Darkest Dungeon, part 3

Welcome back to Darkest Dungeon, people. In this one, we suffer a minor setback; mostly due to my innability to find a healer. Typical game situation x)

Darkest Dungeon is a ruthless, violent dungeon crawler made by Red Hook studio. Permadeath, Stress damage, Crits galore and all sorts of danger. The game will punish you for being agressive, for being careful and for... well, being. The challenge makes for an intense experience. Will you survive and unearth the secrets of the mansion? Or will you follow the fate of your ancestor? Your choice...

Darkest Dungeon is a challenging gothic RPG about the stresses of dungeon crawling. You will lead a band of heroes on a perilous side-scrolling descent, dealing with a prodigious number of threats to their bodily health, and worse, a relentless assault on their mental fortitude! Five hundred feet below the earth you will not only fight unimaginable foes, but famine, disease, and the stress of the ever-encroaching dark. Darkest Dungeon focuses on the humanity and psychological vulnerability of the heroes and asks: What emotional toll does a life of adventure take?
Darkest Dungeon is not a game where every hero wins the day with shiny armor and a smile. It is a game about hard trade-offs, nearly certain demise, and heroic acts. 

THE AFFLICTION SYSTEM—YOUR HEROES ARE HUMAN

Be warned, characters in Darkest Dungeon are not the unwavering heroes of high fantasy. While they are certainly tough and capable fighters, they are also human, and respond emotionally to the horrors they encounter.

• Your Jester has seen one  too many party members die in combat, and is prone to nihilistic rants, stressing the other party members! Do you send him carousing in town to blow off some steam, or consign him to the sanitarium to collect himself?
• Your Bounty Hunter has begun relying on the bottle as much as his battleaxe. His inebriated fury is a welcome damage boost for the party, but he has grown increasingly unpredictable and erratic. Do you bench him in town, or simply lash more liquor to his pack?
• At camp, your Plague Doctor's methods unnerve your Highwayman, and he refuses her treatments. Maybe you should rethink the idea of combining them in the same party again.
• A critical hit from a skeleton sends your Vestal reeling, and instills in her a crippling fear of the Undead. She can fight well enough against other foes, but if you expect her to keep her head through the Crypts, you'll first need to send her to the Cathedral to do some serious prayer and contemplation.

Characters' stress levels respond dynamically to virtually every occurrence in the dungeon, both positive and negative. Coming across a rotting corpse may unnerve your Highwayman, or may fuel your Crusader's determination. If the pressures of their circumstances become too overwhelming, their resolve is broken, and they will become afflicted with a myriad of psychological conditions ranging from paranoia, panic, greed, or even sadism . Afflicted party members will act out in a variety of ways that impact the play experience during combat, exploration, camping, and even in town.  And like weary soldiers who have seen too much, your heroes will develop permanent quirks and emotional baggage based on their experiences. 

Learn more about the team behind Darkest Dungeon by clicking here.

Darkest Dungeon is currently on sale, 40% off, as part of the Steam Summer Sale. You can purchase your own copy by clicking here.