A brand-new Steam soulslike has taken some of the best elements of Elden Ring and Minecraft, put them into a blender, and come out the other side with an exciting MMORPG. Dark Craft comes from Take Top Entertainment and looks like one of the most exciting upcoming Steam games right now
Dark Craft represents a step-up in ambition for developer Take Top Entertainment. The studio has previously only developed and published mobile games, so tackling what it describes as “the first MMORPG in the Souls-like genre” is a huge task. Fans of the best soulslikes know exactly what they want from the genre, so to give them something they didn’t know they wanted would be a massive achievement.
Dark Craft is Elden Ring and Minecraft Wrapped in a Free-to-Play MMO
Check Out Dark Craft on Steam Now
Dark Craft is an upcoming free-to-play MMORPG that takes place in a dark-fantasy world with serious Elden Ring vibes. It features classic soulslike combat in an open world that is “filled with secrets and dangers: monsters are ruthless, and other players can become either allies or enemies.” This combat is “built around timing, stamina management, and the ability to predict your opponent’s moves.” It takes that combat depth and combines it with the typical scale of an MMO, meaning the threat doesn’t always come from NPCs.
Dark Craft‘s visuals instantly stand out as a hybrid between Elden Ring and Minecraft. It features blocky characters very akin to the latter, while taking the gothic aesthetic of the former to provide the overall vibe. It definitely works – even though the inspirations shine through, Dark Craft‘s dark fantasy visual style is very much its own.
Dark Craft Key Features
- Soulslike combat with timing and stamina management
- Dark fantasy setting
- Game masters directly intervene in gameplay
- Vast open world to explore
- Powerful bosses to defeat
- Team up with friends in co-op gameplay
- Meet (or fight) other players across the world with MMO mechanics
- Free to play
Dark Craft‘s most unique feature could, if implemented correctly, really set it apart from the crowd. Take Top Entertainment touts a system controlled directly by game masters, “members of the team who can directly intervene in gameplay. They can command enemies and set up unexpected ambushes, appear in the form of world bosses, issue unique quests, or trigger events that will never happen again.” With this system, every Dark Craft play session feels truly unique, but it remains to be seen how it would be handled at scale, especially if the game is extremely popular upon release.
As it stands, Dark Craft has no release window on Steam. Because it’s planned as a free-to-play Steam game, there will be no need to pre-order it before release, as gamers can simply add it to their libraries with one click. Based on what has been shown so far, Dark Craft is one of the most exciting Steam releases to watch in the coming months.
