How the Battle Royale formula made Dark and Darker the most interesting Extraction Shooter.

I’ve been playing Dark and Darker since its alpha release. The concept of a sword-and-sorcery extraction shooter is excellent, and after a very bumpy time in Early Access, it has grown into a solid game. The combat is still janky, and it’s still heavily loot-driven - but the formula works, which is a feat for some modern games. I hadn’t played the game in a couple of years, as my extraction shooter of choice has been Hunt: Showdown for a very long time.

I dived back in and enjoyed chasing the loot dragon of finding gear to sell, then buying gear on the market to optimise a more serious run. A problem I began to face was that the gear-to-skill gap was quite brutal. I exclusively played Normal Runs, where only Rare Gear was legal, just to create an internally balanced meta-game for myself. The High Roller Runs allow for any rarity of gear, and an optimised kit could cost you tens of thousands of gold. Dark and Darker is a punishing game, and I could spend fifteen minutes optimising a kit with best-in-slot items, gem upgrades, and the full works. Then I’d jump into a game with my friend - and we’d die within five minutes. I sometimes found myself creating gear sets more than actually playing.

Season 9 is the latest full wipe. Much like Tarkov, the game has seasonal cycles where all progression is wiped and everyone starts anew. This is an exciting time for the genre because the playing field feels level again. This latest update came with a new game mode, which has turned Dark and Darker into my go-to multiplayer game: Squire Royale.

You queue up with basic gear and meds, and you can’t take anything in above Common rarity. 

Squire Royale is a bold game mode that borrows from the battle royale genre, and it’s such a fun mode. You queue up with basic gear and meds, and you can’t take anything in above Common rarity. This applies to everyone in the lobby. Your team of three must move from module to module, finding gear as you go. The map is smaller, and the battle royale ring mechanic is in play. You have to keep moving and stay ahead of the ring. Any piece of gear that suits your class is valuable, so farming monsters and opening chests is a good tactic. Once the ring gets smaller, three-player portals open to the bottom level. The map has three tiers, with Hell being the final, and most dangerous, level. Once in Hell, there is only one extraction portal for every team. Only one team gets to leave with all its valuable loot. Every team is fighting for this portal, but also trying to gain a gear advantage through looting along the way. Every map’s modules are randomised, which adds to the chaos and variance of the mode. Team fights are hectic, and I’ve had games where twelve players are brawling in a single module. Fireballs soaring, arrows flying, shields clanging; it’s absolutely delightful. 
 

Once in Hell, there is only one extraction portal for every team. Only one team gets to leave with all its valuable loot.

The battle royale genre has been in steady decline. I’ve not played battle royales since the early days of Call of Duty: Warzone, but I had already played plenty of Apex Legends and Fortnite. Even all those years ago, the genre seemed to have peaked. Fortnite has tried to innovate as best it can, but it hasn’t been sustainable in recent years. This new game mode, Squire Royale, is the type of innovation battle royale could use. Its combination with the extraction shooter genre works perfectly and provides that buzz that battle royales once gave us all those years ago. If you’ve ever enjoyed these genres, I’d highly recommend diving into Dark and Darker and giving it a go. The base game is free and, who knows, maybe you’ll have as much fun as I do!

- Nicholas Christensen-Secker