Dark and Deep Preview: Embrace the Conspiracies
Dear reader - there’s no need to be afraid of the unknown. It’s better to embrace it, to master it, to conquer it. Always be prepared. After all, you never know what may be lurking in the darkness, hoping to surprise you.
Dark and Deep from solo developer Walter Woods is a cosmic horror title that encourages players to explore and embrace the unknown. You play as Samuel Judge, a mysterious protagonist, who has loyally followed the conspiracy podcast The Dark and the Deep for quite some time. The podcast features a solo narrator who has made it his personal goal to investigate unsolved cases. The podcast plays a vital role in the game’s story and players will hear more of it as they progress through the story. And the more you listen, the more strange things become.
Players that dive into this cosmic horror will notice its very unique aesthetic. The game actually uses the art of 19th century artist Gustave Doré as textures to create a sketch-like world in certain settings. While much of the world is made from 2D art, it is transformed in Dark and Deep to truly bend reality around the player; and the best part is that it works really well. The world is easy to navigate and isn’t hindered in any way by these strange and creepy textures.
In terms of gameplay, the main mechanic that Samuel utilizes is in the form of different frames that can reveal objects and other secrets in the world. Having played the current build of the game for a little over an hour, I also came across a few puzzles where you have to grab an item from a glowing pool and throw it at a device that will then perform a certain action, usually revealing the way forward. No puzzle had me stuck very long, so players who may not be used to puzzlers likely won’t be in one place scratching their heads for too long.
Where Dark and Deep could use some improvement is definitely its traversal. Most regular movements are smooth but when jumping or moving through water things can get a little clunky. Load times aren't long so you won’t spend a lot of time fuming between deaths. There were a few times where I died in the same spot five or six times before finally progressing but, like with any game still currently in development, changes and improvements are sure to make this much smoother as it heads towards launch.
Dark and Deep strives, in more ways than one, to be a unique, horrific but fun experience. And, after only spending a short time with it, it’s clear that the developer understands the genre and the kinds of games that horror fans want to play. And that is evident, not only from the fantastic game that he’s created, but the fact that he has put so much of his own passion and interests into the project. I simply can’t wait to play more and see what the full and complete version has in store.
Preview by Becca Smith