Dark and Darker Mobile is the first mobile game I will voluntarily play

The Steam hit Dark and Darker is coming to mobile at the end of 2024 – and our author is surprised that mobile games can actually be fun

I am a self-confessed hardcore PC gamer. The last time I seriously played a mobile game was half an eternity ago, when Snake was all the rage on my old Nokia. Since then, PC has been my only platform.

The precision of the mouse, the WASD controls with my mechanical keyboard and the unparalleled graphics performance of my gaming PC have always put me off seriously switching to consoles or mobile games.

Dark and Darker was launched in 2023 and immediately captivated me. The dark atmosphere, exciting PvPvE dynamics and endless loot won me over completely. I lost myself for hours in the deep dungeons, always on the lookout for the greatest treasures

When I heard that a mobile version of the game was being developed, I was skeptical. How could such a complex and intense gaming experience work on a small screen? Nevertheless, I couldn’t let go of my curiosity. So I decided to make the long journey from Germany to Korea to visit Krafton’s offices and take a first look at Dark and Darker Mobile.

If you’ve never heard of Dark and Darker Mobile, I’ll give you a quick catch-up: You set off into dark fantasy dungeons, beat up monsters and other players and loot everything that isn’t nailed down. However, you only have a limited amount of time to do this and must leave the map alive in time, otherwise you will lose everything – including the equipment you brought into the game.

You have five different classes to choose from:

• Fighter:Classic tank with sword and shield.
• Barbarian:Powerful warrior who relies on two-handed weapons.
• Ranger:Fights from a distance with bow and arrow.
• Rogue:Can turn invisible and poison his enemies.
• Cleric:Heals allies and deals additional damage to undead.

So far nothing new if you already know the PC version. But how does it work on mobile? Frankly, I was skeptical. Dark and Darker is not an easy game. Just a few hits will cost you your life, healing potions and bandages are sparsely distributed in the dungeons

How am I supposed to time my attacks and evasive maneuvers even remotely precisely with touchscreen controls? My frying pan hands aren’t made for that

But my doubts were quickly dispelled, because the developers have really done a great job: Moves, attacks and actions feel intuitive even for a smartphone noob like me, and the graphics can almost keep up with the original on the small screen. What also benefits D&D Mobile is the rather slow pace of the game, because just like in the PC original, it’s always important to time every action correctly.

But take a look at the following video, in which I show you a complete dungeon run and mercilessly kill some of my colleagues:

As a veteran of the original, I feel right at home. Despite the lack of mouse and keyboard controls, the game feels really good. But you don’t have to do without them completely. If you want, you can also play the game on your computer using the Android emulator as soon as it is available. According to producer Joonseok Ahn, this will not only be allowed, but explicitly supported – just like Bluetooth controllers for smartphones and tablets

Dark and Darker Mobile also introduces some mobile-exclusive features that I would personally like to see in the PC version. For example, there are special PvE dungeons without human opponents and the option to hire AI mercenaries so that you don’t have to set off solo into the big four-player dungeons.

I also liked the new merchant, theGönner, which provides you with free equipment and various utensils In the PC version, you also get free equipment after every death. However, you can upgrade the patron by completing quests and thus improve the free item selection in the long term. A sensible progression system so that you don’t have to start from scratch in the newbie dungeon after a few bad games

One fly in the ointment: Mobile and desktop versions run completely separately due to these differences, progress is not shared.

The tiresome topic of monetization

Dark and Darker Mobile ultimately offers a successful conversion of the original for your smartphones and tablets, retaining the core elements that made the game so successful on PC. However, there is one topic that always causes discussion: monetization

Mobile games in particular are known for their sometimes predatory practices aimed at taking money out of your pocket. Dark and Darker Mobile is also a Free2Play game and has to generate revenue with in-game purchases.

In my interview with the developers, it became clear that they are aware of the necessary balance between fair monetization and the avoidance of Pay2Win mechanics. Producer Ahn emphasizes that Dark and Darker Mobile does not aim to benefit players by using real money.

Instead, the focus should be on the fun of the game without having to dig into your pockets to keep up. In PUBG Mobile, the other big game from Krafton, this worked brilliantly – there’s no Pay2Win, just Pay to look cool.

Despite these assurances, a certain amount of skepticism remains – for example, because of a type of scroll that is required to enter dungeons. These scrolls recharge over time, but there is also the option to buy them for real money.

Such a stamina system is known from other mobile games and could lead to players who are not willing to spend money progressing more slowly or having to invest more time in order to have the same gaming experience as paying players.

According to the developers, various boosts are also guaranteed to speed up your progress. It is not yet clear exactly what these will look like – only that they will not bring you any direct gameplay advantages

Conclusion of the editorial team

It remains to be seen what the final implementation in Dark and Darker Mobile will look like and whether the developers can keep their promise to keep the game free of unfair advantages for paying players.

However, my meeting with the developers left me with the impression that Krafton and Bluehole Studios have learned from their experience with PUBG Mobile and are truly committed to providing a fair gaming experience.

I’m certainly not going to become a mobile gamer, but as a fan of the PC version, I’m really looking forward to the smartphone version, which is due to be released at the end of 2024 – and a mobile game can’t get any higher praise from me