Are you ready to embark on a vertiginous ascent into mayhem and fantastical violence? Developed by Com2uS ROCA, Darksword: Battle Eternity sets out to offer an intricate blend of RPG and action in a VR setting. This game wants you to step into a fantastic, visually enthralling world where every floor is a battle, and every battle a stepping stone to the ultimate showdown with a boss. But does it reach RPG nirvana or get stuck on the ground floor? Let’s find out.
Elevate Combat
At the core of Darksword is a unique game design: you progress through levels as if ascending some demonic tower of violence, one plateau at a time. Each ‘floor’ you reach is teeming with enemies that you need to dispatch before your elevator to destruction takes you further up to the boss. Initially, this feels exhilarating; however, the game quickly begins to feel like a roguelike wave brawler rather than the rich, story-driven RPG it purports to be.
The intuitive combat system deserves a nod. When you press the grip on your bow hand, a bow materializes as if by magic. The same goes for your sword, making combat incredibly fluid. Adding to this are the RPG elements that allow you to craft or purchase stronger weapons as you ascend in rank, though it’s clear that this system is more of a nod to RPG mechanics than a fully-fledged feature. You can use the teleport feature to perform a dash attack, if you target that close enough to an enemy, it’ll stun them, giving you a clear chance to attack, you can also collect a perk that’ll empower dashes even further, making them inflict damage to the enemies.
Speaking of perks, you get to select one after completing each floor. The options range from enhanced damage to better armor and even exciting arrow types like flame, ice, or bolt arrows. A personal favorite is the magical swords perk, where ethereal swords autonomously wreak havoc on your enemies.
Don’t forget the adorable critters you can pick to accompany you in combat. They not only provide moral support but also perform cute dances intermittently, adding a whimsical charm to the otherwise intense battle environment.
Pixel Perfection
The game’s visual prowess on the Oculus Quest 2 can’t be overstated. From the highly detailed textures to the intricate environmental geometry and impressive enemy design, Darksword is a treat for the eyes. But alas, these exceptional graphics come at the expense of enemy variety and volume, reducing the game to a stunning but less challenging series of skirmishes.
Sound Bites
For a game that nails its visual aspects, the audio is a bit of a letdown. The background music seems to be stuck on repeat and becomes monotonous quickly. On the bright side, the weapon sound effects are sharp and satisfying, and the voice acting, while not award-winning, adds a layer of gravitas to your journey.
Dark Issues
While Darksword tantalizes with its graphical splendor and combat mechanics, it’s plagued with issues that can’t be overlooked. The game sells itself as an RPG but falls woefully short in delivering a comprehensive role-playing experience.
As mentioned above, although the graphics are great, you quickly understand why. The game only ever throws 3 or 4 enemies at you at any given time.
Darksword‘s difficulty curve is also very annoying. While you can acquire weapons that make it easy to defeat regular enemies on each floor, these same weapons are often ineffective against the bosses. This imbalance forces you to upgrade your weapons to an extent where regular enemies become trivial to defeat, all in preparation for a challenging boss battle. Essentially, the vast disparity in difficulty between the bosses and regular enemies creates an uneven gameplay experience.
Also, there’s the matter of skin choices. Two options are given for free (male or female), but additional skins come with a $9.99 price tag. For a game that already falls short in other areas, this feels like a needless cash grab.
Boss Verdict
Darksword: Battle Eternity is like a striking painting with a few smudges that you can’t ignore. It excels in its visual presentation and has some neat gameplay features, such as the magical swords and adorable critters. However, it falters in delivering a consistent and engaging RPG experience. It’s more of a casual fling than a committed relationship, easy on the eyes but could be hard on your patience. Is that worth your money? You decide.
