Creativity isn’t always something completely bespoke, but instead, a completely unique combination of game genres, indicators, and features. That’s exactly what Dark Craft is. From developer Take Top Entertainment, this brand new open-world RPG takes a little bit of something from popular games like Minecraft, Elden Ring, and even Dungeons and Dragons.
Developers are calling Dark Craft the “first MMORPG Soulslike” game, with the MMO elements explaining the decision to make it free to play on Steam. It is set in a grim, dark fantasy world with a massive open world and Soulslike combat (akin to Elden Ring), a blocky presentation that is not so different from Minecraft, and a unique game master feature that brings the best out of Dungeons and Dragons.
Dark Craft Feature List
- Free-to-Play MMORPG
- Open World
- Soulslike Combat (Timing, Stamina, Understanding Enemy Telegraphs)
- Environmental storytelling in a world filled with secrets and dangers. Explore, find artifacts, or die trying.
- Dark Craft supports co-op gameplay, but can also be played solo.
- A Game Master system where developers directly intervene in gameplay.
Dark Craft Meets Elden Ring
Elden Ring Drives Dark Craft’s Combat and Open-World Philosophy
Dark Craft promises a living world in terms of interactions and environmental storytelling, while offering a promising open world for Soulslike fans. The environmental storytelling is arguably as big a Soulslike feature as the combat, both of which Dark Craft makes strong promises for. As players face enemies (players included) on the hunt for key artifacts, they will encounter enemies that require them to master timing, stamina management, and the ability to predict opponents’ moves.
And the world meets this promise. If the walking castle isn’t convincing enough, players will explore forests, villages, ancient castles, and face dungeons akin to the best Soulsborne games. The needed tension is also there, with developers explaining the world,
“The world does not forgive mistakes: danger can lurk behind any wall or in the shadows of the trees, and meeting another player can easily turn into a deadly clash. The constant tension makes even a short raid a true ordeal.”
Dark Craft Meets Elden Ring and Minecraft
Minecraft Ensures It’s Not Just Another Soulslike Game
Graphics and visuals are always a key point in any game. While many players (and games themselves) do not think graphics necessarily matter anymore, the fact remains that they are the first thing a player will see. There are plenty of bad, cookie-cutter Soulslike games that fall to the wayside because they are generic dark fantasy. Dark Craft swims against the tide by making its visuals essentially be dark fantasy Minecraft, with the blocky charm adding to the world-building, not taking away from it.
Dark Craft Meets Elden Ring and Minecraft and D&D
Game Masters Build You Up and Beat You Down
Dark Craft is not the first game with a system that lets developers intervene, but it is a strong promise that makes it stand out from the competition. Every system, from enemy patrols to the atmosphere, can be directly controlled by “Game Masters,” members of the team who directly intervene in gameplay. For example, they can command enemies and set up ambushes for players, appear themselves as world bosses, grant unique quests to players, or trigger one-of-a-kind events. This helps fulfill the necessary tension of a Soulslike game, expands the charm of its Minecraft-like presentation, and takes the best out of D&D and puts it into video game form. Perhaps, like the best Dungeons and Dragons DMs, they’ll even get the player a break sometime…maybe.
Overall, Dark Craft offering all of this under a free-to-play model is likely to attract players far and wide. Whether or not it is successful or lives up to these promises remains to be seen, but hopefully, it manages to climb to the top wishlist spots on Steam.
