Here are the 17 best dark fantasy games for PC
Fantasy has long been a genre of ridicule. When you say fantasy to the average person, they think children’s fairy tales or their mind falls into the adult oriented, sexual fantasy. In truth, fantasy is an amazing genre in which storytellers can tell human stories through mystical or supernatural devices.
Dark fantasy delves deeper into these devices, often adding horror elements into the story. After all, who doesn’t love a good story with man overcoming creatures of darkness.
So, here are the list of the 17 best dark fantasy games for the PC.
17. Vampyr
VAMPYR 28 Minutes of Gameplay (E3 2017)
Vampyr is the latest game from Dontnod Entertainment and features many of the same group who worked on their last project, Life is Strange. Explore the dark times that was the 1918 London Spanish flu pandemic through the blood hazed eyes of a vampire.
Explore the struggle of Jonathan Reid, a physician turned vampire, as he navigates the twist and turns of his new dark life, his vampire nature now conflicting with the Hippocratic Oath he took as a doctor.
The game features a semi-open world of London that is fully interactable. Roam the open world and feed upon human blood to unlock new vampiric abilities. Vampyr sets the stage for a dark tale of the struggle of duality, of monsters and men. None can escape the darkness within.
Feed on humans to replenish strength and grow more powerful.
Use melee and ranged weapons, coupled with vampiric abilities to overcome opponent.
There are four ways for the game to end, each depending on the decisions made throughout.
16. Hellraid
Take control of Aiden, the remaining member of a cursed family, as he forms an alliance with an ancient mage and other fierce combatants as they try and repel a demonic invasion. The multiplayer option allows for the creation of demon slayers that can be customized to suit the player’s gameplay style. Customization includes: accessories, clothes, armor, and weapons as well as active and passive skills of combat, magic, and agility.
Use various weapons to slash your way through infernal hordes.
Unlock magical abilities to help you overcome more powerful foes.
15. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Hellblade Teaser Trailer
Based in Norse mythology, the story revolves around Senua and is focused through her point of view. This results in an extremely personal journey through a hell of her own making as she battles her own reality and mind.
Ninja Theory took their three best qualities, fast, brutal combat, strength in characters, and unique visionary works, to a whole new level with Hellblade. The game features heavy use of motion capture camera as every movement and action by the protagonist, Senua, has been filmed using a live actress. Ninja Theory unleashes incredible visuals on a dark and twisted world with brutal, uncompromising combat.
Senua prepares herself to fight a powerful berserker.
14. Middle Earth: Shadow of War
Enter the legendary world from the mind of J.R.R. Tolkein and amass an army of various races from across Middle Earth to extinguish the dark flames of Sauron, the Great Enemy.
Once again, players will control Talion, a ranger of Gondor who shares his body with the spirit of the elf lord Celebrimbor, as well as one of the Rings of Power to battle through the endless armies of the Dark Lord.
Shadow of War features a similar fighting system to Shadow of Mordor, slashing with sword while unleashing the spirit of the elf lord to maximize damage. However, Shadow of War focuses more so on the action-role playing approach, as Talion is no longer a lone wolf and instead a commander of troops. With the improved Nemesis system, enemies and allies alike will base their behavior towards you based on how you interact with them.
Shadow of War seeks to take from the best of its award-winning predecessor, expanding it greatly, while crafting the open world of Middle Earth we have all been waiting for.
Shadow of War utilizes the combat system of Shadow of Mordor with increases in the amount of combination attacks. Use wraith mode to unleash devastating attacks across the battlefield.
Shadow of War features invasions and sieges, large scale battles that take place in the open and within the walls of fortresses. Smash through defenses to take down the enemy commander!
Mount up on several creatures (dragon seen here) and devastate enemy ranks with a mounted assault.
13. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is an open world action-role playing video game developed by Monolith. Take control of a young ranger of Gondor who seeks revenge upon those who killed his family. With the aid of an ancient spirit, revenge is all but assured.
You are Talion, a young ranger from Gondor bent on revenge for the murder of his family. Armed with a sword and an ancient elven spirit, Celebrimbor, Talion seeks out the forces of Mordor to destroy them.
The game features an impeccable combat system that utilizes multiple weapons in melee and ranged combat. The use of the elven spirit maximizes damage and allows for special attacks. Most praise goes to the Nemesis system, which tracks any enemy who performs a special talent in the game. These enemies will have varying impacts on the game depending on how they are dealt with.
Shadow of Mordor is a breakthrough game and currently the most critically acclaimed game based on the Tolkien universe. If you love the high fantasy of Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, then check out this darker tale and explore the land of Mordor and conquer the Dark Lord himself.
Combat in Shadow of Mordor showing Talion executing one orc while taking down another.
Talion teams up with Celebrimbor to unleash combo attacks to devastate enemy orcs.
The Nemesis system allows you to track and hunt special enemy Uruks.
12. Dante’s Inferno
Dante’s Inferno is a game developed by Visceral Games and is based on the epic medieval poem by Dante Aligheri The Divine Comedy. Battle through the 9 circle of hell, each filled with your own sins, to save the great love of your life, Beatrice, from the Devil himself.
Dante is a Templar Knight who, upon returning from the Third Crusade, finds his beloved Beatrice and father dead. He descends into the depths of Hell to retrieve the soul of his love all while facing off against the sins of his past.
The game features a combat style like God of War, complete with light and heavy combos, secondary weapon usage, and quick time events. The unique imagery of hell comes straight from Dante’s Divine Comedy and is a much-deserved source of praise.
Battle through the Nine Circles of Hell to rescue the soul of your love and to earn your much-needed salvation. Dante’s Inferno is a must-have for action lovers that delivers on entertainment and stuns with its visual representation of Hell.
Unleash crushing combination attacks against multiple opponents on screen and use the Holy Cross to Punish or Absolve your enemies.
11. Warhammer: End Times: Vermintide
Vermintide Game Overview
Warhammer: End Times: Vermintide is a first-person video game developed by Fatshark and set in the Warhammer Universe’s End Times. Team up with a group of three others to fight against monstrous creatures in the Empire of Sigmar.
Vermintide offers the role of five heroes, each with a different play-style, abilities, and gear. The game is multiplayer only as you must team up with at least three others to survive the invasion of the Skaven, large rat-like monsters.
The game features cooperative survival that is essential to the gameplay. Each hero has their own unique weapons and abilities. The developers went to great lengths to set a level of realism in regard to attacks. With their unique system, they can sense how and where weapons are being used, resulting in grossly realistic results. For example, if the system senses a blade swipe to the head of an enemy, that head will sever if it is dealt at the final blow.
Vermintide boasts a brand-new look into the Warhammer Universe, specifically the End Times. This dark fantasy features foes straight out of nightmares, human sized rats. Do you have the courage to face this tide of evil and save the empire?
Battle hordes of Skaven as one of five chosen heroes with various melee and ranged weapons.
Specialized elites thrown in with a pack of rat-men make the game all the more challenging.
10. Diablo 3
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Opening Cinematic
Diablo III is the third installment in the Diablo franchise developed by Blizzard who also develop World of Warcraft and Starcraft. Choose one of five character classes and embark on a quest to defeat the Lord of Terror, Diablo.
Diablo 3 is an action-role playing hack-and-slash game with multiple character classes who can equip various items such as armor and weapons that grant stat bonuses. With the option to play single-player or multiplayer, the game offers something for everyone. When in single-player mode, the character receives aid from three followers with different abilities that can level up and equip items. These followers supplement the feel of playing a co-op mode, the only difference being that you command the followers.
Diablo 3 is an excellent game from an excellent developer. Set in the dark fantasy world of Sanctuary, become the champion it needs to slay hordes of monsters to become the stuff of legend and defeat the evil of the seven realms of the Burning Hells.
Equip your character with special armor and weapons that can be enchanted for increase effects.
Unlock new skills, passive and active, to make your enemies suffer.
9. Path of Exile
Path of Exile Cinematic Release Trailer
Path of Exile is an online action-role playing video game developed by Grinding Gear Games and is free to play. Choose one of six available classes in order to survive the unforgiving wilderness outside of the Eternal Empire.
Take control of a character and explore massive outdoor areas and underground dungeons, battle monsters, and perform quests for experience points and gear. The game borrows much from Diablo II, in that all areas outside of the central zone are instanced.
The game features many attributes common to fantasy action games. Item drops and the enhancements they come with are all random, which makes grinding for necessary gear a must. Path of Exile is unusual in that there is no in-game currency as it instead uses a bartering system. Active skills are acquired through the Support Gems, which are socketed onto armor and weapons, while passive skills are selected from a pool of 1325 abilities.
Path of the Exile is a dark fantasy game set in the world of Wraeclast. The game is free to play and features a fun PvP system.
Fight with magic and physical attacks to overcome enemies.
Unlock skills in the skill tree to enhance your character and compliment your playstyle.
8. Salt and Sanctuary
Salt and Sanctuary- Announcement Trailer: Washed Ashore
Salt and Sanctuary is a 2D action RPG developed by SKA Studios. Doomed upon an uncharted island, set out to explore a cursed realm of forgotten cities, blood-soaked dungeons, and fallen lords.
This game features a unique style of combat that is visually compelling and brutal. This title seems to be a fun one with its cartoonish style, but make no mistake, this is a dark fantasy tale like no other. Explore and fight your way through the ruins of a cursed realm and face an unspeakable evil long since forgotten.
Not your everyday dark fantasy action title, Salt and Sanctuary none the less delivers on its style and fun gameplay.
Enjoy the fun looking design which masks the true darkness of the story.
Run through levels and brutally slaughter anything in your path.
Face off against challenging bosses.
7. Lords of the Fallen
Lords of the Fallen Gameplay
Lords of the Fallen is an action role-playing game developed by Deck13 Interactive and CI Games. Journey through haunting environments, battling monsters, in an effort to stop a demonic invasion from a powerful god.
Play as Harkyn, a criminal with face runes that mark him as such, as you are released from prison to combat a deadly evil. As your journey continues, you can tailor Harkyn to your own fighting style by choosing between three types of magic (brawling, deception, and solace) and three types of armor (warrior, rogue, cleric).
In the vain of Dark Souls, Lords of the Fallen utilizes hubs as centers for each act of the story. As you progress, fight your way through multiple areas, slaying any demon in your path. As you adventure between the demon and human realms, the line between good and evil blurs as betrayal lurks heavy in the air. As the game takes influence heavily from Dark Souls, the relative ease of the boss fights in comparison is noticeable, finding more challenge among the fodder of the level.
Like Dark Souls, Lords uses a checkpoint system. However, the game goes further to build upon it and challenge the gamer. As you progress in the story, a multiplier grows, amplifying your experience gains. However, if you use a checkpoint or die, the multiplier resets. Interestingly, if you can return to the place of death and avenge yourself, the reward will be epic. They call this the risk and reward system.
As much as Lords of the Fallen borrows from Dark Souls, the game is still well on its own and is much more forgiving than the Dark Souls franchise. In all, it delivers as an entertaining piece with excellent hack and slash combat focused on magic with a rich and dark world befitting a dark fantasy title.
Fight enemies in a format similar to Dark Souls. Notice the HUD of Lords is pretty much the HUD from Dark Souls just shifted around.
Face off against challenging bosses that put your skills to the test. This is not a game for the easily angered, a tone borrowed from Dark Souls.
6. Grim Dawn
Grim Dawn Gameplay
Grim Dawn is an action role-playing game developed by Crate Entertainment. The game was released on February 26, 2016. Take up the fight against two invading forces, one intent on using humans as resources and the other seeking to destroy the human race before that can happen.
You are one of the last survivors of Cairn, a once proud war that was torn apart and plunged into darkness by the presence of otherworlders. The mistakes of humans brought this world to ruin, and now, only a small pocket of resistance is left. With new, strange abilities you must take the fight to the outsiders and reclaim your world.
Grim Dawn is focused on fast paced combat and looting. The combat features melee and ranged attacks combined with magical spells. Choose from a list of six classes, with your playing style being developed by selection of tier talents and spells. Explore a wide world and unleash your might against those who seek to enslave you.
Grim Dawn is a great new game to try out if you are bored with other action RPGs as it delivers its content in a fresh new way. While it lacks the randomization of Diablo III, its hybrid class system makes each new play a little different.
Fight off the invaders with brutal melee or ranged attacks coupled with magical spells.
Use area of effect spells to defeat a screen full of enemies.
5. Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition
Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition
Planescape: Torment is a role-playing video game developed by Black Isle Studios and released in December 1999. An enhanced edition was released on April 11, 2017. Taking place in Planescape, a Dungeons & Dragons fantasy campaign setting, the game follows the Nameless One as he seeks to reclaim his memories.
The Nameless One is an immortal who sometimes loses his memories of previous lives upon death. Unite with other playable characters in order to recover your lost memories and uncover a dark truth as well.
The character starts off as a single class, a fighter, but can be altered to a thief or wizard. The game is not focused on combat, as pretty much all conflicts within the game being avoidable through dialogue or stealth, but instead is purely story driven. New to the alignments of D&D is the options to choose your alignment throughout the game rather than just at the start.
As it is an enhanced edition, Planescape: Torment sports an updated interface and other modern RPG features such as tab highlighting, area zooming, combat log, quickloot, and etc.
While not a commercial success in its time, Planescape: Torment still delivers fun and an unequaled RPG experience, deserving of its widespread critical acclaim. Taking place in the dark obscure world of the Planescape, the developers took advantage of the unknown and crafted an amazing tale which you control from start to finish.
If you choose, battle against creatures and men from different factions alongside your party members.
The game offers many options during dialogues and quests for the Nameless One to take. Each option has a varying effect on his alignment and/or what happens next in the story.
4. Styx: Shards of Darkness
Styx Shards of Darkness – Gameplay
Styx: Shards of Darkness is a stealth video game developed by Cyanide and released on March 14, 2017. Explore the fictional world of the “Of Orcs and Men” series as Styx, a goblin whose mission it is to discover why the dark elves have formed an alliance with the dwarves.
The game is a true stealth game, as most objectives require extreme stealth to accomplish. However, when not on the mission, Styx can raise hell in his pursuits. Side quests are available, much to the relief of stealth genre lovers. A co-op mode is available, with the other player controlling a Styx clone.
Overall, Styx: Shards of Darkness delivers a fun and adventurous stealth game, however with little replay ability. It is a game with a lot of heart led by an unscrupulous bastard of a goblin set within the dark fantasy world of Of Orcs and Men series.
Use anything around you to shield you from unfriendly eyes and move to your objective.
Execute unsuspecting enemies before they have a chance to raise alarm.
3. Tormentum: Dark Sorrow
Tormentum: Dark Sorrow gameplay
Tormentum: Dark Sorrow is a point-and-click game developed by OhNoo Studio and released in 2015. Follow a nameless hero as he struggles to discover the truth about this nightmarish world around him. Tormentum infuses surreal darkness with a fun point-and-click format.
The most amazing feature of this game is the 75 hand painted stages. Explore 3 different realms that each have their own unique architecture and monsters. Interact with characters affected by the morality of your choices and will either help you or prevent you from reaching your goal.
Tormentum: Dark Sorrow features simple yet visually pleasing aesthetics that make the adventure worthwhile. Even without any action, the story is driven mostly by characters and dialogue. If you desire an explorative adventure with stunning visuals and simplistic mechanics, then look no further than Tormentum: Dark Sorrow.
Point-and-click to discover everything about each stage and to interact with other characters.
2. Darkest Dungeon
Darkest Dungeon is a dungeon crawling, gothic RPG that uses a turn-based strategy system developed by Red Hook Studios. Take control of a roster of heroes to explore the dungeons below a mansion you inherited. What lurks beneath is a great and terrible darkness from ages long passed.
Assemble a team from 15 different character classes, choosing only four for your party. When a hero dies in the dungeon, that hero is lost for good. It’s a good thing you have 25 to choose from. While in the dungeon, the heroes are susceptible to psychological stress, which results in status effects that impact the gameplay.
Darkest Dungeon uses a classic turn-based combat with the elegance of modern design. More stress is put on the order of the party before combat to maximize survivability. The heroes can be built up and upgraded and trained to fight as a single unit, setting up devastating combos. The game also features challenging boss fights at the end of each area.
Darkest Dungeon is a wonderful game for those who love the old-school turn-based combat games. Its breakthrough use of psychological status effects as opposed to physical ones makes it stand out as does its horrific imagery suitable of dark fantasy.
Control the order of you party to successful defeat enemies within the dungeon.
Take on challenging boss fights that will require great strategy for victory.
1. Dark Souls
Dark Souls is an action role-playing video game released in 2011 developed by FromSoftware as a spiritual successor to Demon’s Souls. Dark Souls III is the third (obviously) installment of the franchise.Create a character and explore the open world of Dark Souls, uncovering all the horrors the world has to offer.
Dark Souls has a minute plot that is mostly explained through dialogue, items, and the world itself. As such, exploration is the most important feature of Dark Souls. As an undead character, you must explore the world and fulfill a prophecy… or not. Choice is paramount in Dark Souls as it affects the entire gameplay. As a fantasy game, Dark Souls utilizes melee and ranged combat combined with magic while also allowing the player to build their character up with specific gear and/or stats.
Dark Souls received critical acclaim upon its release for its hardcore and dark fantastical nature. The massive world and powerful enemies serve up a much-needed challenge in the role-playing genre. However, Dark Souls has often been heavily criticized for its unforgiving difficulty, resulting in countless rage quits.
Dark Souls is a franchise that is worth the 3 games and their hype. Despite the intensity (and rage inducing) gameplay, Dark Souls is still a thrilling, dark fantasy adventure that should be among every gamer’s list who enjoys fantasy and RPG action.
Combat (or runaway from) massive enemies and bosses that prove to be a true challenge even to the most hardcore of gamers.
So, there they are, the 17 best dark fantasy games for PC. There were many other games which could have made the list but they lacked the needed amount of “darkness.” Dark fantasy will maintain itself as a life-long genre since it exploits our fears, something we love to explore from afar.
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