Now Ironmace is preparing for Dark and Darker's next chapter, but not before it provides fans one more opportunity to try before they buy. The dramatic rise in popularity of Dark and Darker since the game first started playtesting, going from an unknown indie PC project to a viral success over a span of months, has been a sight to behold. The game is currently only playable on PC, but the developer in a tweet from October 2022 did state that it plans to bring the game to consoles once work on the PC version is done.Dark and Darker developer Ironmace has announced its plans for the fantasy Escape from Tarkov-like's next, and final, free playtest. Ironmace has not yet given a release date for Dark and Darker, but the game has had multiple playtests on Steam in the last year. That currently puts it above heavy-hitters such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Destiny 2, though it is worth noting that the Dark and Darker demo is free to download, making the barrier to entry low. Darker and Darker's demo has been among the top 10 most-played games on Steam for most of the last week, having reached a peak concurrent player count of nearly 110,000 players. The game's mix of first-person fantasy RPG and high-stakes PvP combat has proven to be a potent combination. Those that die during a match lose all their equipped gear and items, but making it out alive allows players to sell their loot to earn gold that can then be spent to better prepare for the next adventure. Players can team up to battle monsters and gather treasure inside dangerous, trap-filled dungeons, all the while competing with other players for a limited number of escape portals. 'We also plan to use the time to address issues that are inconveniencing players and to continuously improve the game.'ĭark and Darker takes a sword-and-sorcery setting inspired by Dungeons and Dragons-complete with classes, spells, and potions-and combines it with the elements of a PvP extraction shooter like Escape from Tarkov.

'Due to the earlier downtime with the trading post, matchmaking, and lost playtime for players that were falsely banned, we have decided to extend the playtest until Feb 16,' Ironmace writes.

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