http://www.desura.com/games/darkout/reviews/page/2
Darkout has obviously taken strong influence from Terraria. What most sets it apart is its haunting atmosphere and its more real to life, sci-fi asthetic. The gameplay is very similar to Terraria with minor differences. You spend your time digging, collecting resources, crafting items and objects, building and improving your dwelling, and engaging the fearsome, shadowy creatures of the gloomy forested world. The world is vibrant but foreboding, dangerous but alluring to the explorer. The art representing it is the peak of the game, as it stands. However immersive use of sound and any life that could've been instilled are absent. The glow of the undergrowth excites but the trees remain statically still and the landscape sits in an uneventful silence.
The game has been released but plays as if unfinished. Bugs are common and crashes occur. There is next to nil instruction or tutorial in-game let alone on the sparsely populated forums. You can find an image depicting key-bindings which helps but still sees you meaninglessly dead and confused as to what you're meant to do and how you're meant to go about it. As of writing, one player has created a beginner's tutorial. It's rather well done and without it, this reviewer would've had nothing but frustration to write about. But, even with the video's guidance the game is geared towards severe frustration.
There is no apparent goal. There is no penalty for death.
Darkout offers the survivalist a solitary stay in an intriguing however lacklustre world. It's a worthwhile experience but far from on par with the polished and universally acclaimed Terraria. It'll never reach those heights, either. This is Terraria transformed by the dev's soft spot for sci-fi and jammed with all the 'cool stuff' that came to mind. It needed more thought and still demands more effort on their part. Six out of ten. Average but worth a play. The price? I'm not so sure about it.
