Dark Meadow Review

What would be the combination of Infinity Blade and some horror game (e.g. Fatal Frame)?

What would be the combination of Infinity Blade and some horror game (e.g. Fatal Frame)? Dark Meadow, that’s what. This game is a tap-to-move FPS. Somewhat like Infinity Blade, where you tap to move. However, in this game, it’s in a first person perspective rather than in third. When you enter the menu interface, it’s kept simple but creepy. The sounds in the game really added to the scariness and dark vibes.

I’m more of a competitive-casual gamer and I usually play more mainstream games. This was probably one of the few horror games I’ve played, so it was decently scary. The game isn’t filled with any jump scares or anything, but it was more of the chills down your spine. The sound effects in the game were used in an effective way. In one of the scenes, when “I” was walking down the creepy hallways of Montclair Hospital, it was quite intense. I could feel my chest tighten and my shoulders tensed up.

Playing the game was straightforward and fairly simple. You can alter your point-of-view 360 degrees and one of your objectives is to find new clues to help you. You can find items such as books, notes, gold, diamonds, rubies and other gems. You can also read papers and posters that are put up onto a bulletin board. Another similarity to Infinity Blade is the shop; you can buy various swords, crossbows, and amulets to increase damage and health.

During fights, you first encounter the monster from a distance. You use your crossbow to shoot and damage it before it reaches you. From afar, the monster can spit arrows or projectiles at you (which you have to dodge). Once you are in a close range of your opponent, you take out your sword. The melee section resembles Infinity Blade, in which it is almost turn-based. You dodge the monster’s attacks and once you get an opening, you chop it down. If you run out of heath, you get “eaten” by the monster and you automatically return to the starting bed (no progress is lost except you have return to where you were previously at).

The graphics are excellent, just like Infinity Blade (because they use the same Unreal Engine). The audio is amazing and the storyline is compelling. I played the game for about an hour without realizing it and I barely got through anything (not because it’s hard). The story begins as you’ve been captured; you are being kept in an abandoned hospital and one of your few companions is an old man. You encounter several monsters that attack, but cannot kill you, and they are presumed to be past experimental test subjects. The old man tells you that in order to escape, you must defeat the siren, who is known for telling lies. He also tells you that it is impossible to beat the siren (obviously not true or you wouldn’t be able to beat the game!).

This game is a must-buy if you love the following genres:

Horror Sci-Fi Strategy Action Adventure

Great price for the game. Have you bought it yet?

Reviewed Device: iPad 2

[review pros=”Atmospheric horror, nice graphics, creepy” cons=”Poor/boring  fighting” score=90]