Darkest Dungeon
Manage heroes' stress as you explore a gothic mansion's dungeons.
Darkest Dungeon is a roguelike role-playing game from Red Hook Studios, which both developed and published it. After a year in early access, it launched for Windows and OS X in January 2016, with PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Linux versions arriving later that year. An iOS port followed in 2017, and Nintendo Switch and Xbox One ports came in 2018. Players take charge of a roster of heroes, venturing into dungeons beneath a gothic mansion they’ve inherited. The gameplay blends real-time movement with turn-based combat, and a central mechanic is each hero’s stress level, which rises as they explore and fight. When stress gets high enough, heroes may develop afflictions that can hinder or sometimes boost their performance. The game’s logo features the Stress Symbol, also called the Iron Crown—a crescent with five inward-facing spikes. Critics gave Darkest Dungeon positive reviews, it earned several award nominations, and it sold over two million copies. A sequel, Darkest Dungeon II, came out in May 2023, and a board game adaptation is in the works.
In the game, players manage their heroes and inventory at the Hamlet, a hub town near the mansion, using facilities to heal stress, recruit new characters, upgrade stats, and buy items. There are fifteen character classes, each with unique stats and skills that can be improved over time. If a hero dies during a dungeon run, they’re gone for good. After preparing, players pick four heroes to explore a procedurally generated dungeon. Combat is turn-based, and the Affliction system tracks stress and resolve. Stress rises from things like adventuring without food or light, seeing a party member die or get wounded in battle, or being hit by enemy blights. Unchecked stress can make heroes act erratically—freezing up, refusing to fight, or acting against the player’s orders. At extreme levels, a hero might suffer a heart attack, bringing them close to death unless treated immediately. Stress can be lowered in dungeons by camping at specific spots or using restorative items, and it also drops when heroes return to town.
Downloadable content includes "The Crimson Court," released June 19, 2017, for PC and August 22, 2017, for PlayStation 4, adding a Courtyard area, a new playable class, a new enemy faction, five new bosses, trinkets, and Hamlet upgrades.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Darkest Dungeon
- Developer
- Red Hook Studios
- Publisher
- Red Hook StudiosPhysical versions published by Merge Games
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows · OS X · Linux · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation Vita · iOS · Nintendo Switch · Xbox One
- Genre
- Role-playing, roguelike
- Modes
- Single-player
- Director
- Chris Bourassa
- Producer
- Tyler Sigman
- Programmer
- Keir Miron · Pierre Tardif · Kelvin McDowell
- Artist
- Chris Bourassa · Brooks Gordon
- Composer
- Stuart Chatwood
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game begins with the player learning they have inherited an estate from an Ancestor who, while excavating dungeons beneath his manor, unearthed a terrible monstrosity and released horrific creatures and corruptions. The player must recruit adventurers and mount expeditions to cleanse the estate. As the player ventures into the manor and surrounding lands, they find the Ancestor's memoirs detailing his terrible deeds in pursuit of knowledge, power, and personal desire. Eventually, the player enters the Darkest Dungeon itself, the source of the corruption, and encounters the disembodied spirit of their Ancestor, now an 'Avatar of the Crawling Chaos'. After defeating the apparition, the party battles the Heart of Darkness, which the Ancestor reveals to be the heart of the planet. The party defeats its physical form at great cost, but the Ancestor's spirit claims this only delays its inevitable awakening and the end of the world, stating it is part of an endless cycle in the player's lineage. The Ancestor repeats his first words: 'Ruin has come to our family.'
Reader's Guide
Darkest Dungeon is notable for its Affliction system, which ties hero stress levels to gameplay consequences. Stress increases from factors such as adventuring without food or light, witnessing party member deaths, or enemy blights. Unchecked stress can cause a heart attack, bringing a hero to the brink of death. Stress can be lowered through camping, restorative items, or returning to the Hamlet, the game's hub-town. The game features fifteen character classes, each with unique statistics and skills that can be upgraded. Hero death is permanent. The game's side-view combat and rank-based positioning were inspired by The Bard's Tale, creating strategic depth as characters can be pulled out of rank. The game received positive critical reception and sold over two million copies. A sequel, Darkest Dungeon II, was released in May 2023, and a board game adaptation is in development.
Did You Know?
- The Stress Symbol, or Iron Crown, is a crescent with five inward-facing spikes and appears in the game's logo.
- The DLC 'The Crimson Court' introduced the Crimson Curse, which can turn a hero into a vampire.
- The DLC 'The Color of Madness' added a horde mode where the player's party must survive as many encounters as possible.
- The DLC 'The Butcher's Circus' added a player versus player arena combat mode.
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