Dark and Deep

Truly a game created from the heart. The mirror is a fun unique mechanic and the creepy creeps get under my skin.

7.5/10 Definitely worth a buy at $20. This is a sleeper that shouldn't be slept on. Very rarely does a puzzle game grab my attention, but the game is dark and deep. *Waits for groans* the The game is filled with interesting puzzles and a story that seems to be heads in a bizarre direction. I think a lot of horror fans would really enjoy this title. Dark and Deep's intro will hook you instantly. It fills you with so many questions that you will feel the need to figure out what is going on. Samuel Judge is in the back of a van listening to his favorite conspiracy podcast. The back of the van flies open as you plunge off a cliff. You see a body that has been wrapped in black plastic and duct tape fly by you as well as other items. You end up in a strange underground cavern with bits of the real world. You will see cars and sometimes destroyed buildings. This makes the level design and puzzles much more interesting. You use different frames that reveal hidden paths and other secrets. The frame are also your defense from the creatures trying to interrupt puzzles or attack you. Could you imagine seeing a person running around and screaming while holding up an empty picture frame to fight off creatures while blaring a conspiracy theory podcast. You would shrug it off, but in the back of your mind you'd wonder if it was real. The lines have blurred. What is real in Dark and Deep? The art style of Dark and Deep is unique and really works to the game's favor. The high contrast between enemies, level architecture, and hazards. It definitely has an indie cosmic horror vibe and look. The game's story and puzzle are really good, but unfortunately the movement is a tad janky. Jumping may frustrate player. I suggest always sprinting then jumping. It reminds me of late 80s platformers where you'd try to get as close as you can to the edge and your jump to the next platform would just miss 75% of the time. Keep in mind the dev has been listening to feedback and smoothing over a lot of issues. Even while reviewing small issues were constantly getting fixed.

I've had an absolute blast with this game so far! The love and care put into it are palpable in every detail. Even though I haven't finished yet, I'm already having so much fun that I know I'll be sad when it finally ends. Looking forward to what comes next. Next time on Dark and Deep...

"Developer Walter Woods, in an almost entirely solo effort, has made a horror experience that easily comes more highly recommended than many of those from teams a hundred times larger or more. A lot of that has to do with the cohesion of the world, storytelling, and gameplay. As the story drew to a close, I felt disappointed that I wouldn’t get to see the game continue its upward trajectory. But as credits rolled, I couldn’t help but feel happy with the experience as a whole. The faults in Dark and Deep are inconsequential enough that mentioning them almost happens as an afterthought (not to mention that they’re almost universally a potential patch away from not existing). The notable moments, though, are at the absolute minimum the bar that horror games should aim for."

I liked this game, the story was cool and there are a lot of references in there. The game play is a little buggy at times but there is nothing game breaking. I would play this game again and for 10 bucks its a steal.

La verdad para ser un juego de terror indie la verdad que me sorprendió mucho con sus propuestas innovadoras a su propio estilo, acabé el juego en un solo stream sin darme cuenta y resumidamente dejaré algunos puntos positivos y otros no "negativos" pero que no me convencieron del todo. Puntos positivos: El gameplay, la verdad que si aprovecha bien de su mecanica original con los espejos y eso es de agradecer, porque usualmente hay juegos que tienen mecanicas y no las aprovechan para nada. La musica la verdad que esta bastante bien. Las voces son claras, para mi que hablo español se me hizo facil entender. Puntos no tan positivos: Creo que el tiempo para matar a las serpientes es demasiado alto, si bien este juego no es para estar apurado, creo que es muy tosco, ya que la hitbox del espejo no me parece muy precisa y no me gustó mucho. Que la cámara gire forzosamente cuando va a ocurrir algun evento o susto, esto me saco de onda muchas veces, creo que no hace falta que me indiquen directamente donde deberia fijarme para avanzar si ademas estan las pistas con la letra "H" y por ultimo el tema de sellar las tumbas, hubieron pocas oportunidades donde se abrian algunas de las que ni si quiera tenia vision, al menos no te matan de un golpe y tampoco es tanto problema, pero nada mas quiero recalcar estos puntos como critica constructiva. He disfrutado mucho aunque no he entendido el final jajaja Buen trabajo Walter!

Nutty putty cave if it was a horror game.