The Dark
Release date: Apr 12, 2021
Developers: Light Arc Studio Ltd
Publishers: Light Arc Studio Ltd
Genres: Action, Adventure, Indie, Racing, Early Access
Categories: Single-player, VR Supported, Partial Controller Support, Family Sharing
Supported languages: English

You come round as your escape pod plummets into the inky waters of a distant flooded planet. Comms are down and power failing. You have no choice but to head out into.. the dark. This is a game idea that has been floating around my head for 20 years or so. I’m a triple AAA dev but had a couple of weeks off between jobs. I decided to finally make this as a short personal game jam in 2020. I was pretty happy with the results- obviously given it’s just me it was pretty rough around the edges. I released part one then. I've since come back to it every now and again esp now my daughter is very interested in helping with writing etc. I've now released part two, polished some (but not all) of the rough edges and extended the story on to maybe an hour or so of gameplay, maybe a bit more if you take your time and explore. Looking forwards to finishing the final part and the story this year (I'm writing this in May 2023... if your reading this way in the future tell me to get my ass into gear!) The game works well in non VR 1st person camera and VR. I've done some work to make this work well in both modes. I’m loving this as a VR experience however if you are playing in VR I’d describe it as “Medium” comfort level. It starts pretty rough, but I’ve tried to keep decent smooth periods between higher action (and motion) moments. However…if you are sensitive, you might just get seasick, if so unplug and fire it up again without VR. Also its control pad only for the moment (no touch controller etc) support. I hope to add that later - although the pad does work well for the interface that you need to pilot the pod touch is just more involved. You can expect to crash land in your pod on a dark ocean planet. As you explore a story will unfold with full voiceover as you pilot your escape pod over dark waters unlock the secrets of the planet. If you enjoy it, please leave me some encouragement. Thanks for playing and good luck out there, Captain.