Demastering a game that isn’t even fully released is brave but Super Dark Deception certainly has some enjoyable content, even at this early stage.
Sit back and relax, dear audience, as I regale you with the story of Dark Deception. Over half a decade ago, Glowstick Entertainment released a first-person horror Pac-Man alike game called Dark Deception. It was a bit of a YouTube-bait hit and the free first chapter did pretty well. Subsequent chapters were released at a fairly low price, but were a bit buggy, and indeed still are. Still now those chapters aren’t all working as they should, and fans are still waiting on the final chapter’s release two years after the previous chapter was launched. I, like many others, own the complete version, which will get Chapter 5 whenever it releases. With that said, it was pretty fun, and once cleaned up and completed I think it’ll be worth a lot of people’s time.
Why am I wittering on about this? Well, whilst working on this final chapter, as well as a supposed conversion to UE5, Glowstick have decided to launch a retro version of their game titled Super Dark Deception. This is the exact same game, but with gorgeous pixel art and a top down perspective. If you’re a fan of the original game and are hoping for a new story or an extension of what’s already come before, this isn’t it. But for those who want a fresh perspective, or a reduced horror version of Dark Deception, then you’re in luck.
You are tasked by Bierce to find all the parts of a magic ring that will grant her power and you your greatest wish. She seems to know more about you that you know about yourself, but I’m sure she’s being honest with you and nothing bad will happen in the end. To acquire these ring pieces, you need to collect soul shards in a number of nightmarish mazes, evading the horrors within.
This works in the same way as Pac-Man, with you running around mazes and collecting soul shards whilst avoiding monsters rather than ghosts. The camera is much closer in, and some of the monsters have different behaviours, but at its heart this is much like the pill muncher of old. Each level has a different theme, with you avoiding killer robot monkeys that pursue you relentlessly in the first stage, scaling up to statues that chase you when you look away and killer rubber ducks who can stun you at a distance.
Successfully completing levels earns you a grade and points to spend on powering up your special abilities like speed boosts and teleports that you can use to survive longer. Getting caught costs you a life, and losing all your lives is a game over. At least, that’s what I expected. When you run out of lives you are allowed to simply continue anyway, at the cost of locking yourself out of an S rank for that run. Getting higher ranks unlocks new features which is nice, but this continue system is far less punishing than I expected, making completing the game much more manageable.
Now, there are some caveats here. The first thing is that without those continues, Super Dark Deception could be incredibly frustrating. The tight camera angle makes getting caught quite easy, especially when moving down the screen. Added to this is that some of the boss encounters aren’t easy to work out the first time around. If you’re chasing S ranks, be prepared for a hard time.
The other thing is how much game you’re getting here. Much like Dark Deception, this is not complete. Buying the game at time of writing gets you the first four levels, which is the equivalent of chapter 1 and 2 from the previous game. The idea is that you’ll get the rest of the game as it’s released. Considering how long it’s taken for four parts to come out, it’s not unreasonable to assume that getting the full experience isn’t going to happen overnight. As fun as Super Dark Deception is, you’re only getting part of it when buying this supposedly full product. The developers don’t hide that fact, with the information on the store page, but it’s worth noting when you think about how long things have taken before.
With that said, this is a fun time. The mazes are intricate, with hidden secrets to find and fun ways to use your powers to outmanoeuvre the AI. Managing to complete a run without getting caught once is quite thrilling, and the part of the story presented is as interesting as ever. It helps that each maze works in a unique way, with you needing to figure things out for yourself in a lot of cases. The forgiving checkpointing helps too as you won’t be set back too far when you lose a life or continue when they’ve run out.
The presentation is excellent too. I adored the art work and animations on display which really do capture that classic 16-bit era style. I found myself likening certain moments to the likes of Corpse Party and its ilk. There are even unlockable enemies to play as too, though they’re just skins really. The music is highly commendable too, with catchy tunes on each level that give way to more threatening beats when an enemy is close. Credit is due to the directional audio as well, even though this isn’t in 3D.
Super Dark Deception is a well put together package that comes with some baggage due to it not being a full product. You’ll certainly find something to enjoy here if you have faith in the full game’s release, just be aware that you might be waiting a while. I find it hard to believe that what amounts to a Pac-Man clone can be such fun in 2024, but I suppose it’s a classic for a reason. Here’s hoping I get to experience the rest of the game soon.
Super Dark Deception is available now on PC, Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo Switch.
