Los Angeles-based developer Unfold Games has provided DualShockers with a new batch of DARQ screenshots, as well as confirmation that the game is no longer going to ship this year, and will rather hit sometime during Q1 2018.
As you may remember, previously DARQ had a vague “2017,” release window, but as the year progressed it looked increasingly possible that it may slip to 2018. And well not it has. But luckily anyone eagerly anticipating the title won’t have to wait that much longer to get their hands on the title, as a Q1 release window means it should land sometime between January 1st and March 31st.
As for the new screenshots, they notably showcase a slight change in the design of the protagonist: who now boasts a creepier bald head look rather than the bright orange lock that adorned his head previously. However, as you can see the character’s overall Nightmare Before Christmas-type look remains in-tact.
For those that don’t know: DARQ is a psychological horror puzzle game that stars a boy named Lloyd, who finds himself aware of the fact that he is dreaming. To the misfortune of Lloyd, the lucid dream quickly transforms into a nightmare that he cannot awake himself from. Lloyd now must learn to survive the darkest corners of his subconscious by bending the laws of physics and manipulating the fluid fabric of the dream world.
In DARQ sound and light (and the lack there of) play a very substantial role. There are sections of the game that take place in utter darkness, and in order to navigate those parts, you will need to rely on the location of sounds. Further, the only way to get by your enemies you will encounter is via stealth, which at times will require you to correlate said enemy’s breathing to their level of alertness.
DARQ notably features multiple endings, a wordless narrative, a soundtrack composed by a five time ASCAP Award winning film composer, and is said to be roughly a 4-5 hour experience, a similar length to its most closely-related peers.
DARQ is in development for PC, Mac, and Linux. Meanwhile, console ports are likely to follow within a year after initial release.
Below, you can check out the new screenshots/artwork. Additionally, be sure to check out our new interview with the game’s Game director (the above mentioned composer and the founder of Unfold Games): where we have exclusive new information and discuss a wide-range of DARQ-related things.
