Dark Scrolls Preview
Each release from Doinksoft is a unique adventure built on love and admiration for games of the past. From the Metroidvania Gunbrella to the 8-bit monochromatic styling of Gato Roboto, each game carves its own identity while wearing its inspirations on its sleeve. Dark Scrolls, their latest effort, follows suit, taking inspiration from arcade classics to create a title that carries the ethos of yesteryear while fusing it with modern design sensibilities. Combining the frantic scrolling action of a shmup, the intense combat of arcade classics, and the addictive loop of roguelikes to create a fast-paced experience that constantly pushes you to have just one more run. But will this latest throwback capture the same magic as its predecessors?
You start by picking one of three heroes for your adventure. Each character is unique with bespoke movement and attacks, allowing you to tackle the barrage of enemies in different ways. Grizz trudges and lobs an axe that arches across the air, whereas Pigeon is fast and is nifty with a dagger, and finally, Emerys can unleash a torrent of magic to flood the screen with projectiles. Their movement differs greatly, and can feel a little odd and not as tight as you might expect. Each personality has a special attack that is perfect to unleash when overwhelmed. All characters have pros and cons, allowing you to experiment with play styles and select the one that closely aligns with your preference.
They’re Coming Right For Us!
Each stage is packed with enemies, requiring you to leap over hazards and shoot constantly to ensure safety. You’ll encounter a range of enemy types, each with unique attack patterns that require you to adapt to scenarios. As you progress, you’ll be able to use the plethora of coins you collect from defeating enemies to purchase boosts that improve your output. From burning axes to faster movement, you can select when these initiate to maximise their effect. While these add to your offensive options, there isn’t much variety to change elements moving forward. Due to this, runs can feel familiar quite quickly.
Mid-stage battles pit you against a number of enemies at once, with success rewarding you with coins and a shortcut to the boss. These end-level fights are challenging, making you remain on the move to avoid taking damage. While you can memorise the attack patterns, the output becomes more varied towards the end of battles, ramping up the intensity and making the conclusion more exciting.
Upon death, which will happen regularly, you return to the hub, where you can visit a shop to purchase items that remain with you for each subsequent run. Although exploits can be short, and the pick-up and play nature will keep you coming back, it can take a little too long to earn the currency to purchase permanent upgrades. Due to this, the sense of growth diminishes, which can affect returning runs.
Arcade Action
Visually, the game opts for a retro 8-bit style. While it captures the aesthetic, it doesn’t do enough to make the look feel fresh. Instead, there’s a conventional feel to the presentation, causing the game to lose some of the personality that defined Doinksoft’s previous efforts.
Dark Scrolls is an addictive roguelike, retro arcade-style adventure that captures that “one more go” feeling. It’s a hectic mash-up of genres that comes together to create an exciting action experience. While I have some concerns about the meta progression, and the visuals don’t quite resonate with me yet, there’s a lot of potential here. I’m looking forward to seeing what else it has in store when it releases.
***PC code provided by the publisher for preview***
