DARQ: Complete Edition

Gameplay – 8/10

DARQ takes you into the depths of lucid nightmares where reality contorts in disturbed, unsettling ways when playing a psychological horror puzzle game. Lloyd, a boy dreaming in a world full of haunting corridors, strange anomalies, and impossible environments, is the character one plays in this game. The core mechanic of the game is gravity manipulation, which allows players to run along paths, switch views, and manipulate the environment to solve puzzles.

The puzzles found in this game are very well constructed, intelligent, and rewarding, achieving what is promised from the description and developing in a fresh direction entirely within regard to environmental problem solving. Players can find it full upon observing, using logic, and having patience, but they will never feel that it is an unfair challenge. Stealth mechanics must be used at certain points when the player must avoid terrifying creatures; while that adds tension, it can be trial-and-error at times.

This Complete Edition has two DLCs: The Tower and The Crypt-each adding levels, puzzles, and some disturbing lore to unravel.

Graphics & Art Style – 9/10

Inspiringly enough for Tim Burton, DARQ has a very unique art styling. This monochromatic, surreal aesthetic permeates every frame in what appears to be a dream turned dark and deformed. The environments are beautifully eerie with their shifting architecture, unnaturally lighting and grotesque creatures that add that little bit more to the game’s disturbing quality.

These animations are lucid and yet conjure an unnerving tension, even through its most simple activities such as walking or turning around a corner. The game communicates its images very effectively without a single word. It manages to create contexts or images that evoke fear, sadness, and mystery.

Sound & Music – 9/10

The quality of sound design here is phenomenal-the ambient noises, eerie whispers, and distant echoes applicate that feeling to the highest extent of dread. The absence of conventional scores sells the experience even more; the player is inundated only with the sound of their own footsteps and the far-off nudging of unbeknownst horrors.

When music is employed very subtly, it only serves to complement that sensation of utter helplessness; otherwise, the audio design is simply brilliant at creating tension, even in quieter moments, which sometimes prove to be the happiest.

Story & Atmosphere – 8.5/10

DARQ tells a wordless, ambiguous story through environmental narration and dream symbolism. It feels very personal to Lloyd, and despite not being clear about the plot's specifics, one can tell that the game deals with subjects such as trauma, fear, and isolation.

Each new area seems almost like a journey into the unknown, for all the environments are ethereal yet haunting. Construction isn't made with jump scares, but instead with psychological horror and atmosphere, as Inside and Little Nightmares build up the anticipation when frightening to the player.

Replayability – 7/10

While the game is short, lasting around 3–5 hours, its atmosphere and unique mechanics make it worth revisiting. The DLC levels add extra content, but once the puzzles are solved, there’s little incentive to replay unless you’re drawn to the game’s world and want to uncover its hidden secrets.

Final Verdict – 8.5/10

DARQ: Complete Edition is a brilliantly unsettling puzzle-horror experience that offers a gripping atmosphere, unique gravity-based mechanics, and stunning visual storytelling. While the stealth sections can be frustrating, and the game is on the shorter side, it excels in creating a deeply immersive and haunting journey.

For fans of psychological horror, puzzle-solving, and surreal dreamlike narratives, DARQ is a must-play experience that lingers in your mind long after the credits roll.