Dark and Darker Mobile review - "Dungeon runs while on the run"

• Is a mobile version BETTER than the original?!
• Dungeon-delving is smooth, fast, and feels good
• Still not casual, but it draws you in

There's a simple charm that comes with wanting to get a bunch of people together to go adventuring. It refers to the days when we were kids in our insert-publicly-accessible-space-name-here getting together to imagine we were warriors, astronauts, or what-have-yous to play together.

Some try to capture that feeling with Dark And Darker approaching it and Dark And Darker Mobile trying to get closer. Krafton and Bluehole have teamed up to make this online dungeon-crawling experience something you can play whenever you need a fix of fantasy adventuring. But let's look at how the mobile version changes the game.

What is Dark and Darker Mobile?

So many fantasy realms are in constant turmoil because you've got to give adventurers something to do so that they can make a living. That's what's happening in Dark And Darker Mobile, but the Dungeon contains the turmoil. Yes, there is a dungeon that seemingly changes at will and hosts various horrors and treasures.

Any adventurer brave enough to venture in must loot whatever they can and escape safely. While exploring, they'll have to deal with monsters, beasts, and other adventurers too willing to kill their fellow man and steal your stuff. Still, death is only temporary; soon, you'll feel a draw to return to the dungeon depths.

Dark and Darker Mobile goes all-in

It can be challenging to make a mobile game with longevity that makes you want to jump and play on a whim. Dark And Darker Mobile is trying to make that easier for us, and it's doing a good job. After a tutorial clues you into the controls and the culture of how things work in the dungeon world, you already feel like an expert.

You're not, of course, and the RNG will tailor your expectations for a successful run, but it's fast and fun to gear up and then charge directly into the unknown. You can shoot to the top just as fast as you can fall to the bottom, and that degree of risk is exciting, to say the least.

How does the mobile version compare to the PC?

Now, discussing how this version compares to the original version is essential. Simply put, it works better. It runs much smoother, it feels much faster, and it just looks impressive as a mobile title. The most notable change is that the default perspective is third-person instead of first-person.

While there's still some debate about whether first-person melee combat is good, this is a world where it helps to see everything. You can gauge the distance between yourself and the enemy to ensure that your hits land and theirs don't. Also, this wondrous broader perspective makes it easier to spot goodies while avoiding ambushes by baddies.

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The overall atmosphere of this experience is a mix of fun and seriousness. On one side, you're risking your life to delve into ever-changing dungeons filled with horrifying monsters and backstabbing adventurers…but on the other hand, everyone dies doing this job, so relax, take your losses, and adjust your strategy.

You can do plenty of permanent things to maintain your look, like fancy outfits, weapon skins, and personal growth. It's something to chip away at, but every time you do, you're focused, and every chip feels like an accomplishment. You win some, you lose some, and that's just dandy.

Still a little dim in Dark and Darker Mobile

As someone with a…complicated relationship with the original version, I went into Dark And Darker Mobile with salted thumbs. But, even though I enjoyed it much more, some things still tempered my expectations. The biggest culprit is the auto-interact function, which is supposed to cut down the time between seeing a thing and using it. However, this only works with big stuff like doors and chests, while more minor things like dead monsters, fallen adventurers, and loose loot will still have you clicking buttons. You can only bump against something so many times before you start feeling ridiculous.

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Then there's the longevity of the franchise as a whole. Since the original is built on temporary events, progression, and seasons, it does expect a time investment. The problem is that though a mobile version would make this more accessible, it's not casual enough to fit and appeal to the average schedule.

Both versions require you to sit down and focus for an extended period to make decent progress, but that doesn't always work for mobile. Whether it's on our phone or tablet, we want to be able to pull it out, play a bit, put it away, and still feel like we did something. This has too much going on to meet that expectation.

On a dungeon run with Dark and Darker Mobile

Dark And Darker Mobile is the mobile version of the 3D online dungeon-crawler about exploring, changing dungeons, getting loot, and getting out. It may be a mobile version of an established franchise, but it looks and performs better.

The transition went smoothly, with the controls and camera changed to make it smoother and more effective. It may struggle to appeal to the casual crowd and to tighten some of its features, but it's in a good place for now. With things this bright, there's a solid chance that this game's future won't get dark and darker.