What happens when the heroes of the tales we grew up on are twisted by evil thoughts and deeds? Where will your mind go when dream demons invade it? Who can you rely on to save you in your most desperate hour? All of these questions are answered in the newest game from Trinity Team and 101XP called The Darkest Tales. This platformer adventure game has you take control of Teddy, the forgotten stuffed bear of Alicia, who is thrust into the dream world by Alicia’s night light. The two of you embark on different areas that are shaped by familiar fairy tales, however, it doesn’t take long to find out that things are not as they appear to be.

The Darkest Tales, from a gameplay standpoint, is at first relatively simple. It starts you off by learning the basic movements such as walking around, jumping, going down, healing, and how to attack enemies. As you progress further into the game, you begin to pick up brand new tricks that you can do, but luckily it doesn’t end up feeling overwhelming. There was a point, very early on though, when I found out that the default controls for the mouse and keyboard were not the way to go. The default attack button is right control, which often seemed to not work when trying to attack an enemy while dodging another. Due to this, I switched over to a controller and found it to be a much easier experience overall. It took a moment or two for me to relearn all of the controls, but I was back in action after about a minute of trial and error.

The first thing that hooked me with The Darkest Tales is the dialogue between Teddy and all of the other characters. The developers could’ve made Teddy a squeaky clean stuffed bear that would do anything for Alicia, but it is very clear from the beginning that this is not the case. Teddy has some serious issues after being abandoned and locked away in a chest by Alicia, issues which he tends to take out on the night light that follows him around in the game. I looked back at the gameplay that I captured of the game and I didn’t see a name for the night light, but for those who are curious what that character looks like, just imagine Navi from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. However, this Navi has an attitude that rivals that of Teddy, as the night light will constantly badger Teddy about his mood and various other things in order to motivate him.

The art style is absolutely amazing in this game and truly nails the fairy tale vibes that the developers were aiming for. Everything that is shown in the game looks like either a toy or a drawing from a children’s book which helps to show that the characters are exploring a world that was initially created with a child’s mind. When Little Red Riding Hood is encountered in the first dream world, it is very clear that it is Little Red Riding Hood. However, the voice acting and the way that the character moves bring you even deeper into the story and the realization that this is no longer the Little Red Riding Hood that we all know and love. This is someone who has been absolutely twisted by something that at the beginning of the game is a mystery, but we get glimpses of from time to time. Whatever is doing this, dream demons or something else, I will leave all of you to discover!

Overall, The Darkest Tales is a surprise hit for me and has definitely landed a spot in my top ten games of 2022. The game has brought together a perfect blend of art, music, voice acting, storytelling, and gameplay in order to bring about a truly unique experience that has made me both think back on my childhood and look at how the things that I cherished could’ve been corrupted. I highly recommend The Darkest Tales and I hope that you will enjoy getting to know the grizzly Teddy as much as I have as you attempt to save Alicia from the dangers that lurk in her dreams.

A PC review copy of The Darkest Tales was provided by 101XP for this review.

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The Darkest Tales

16.99

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Simple to Learn Mechanics
• Great Storytelling
• Beautiful Art Style

Cons

• Poor Default M&K Controls