Dark fantasy is one of the best subgenres of fantastical fiction. The darkness intrigues us, invites us to venture into the unknown. It also scares us as we don’t know what to expect next, and that’s what makes it so exciting. It’s one thing to imagine a monster, but to know that monster is actually a man corrupted by his lust for power after he made a demonic pact, it starts to become something different.
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RPGsare a fantastic place to explore such concepts, and the best of them combine that with gameplay elements that can provide you with a role playing experience unlike many others. You may also notice that a lot of dark fantasy game titles include the word “Dark.” This is just to make sure you know what you’re getting into.
10Grim Dawn
As the name suggests,Grim Dawnis a grim adventure set in a land ravaged by creatures wanting to wipe out humanity. You play as a survivor who survived contact with one of these creatures, gaining unearthly powers in the process.
The meat of this game comes from its plethora of different ways to destroy monsters. You have tons of weapons, skills, and spells at your disposal to make any kind of build you want as you travel through the dark land. As far as aesthetics go, this game isn’t much to look at, but the grisly Victorian-era fantasy setting is an interesting theme you don’t find often.
9Darkest Dungeon
Gothic themes are probably the most prominent in dark fantasy settings and for good reason.Darkest Dungeonis a great example of this as it blends horror andpsychological elementsinto a roguelite RPG well worth its salt circle.
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The monsters are menacing, and the dungeons are dark, but the greatest aspect of this game is the tug of war you play with your characters' psyches as you try to prevent them from going insane from failing to see a trap. You will find that the inky, comic-esque art style fits the mood quite well – especially if your favorite colors happen to be black and red.
8Code Vein
Many dark fantasy games end up with a western look and feel with a heavy emphasis on realism. This is one of the reasons this game stands out for its anime style, a somewhat uncommon choice for dark fantasy settings.
Code Veinis an action RPG whose gameplay and difficulty earned it the moniker of “Anime Dark Souls,” and for good reasons. While there are many similarities, its uniqueness comes in the flavor it presents. With finishers, quick swapping classes, and the game’s many systems revolving around your character’s vampiric abilities, there is enough spice for anyone acquainted with souls-likes to enjoy themselves.
7Darksiders
Darksidersvery much embodies the violent aspects of dark fantasy. In each game in the series, you control a horseman of the apocalypse. In the first game, you play as the iconic War.
Clad with a giant sword, you follow War as he hacks, slashes, and occasionally stops to solve a puzzle (Ahellish puzzle, of course) all in the name of finding the one who truly started the apocalypse to bring them to justice. You slay angels, demons, and just about anything in-between on what remains of a post-apocalyptic earth. It’s all very metal.
6Warhammer: Vermintide
If you’ve ever heard of the term “Grimdark,” then you are most certainly acquainted with theWarhammerfranchise, as it is very much grimdark personified. The universe is rife with death, suffering, and betrayal with no real way out for anyone except to keep on fighting.
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Vermintide is set in the Warhammer Fantasy setting where magic comes from therealm of Chaos, the same place evil creatures come from. As such, the heroes are tasked with killing their way through hordes of Chaos worshiping rat-men in order to stop their cult’s wanton destruction.
5Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Bloodlinesis an amazing action game that takes you into the popular tabletop RPG,Vampire: The Masquerade. You play as a newly spawned kindred in a “World of Darkness” where vampires rule the night and every kind of cryptid and folk tale is real in some way.
This game is a cult classic hailed for just how closely it follows the source and the amount of freedom you have in role-playing your character – especially with it being a first-person game made in 2004.
A game for those who want a chance to play as the bad guys,Tyrannyis an isometric RPG from the makers ofPillars of Eternity. Playing as the antagonists may sound fun to some, but this game challenges the player with choices that may leave you asking how much evil is too much.
Your character will grow in whatever way you see fit as you continue through itsdialogue-heavystoryline. As with PoE, the combat is real-time with a pause function, allowing you to plan your attacks wisely while still having a cinematic feel.
3Elden Ring
Although all the Soulsborne games are some top-notch dark fantasy titles,Elden Ringtruly lets you explore the land in any way you see fit. FromSoftware’s approach to storytelling lends itself well to open-world design, as it’s up to the player to find secrets and wonders rather than being told about them first (At least, not in a direct way most of the time).
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As with the rest of the franchise, the dark fantasy isn’t just in the violence; it is also theambiguity of motivessome characters have. This leads to the constant speculation and theorycrafting FromSoftware loves to promote.
2Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
The world ofDragon’s Dogmais gritty and harsh, with a hearty splash of realism to represent the struggles the people have just trying to survive in a world littered with bandits, goblins, and evil creatures. Truly, Dragons and their Dogma are only one of your worries as the game never lets you forget how powerful even a single enemy can be if encountered in packs.
The gameplay of DD is where the game really shines, withgrisly combatthat allows you to grapple enemies and scale large beasts to deliver that decisive blow. Planning the abilities your pawns have and coordinating with them both influence the flow of combat in a very satisfying way.
1Planescape: Torment
Planescape: Tormentis one of the best RPGs around. Part of this is due to the expertly crafted story and uniqueD&Dsetting. Planescape: where even on other planes of existence there’s no real hope of a “happy ending” for you.
Moral quandaries abound in this game, and the devils, demons, and other questionable folk don’t make any of it easier for you. And beyond all of that, it is aclassic isometric RPGfrom the golden age of isometric RPGs. If any of these sounds intriguing to you, then it is well worth checking out if you have yet to play them.
