Although I'm not what one would call an 'avid' Horror fan, seeing as the genre itself is a finicky one to get right when it comes down to video games and the complex art of it's unique interactive medium that is gameplay, Dark Fear is certainly one such horror game that intrigued me enough that, even somewhat knowing what I was getting into as far as what to expect here, the homage to those old 16-bit AGI games that focused on the adventure point and click style of games that was one of the pioneers of the video game industry back in the mid-to-late 1980's is something admirable and, as a result, caused me to take a chance with this fun little indie.
Now, the big question that matters most here: Is it worth the asking price? As no doubt a game's worth is largely dependant on it's fun and what makes it stand out from the crowd as well as, to a lesser degree, it's replayability and overall length. Though the last point largely depends on what genre of game we're talking about here, something that makes Dark Fear quite the odd one at that!
For indeed, Dark Fear is labelled as a 'Horror RPG' of sorts, which is indeed true although I should emphasise here that the focus is more on the 'horror' aspect than it is the traditional 'Role Playing Game' part, since the atmosphere created through the viewpoint of this AGI-esque world reminiscent of the likes of ICOM Simulation's Uninvited and Déjà Vu is quite spooky, perhaps one might say even hair-raising to the point that it'll give your shoulders shudders and put you just a little on edge in some of the more horror-esque places of this game!
Although to touch upon the RPG aspects of this game, Dark Fear does indeed include combat with various monsters throughout the game and, as a result, has a variety of mechanics to bear in mind here, since starting off it's a matter of having a good melee weapon and sufficient armour alongside enough health potions but, later on, this gets expanded to a powerful ranged weapon that enables the use of various bolts to deal even higher damage alongside 'special' bolts that are usable after 2 regular attacks to exploit specific enemy weaknesses alongside magic tattoos that give you protection from the nasty special abilities of some enemies later on in the game!
In essence, dealing damage comes down to a simple matter of getting as close to the center as possible before clicking, with the closer you get the higher the 'strength' of your attack. Though this game's means of handling it's currency is a bit interesting, as not too much grinding is needed if you don't fail any battles and spend wisely, however this game's method of gaining gold through the use of hunting and fishing to capture various animals (the former for pelts for armour at a fair price whilst the latter is purely for gold and sell a little higher on average as a result) can be a tad tedious if you make multiple mistakes and have to grind for supplies again although, thankfully, dying will not have any permanent consequences or loss of progress outside of having to regain potions or ammo used.
Also, as far as the story of Dark Fear itself is concerned, it is definitely well-told and keeps you in suspense as you make your adventures across Diablo in increasingly higher stakes, add in the sudden spooky moment or even outright jump scare (Yes, 'Emily' did catch me off-guard even when knowing *that* dialogue meant something was going to happen, haven't had a good scare like that in a long time!) and it makes for quite the engrossing horror game to play and immerse yourself into, even with the RPG mechanics sometimes feeling like padding to make the game somewhat longer!
If I did have to give some criticism, there is a way to mute the music which, whilst great, is problematic with it's copyrighted material that ensures that any published videos on the big video platforming websites such as YouTube or Twitch will pose a problem for content creators and the likes. Also it is impossible to mute the sound in the game outside of just muting your PC, which I feel is a tad unusual as most games with basic settings tend to let you control the volume of the music and sounds or, at the very least, turn them on and off separately.
Overall though, I'd say Dark Fear is well-worth the price, even not being a fan of the genre itself for the most part, as I quite enjoyed it's dark story and the themes surrounding it's more disturbing elements alongside generally the gameplay being well-paced and not having any frustrating moments, save for a puzzle or two that took me a while to figure out the solution to!
TLDR Version:
• Excellent choice of graphics that helps to create a dark and foreboding world of many horrors that await the player with it's 16-bit AGI graphics from old point and click games (+)
• A scary story told rather well through both subtle elements of horror that put the player on edge as well as more obvious scare tactics when the moment calls for it without overuse or overstaying it's welcome (+)
• Gameplay balance between the horror and RPG moments is well-balanced for the most part, ensuring that the combat is easy to get into once money can be farmed through hunting and fishing methods (+)
• The game isn't too long that makes it feel like the gameplay is stretched out more than it should, nor is it too short that it feels like corners were clearly cut (+)
• Music used in this game is excellent for the overall mood of the game, be it the intense high-octane action when experiencing combat or the gloomy and sinister songs playing when in a haunted area (+)
• The grinding for money can be problematic for some, especially if they make mistakes that cost them plenty of supplies that requires more farming (-)
• There is little replayability once the game has been completed outside of reliving certain scary moments and potentially speedrunning it (-)
• 16-bit ACI graphics may prove to be off-putting for those looking for a more realistic horror game (-)
• Music is copyrighted and could prove to be an issue for content creators, with regards to copyright strikes, as well as sounds not being able to be muted (-)
