REVIEW: ‘Darksburg’ Is a Fun Romp in Zombie Infested Lands (PC)

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Darksburg is a top-down cooperative zombie survival game from Shiro Games and is available on Steam. I reviewed this game in Early Access, so if you’d like to see the growth this game has shown please read my review here.

Darksburg is ground zero and it’s up to several heroes to step up to the plate. There’s Rose, the sharpshooter who’s accompanied by Twig, her zombie murdering companion equipped with a crossbow, and Runolf, a muscular dwarf who carries a giant iron spoon. Then we have Sister Abigail, a battle-hardened Warrior Nun wielding a large cross. Tere’s Varag, a lovable yet lethal zombie-killing Werewolf with a shield, and finally, there’s Dr. Dolorosa who uses poisoned weaponry including throwing daggers, goo cannons, and grenades to dispose of zombies. Each hero has their own unique playing style, passive and active skills, and ultimate skill. There’s still one more hero who has yet to come out according to the road map.

As the player, you will be able to explore four different maps, also known as Districts. You are tasked with completing each District’s main objective: escape from Darksburg. Doing so requires the slaying of zombies, stronger enemies called Revenants, and bosses. Also as you play, you may come across sub-objectives that alter your progress and but must be completed. Some examples include destroying a wall with a cannon (but you’ll need to find cannonballs first) and finding items to repair the main entrance of a church. 

As you progress through the maps you gain Team Experience from killing zombies and Revenants. Once you’ve gained enough experience, you level up and you’re able to pick a perk from a random choice of three. Perk choices vary each time you unlock one so each run will be different. For example, one run you might choose a perk that gives you extra charges for a skill whereas another may alter your movement skill or even augment your ultimate skill. On your next run, you may not see those perks until much later in the game.  These perks are a good addition to the game, allowing you to build differently each time you play. It’s also fun to experiment with synergies between perks too.

As you continue to progress and move from District to District, you will find Dreadium Ingots that can be used at the Cabinet of Curiosities to unlock Curios. Curios come in 3 variations: utility, performance, and survival. It costs a player 50 of these ingots to get a common Curio and 100 ingots for an uncommon Curio. Curios are permanent additions to your account and can be equipped at the beginning of every match.

You will also find gold in chests scattered about the maps which can be used at Tiny Tom’s Shop. Here you can purchase items like healing items such as Bandages or Elixirs, or offensive items like bombs. However, if you quit, disconnect, or your team is wiped out, you will lose all the Dreadium Ingots and Gold you earned in that District, so try to finish the mission as quickly as possible to keep it and transfer it to the next level.

Darksburg was made for cooperative play, which is why I like that they allow you to have AI companions with you while playing solo. This allows players to play alone, with friends, or even with randoms online.

Now, I played Darksburg in Early Access, and in my initial review, I said the game showed promise. I can honestly say, right now, Darksburg has stepped up to the plate. I mentioned before that the damage done by heroes is too low and Shirog Games definitely addressed that complaint. The heroes now do good damage to both the zombies and the Revenants. The collision issue seems to be fixed as well. I can now move around zombies unless I’m swarmed by a horde.

However, PvP and Horde mode are no longer available which surprises me. They were fun modes to play when you wanted to break away from the base game and mix it up a bit. PvP allowed you to battle other players who played as either a hero or a Revenant, and Horde mode allowed you to test your skills in a never-ending zombie onslaught. I hope they come back in the future because they were fun.

Overall, Darksburg is a game with plenty of potential for fun even with its challenging gameplay and unforgiving game mechanics, both of which require you to play smart. From early access to full release, this game has gone from something that “I can’t dive into” to something that “I can’t wait to play with friends.” You definitely need to check this game out!

You can pick up Darksburg now on Steam for $19.99