DarkMaus is an indie action RPG featuring an armed mouse exploring a corrupt world. With your trusty sword and shield in hand, you roam the land taking out foes, collecting goodies and doing whatever you can to survive. Although this title looks appears to be a simple playthrough, it is anything but.
As you progress further throughout the world of DarkMaus, you gather more upgrades and more god-tier abilities. This of course means that although you are getting stronger, so are the surrounding enemies. These foes will range from brush monsters and all other sorts of creepy crawlies. There was one point in the beginning where I was confronted with very aggressive spiders. They chased me, surrounded me and climbed onto my tail. It was terrifying.
DarkMaus is in no way, shape or form, simple to play. This game will challenge you, punish you, and once you conquer a level, it will reward you. There were many times while playing that I wanted to throw my mouse (no pun intended). Only after revisiting the difficult level after a short break and starting with a fresh new approach, was I was able to progress.
This insanely difficult style of play have given DarkMaus the reputation to that similar of a Dark Souls game. Although enjoyable for the most skilled gamers, I had a difficult time dealing with it. Nonetheless, it did not take away from the game itself.
To be clear, this difficult is something I personally had trouble dealing with, I’m sure this will be an amazing feature for others. DarkMaus is ultimately, a solid game overall.
Environments vary in DarkMaus but all still possess a dark and gothic theme. With only an overhead view available to the player, terrain manages to refrain from looking too flat with the use of different levels of shading. This allows the world to look layered, yet still flat.
There are also many interesting features available in the game including Death Echo, which will allow a ghost-version of yourself to spawn after your death and assist you in battles. In addition, there are also many different weapons which utilize different movement combinations.
By exploring the world of DarkMaus, you will be left with a new-found sense of rage, but once you achieve your goal, you will feel like a god. This game is skill based and rewarding and should certainly not be played by the faint of heart. Make sure to check it out and see for yourself.
This review was based on a digital copy of DarkMaus for the PC provided by the developer.
