The early days of handheld and 8- and 16-bit gaming are often seen nowadays as difficult, restrictive, and sometimes frustrating. There’s almost no hand-holding, tutorials, or aid in any way, shape or form. Some newer adaptations or remakes have remedied this by adding more modern approaches, but others have chosen to remain in the past. For better or for worse, this is what you get when you boot up Dark Scrolls.
This over-the-top 2D side-scroller has a lot going on, but much of it is under the hood and waiting to be discovered by playing over and over again. While I appreciated some of the approaches to the pixelated chaos, I think it mostly misses the mark in some fundamental ways.
Pixelated Chaos, Multiplayer Madness
Dark Scrolls is essentially a solo or co-op-based 2D action side scroller with hordes of enemies, bosses, and a wide range of characters and heroes to choose from; all wrapped in a roguelike form. On the surface, it’s pretty simple, and for the most part, so is the rest of the game as it hearkens back to the days of the Game Boy Color, NES, and in some aspects, the Sega Genesis.
This is usually the part of my reviews where I lay out a bit of background, story, lore, and the like. But Dark Scrolls doesn’t have any of that. The game has a short, wordless intro that looks pretty slick, but it doesn’t really provide much context. I found this to be both a feature and a bug. On one hand, I don’t necessarily think a deep universe or story is a requirement for a game like this, but on the other hand, I wish I knew anything about what was happening.
The issue here isn’t that the developers chose not to provide background; it’s that the lack of information permeates almost every aspect of the game, including its mechanics and reward system.
You’ll begin with the choice of three heroes: a bruiting heavyweight that throws axes and does a body slam attack, a rogue that whips out knives and can go invisible, and a mage that tosses damaging orbs. These and the others you unlock are all pretty distinct and add some pretty great depth to the gameplay. Plus, in co-op, even online with random players, it really feels like controlled chaos in the best way.
Despite how I began this review and my gripes, I do think Dark Scrolls excels in its character variety. But user beware, the way the game controls and is structured may not be for everyone. The ‘scroll’ part of the game comes from the fact that each stage scrolls forward continuously. Personally, I dislike this level format in classics like Super Mario World. But here, the game is a bit more forgiving and actually does a decent job of keeping the action going. I thought I’d hate it, but it actually feels pretty good.
Cool Characters, Odd Execution in Dark Scrolls
For the most part, the loadout and moves of each character remain the standout for me all the way through. But there’s very little information to help you succeed. For example, as you kill enemies, you’ll build up star power that maxes out at a special move. They’re fun to use and easy to understand…once you know you have it. There is zero indication of what the stars mean, what they can do, or that the top face button can even activate it. It’s a strange design choice.
The star system itself, once you get an understanding of it, is actually pretty interesting and intuitive. Each one fills after a few kills, and if you have coins on hand when you get to a mid-stage shop, you can add perks. These activate every time you amass the stars. But for every upside in Dark Scrolls, there’s a downside: you accumulate one, and only one diamond currency that can be exchanged for perks and, for some reason, emotes. But sadly, earning the diamonds is an extremely slow process. Plus, there is no way to improve your characters’ stats from one run to the next. The only progression comes in the form of perks that can only be added to your loadout with collected coins in that particular run.
Co-op is a pretty good time, but it doesn’t add much to the mix beyond some wild on-screen action. Stages are so short, and the game’s difficulty doesn’t adjust in any meaningful way when more players are added. Plus, the essential coins aren’t shared, so you’ll end up fighting over a key component of your team’s success.
Verdict
Doinksoft created a wonderful side-scrolling shooter a couple of years ago in Gunbrella, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But here, it feels like they missed the mark in many ways. There’s some fun to be had, though; it’s not a complete washout. Characters are varied and goofy in the best ways. I found two that I gravitated towards, and that felt pretty powerful once I got the hang of controlling them.
The problems arise in a handful of meaningful areas, from a lack of accessibility and explanation of mechanics to the very minimal roguelike rewards. I don’t think it’s a game everyone will enjoy, but there are some wild retro moments that will still put a smile on your face.
[The publisher provided a copy of the game for review purposes.]
Reviewed on: PC/Steam Deck
