance upon death. This random loot is how you gain your healing items as well.
Something I’ve yet to mention is an ability that summons a shadow of yourself to aid you after dying. It will last until you reach the next campfire. They don’t do much damage, yet the fact that these Shadows draw attention from you in a brawl can be invaluable. What gear and weapons Shadows possess depend on what you had equipped when you met your end. You can purposely cheese the game a bit by dying near your campfire to gain these allies. To gather more than one at a time will require finding a specific item and investing an ability point. In total, this adventure lasted me around seven hours. There are two endings to choose from for replay value, though disappointingly enough, they’re not shown. You’ll simply be tossed back into the start of the game with all of your gear and stats intact. I didn’t mind the intro being abrupt. Having no proper ending, though? That just took a lot of wind out of things. This ‘new game plus’ will feature more and deadlier foes to face. It will also hand out upgrading shards frequently to beef up your gear.
DarkMaus was relatively bug-free and didn’t crash once in my time playing. It does have one technical flaw that did harm it somewhat. When setting it to a high resolution like 4k, it shrinks all the UI elements. You will be unable to make much sense of the tiny map or see the dialogue as they’ll be far too small. Even on 1080p, things felt a tad too undersized. That said, I’m glad I got to experience DarkMaus. The art style drew me in, only to find it had much more to offer. It has a decently sized map to explore, plenty of play-style choices, and actual story consequences to your actions. This isn’t Mass Effect, yet simply lacking the strength to defend someone may be worse than just giving them the cold shoulder. There is a real sense of freedom that helps this fantastical world feel alive despite having little in the way of text. And for ten dollars at full price? I see little reason not to recommend DarkMaus to fans of the Souls-like genre or those searching for underrated Indie titles in general.
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