Medieval extraction looter Dark and Darker is having a moment in Steam Next Fest

It seems like whenever there’s a brand new medieval multiplayer game on Steam, it surges on popularity. And the Dark and Darker demo is currently doing exactly that.

Dark and DarkerDeveloper / Publisher: IronmancePlatform: Played on PCAvailability: Demo in Steam Next Fest now. “Coming soon” otherwise

The hook is that it’s an extraction looter, which is a bit like a battle royale only you have to escape with the spoils you find. You and up to three others go into a dark, maze-like dungeon at the same time a bunch of other people do. And as time wears on, a danger zone closes around you and forces you on top of each other, until a winner is had.

Also, just as in battle royale games, you equip yourself as the game goes on, finding and searching chests and areas for better equipment and consumables like health potions and bandages.

Here, however, there’s a bit more going on. To begin with, you’re specialised by class. There are rogues, rangers, barbarians, wizards, clerics, etc., and each of them has unique things they can do – and in the case of the magic users, spells. And these can be levelled up and affected with perks as your character grows.

There’s also a bit of persistence to the game whereby you can buy and equip better equipment and weaponry, and restock consumables, in between dungeon dives – although doing so depends on getting out of the dungeons you’re exploring intact. If you don’t find a portal to exit the dungeon, the swarm – the storm – will get you, and you will leave with nothing.

The only other thing to know is there are computer-controlled enemies like skeletons in the dungeons too. It is, then, a PvPvE game.

In play, it’s awkward and dark and tense. It’s a game about gingerly edging forwards and not making too much noise, or drawing too much attention to yourself with a blaring torch – although everything you do seems to make noise, and you won’t be able to see much in some places without a torch.