The world has ended. Nightmarish creatures have risen from the Dark Void, fueling an apocalypse that has wiped nearly everything out. What little remains of humanity has poured the last of their resources into constructing the Phantom Train, a celestial locomotive capable of leaping across universes in hopes of finding Elysium, the only safe haven that\u2019s been spared the encroaching darkness. <\/p>\n
In Dark Light: Survivor, you take on the role of one of these multiverse-crossing humans. Your job is simple: survive against innumerable enemies, and fight your way to Elysium. It\u2019s just you, your weapons, and an ever growing horde of snarling monstrosities. After several hours of slicing, shooting, and launching screen-clearing, element-infused attacks at these enemies of humanity in our exclusive hands-on, I\u2019m a believer. The end of the world can\u2019t come soon enough. <\/p>\n
At its core, Dark Light Survivor is an action-RPG roguelite.The overall setup is very Vampire Survivors-like. You are dropped into a map (in this case via a rad train), enemy waves of ever-increasing ferocity and size try to turn you to mulch, and you collect a delightfully absurd number of powerups to turn more and more of the screen into your personal slaughterhouse. Most runs will probably end with your death, in which case you start again from scratch on your next attempt. Rather than Castlevania-inspired pixel art, it\u2019s all presented in a fully 3D cyber-gothic style that more closely resembles a sci-fi Diablo, though if you are feeling nostalgic there is a pixel graphics option that adds a cool \u201890s-PC-style look to everything. <\/p>\n
As I start my run I occupy the shoes of the Knight. A member of the Order of the Sunken Light, he\u2019s a heavily armored melee specialist, handy with hammers and swords, carrying a shield, and a somewhat less-knightly pistol (who says chivalry is dead?). The level is called the Oblivion Array, it\u2019s a mostly open space dotted with abandoned cars, farmhouses, and other debris that tells me this was once a rural area populated by people \u2013 at least before all hell broke loose. I drop a few undead-looking creatures, collect some XP orbs, and level up. This pops up a trio of upgrades for me to choose from, and I\u2019m right back in the action. It\u2019s a familiar formula, but dammit if it\u2019s not a fun one. <\/p>\n
The action is one of the areas where Dark Light: Survivor really differentiates itself. You control your attacks: one button to fire your gun, one to swing your melee weapon, and, at least for the Knight, one to hold up your shield and block incoming damage. There is a togglable auto-attack option, and I found myself gravitating towards leaving that on full-time, and letting it fill in the space between my manual attacks. It feels great to circle-strafe around the outside of a big group, chipping away at everyone, or push right into the heart of it, maul swinging, and carving a path right through every snarling monstrosity in your path. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\nDark Light: Survivor Screenshots<\/h3>\n