Living Nightmare: Darwake

Can you rescue your sister in this horror-themed side-scroller?

May 24, 2024

‣ Darwake: Awakening from the Nightmare
From: LF Vision
Platforms: PC
Release: To be announced
Steam Page • Demo Video • Developer Site

I'm not sure what happened to the little dude, Darwin, but he's in big trouble. Being trapped in a coma is certainly a big deal, emphasised by the sombre faces of people next to Darwin's bed and the moaning sobs of his mother. At least she doesn't know what's happening inside Darwin's dreams. If she did, she'd probably be hysterical.

Wherever his consciousness resides, the place is real—and terrifying. It's a surreal nightmare world full of twisted trees, abandoned buildings, and corrupted childhood objects. Bits of gore and puddles of blood lie in the path ahead while monsters lurk in the shadows. Some look like bloated corpses, others are abominable insects with human faces stitched onto them, and a few fancy eating kids. Toto, if this is Kansas, they really let the place go.

Despite facing these horrors, Darwin must venture forth and rescue his sister, Lisa, who is trapped somewhere in this bizarre place. And it is bizarre. The art style is the first thing that hits you about Darwake: Awakening from the Nightmare. Grim and gritty, it's also attractively and almost disarmingly stylised. There is almost a fairytale quality to everything, perhaps emphasising that this is a child's nightmare, cemented by the game's pacing and sense of helplessness.

Even though Darwake is a side-scroller, don't expect a fast-paced metroidvania or precision platformer. There are moments when you must think quickly or perish instantly. However, the emphasis is on lateral thinking and overcoming environmental puzzles. For example, early into the demo, you guide Darwin up a small embankment. When he reaches the top, a swarm of bats accost and kill him. There is no way to dodge or outrun them since Darwin can only walk and jump. To avoid certain death, just drop back down the embankment. The bats fly off overhead, and Darwin can continue on his quest.

Darwake mixes puzzle and platform-action ideas in such creative ways. Later on, you must narrowly avoid being mauled by a hideous creature by jumping up a ledge before they can devour you. Then, you walk past them again to lure them towards a gate that crushes anything that crosses it. A shield topples from the gate's walls, killing the beast. Then, push the beast's corpse through the gate, causing it to jam. Doing any of this wrong will cause Darwin to die. But he returns instantly at the start of the sequence, giving you another chance to figure things out.

Soon enough, a mysterious masked owl joins Darwin, and you can switch between them to tackle more elaborate puzzles. This forms Darwake's core proposition: a side-scrolling puzzle adventure in a fairytale nightmare. Players are swiftly punished for the wrong decisions, but there is no penalty to try again until the solution becomes apparent. Meanwhile, the disturbing yet strangely appealing art style keeps you grounded in this world.

📽 Demo Moment: Death lurks in the background…

Darwake is dark, bordering on nasty, yet also very creative. Despite the feelings of foreboding and dread, you want to see what lies ahead. In most side-scrollers, characters start feeling very capable, which can dilute the nightmare atmosphere in a horror setting.

But Darwake smartly maintains a slower pace with a weaker hero, and the emphasis on puzzle-solving makes you feel equally helpless and capable. It's a pity the demo is so short—a maximum of fifteen minutes, including all the repeats in trial and error. But the results look great so far, and should make a strong debut for Italian studio LF Vision's first game.