Review: A Pixelated RPG Horror Adventure Through Dark Fear

Dark Fear is an 8-bit horror adventure brought to iOS by App Store newcomer Arif Games. This delightfully dark adventure begins when you regain conciseness in an abandoned cabin, alone. The realization soon dawns on you that in order to figure out who you are, where you are and what in the world you are doing here- you must solve the puzzles in front of you and embark on the scariest pixelated adventure of your life.

Dark Fear costs $2.99 and the price of admission will net you a complete game with no ads or in-app purchases.

The gameplay is relatively straightforward. It is a first-person RPG puzzle adventure that is an enthralling combination of jump-scary and confusing. As you progress through the story, you will find yourself completely stuck at times, but even the most difficult puzzles aren't impossible. You will go back and forth, searching places you've already been for new clues and trying to figure out exactly what it was that you missed the first, second or third time through. Eventually, you will get engrossed in the story and, slowly, it will all make sense. From start to finish, the game takes about six hours and the autosave ensures that none of your progress (or lack there of) will be lost when you rage-quit the app and pick it up again later. There is no replay value with this digital puzzling story. Once you've beaten it, there is no going back. The armor and weapon upgrades are straightforward, with money-earning mini-games showing up to supplement your income. There isn't a whole lot of options for upgrades. They appear when you need them and leave you with no choice but to upgrade to progress through the story. The same is true for the protective tattoos and special arrows. They are necessary to win each specific fight, not having them will automatically equal a loss. Buying more than you need at any time will have you grinding for cash more often, but it only slightly extends the gameplay and isn't tedious by any means.



The graphics are a throw back to old-school DOS RPGs like Kings Quest. When I first read through the app description, I laughed thinking that an 8-bit game could be scary in any way, but Arif Games somehow pulled off making me jump a few times, despite the low resolution.

The background music and sound effects are not over done or distracting. The description recommends playing the game with head phones, but my iPhone 5 speakers did just fine getting the sound across.



Overall, I loved this game. I genuinely hope that Arif Games makes 100 more just like this one. I did find the story a little off-putting, but not enough to discount the score. Playing Dark Fear is like reading a great story- it is enthralling, well-put together and leaves you in suspense right up to the end.