Darklings is Back- this Time is for Free
MildMania is back with a follow up or sequel (both terms are correct) to the multi-award winning game Darklings. The game is back with a whole new concept and it is available for free exclusively on iOS devices. Whether you’ve known the first game or not, you won’t find it difficult to understand what is going on and how to play because the tutorial makes sure you get the grip of it fast.
Plot
Darklings is an epic endless adventure that takes place in a magical world that has fallen in darkness, literally and metaphorically. Lum, our hero who is the face of light, tries to save the world from the darkness that has engulfed it and to bring back the light by purging the Darklings, creatures who have stolen all the stars, the essence of light, from the world and retrieve them. Lum, is the only and last hope left in the world, and with our help he must purge all the Darklings to their pits, and help conquering Darkness with Light.
Gameplay
In Darklings you plays as Lum, a small ball of light that looks like a tiny ghost. The game starts with a map that pinpoints the areas you have to unlock and visit to fight against Darklings. There are no colors except black and dark shades in general so the game has a gothic feeling with cute elements.
To unlock an area you must first clear your current one. After you choose an area in the map you are transported in a forest and Lum stands in the middle while Darklings approach him from right and left. Each one of the Darklings has a white symbol above its head, and that symbol is the key to defeating them. You have to draw the symbol with your finger and if you succeed Lum will “teleport into the creature’s body and destroy it, leaving behind stars that you have to collect by tapping and dragging to Lum’s body. Stars give you points and extra time. Then you repeat the process for the other creatures but you have to act quickly because the Darklings come in large numbers and your drawings need to be precise and fast. If a Darkling touches you or the clock expires then it’s game over.
If you defeat all on coming enemies, sometimes a boss Darkling will appear and things will get harder for you and Lum. Bosses throw objects like bombs that have symbols on them and to avoid being hit you have to draw the symbols even faster than before. Also, the sequences are longer and it will be hard to defeat a boss with your first try.
Each time you engage in a fight you spent energy and when it wears off you can’t go on fighting anymore. In that case you have two options: 1) wait for it to be refilled, or 2) refill it by spending light crystals.
Power ups help a lot in the battle and the Shop has many available for you to choose by spending crystals.
Because this is an endless arcade, except for the occasional bosses you are given missions to complete each time you play, such as a number of stars to collect, or killing a certain amount of Darklings to spice things up more.
There are also online team battles where you can join to fight and win rewards. A team is rewarded each week and after that you can be part of a new fight by selecting your team again. You can join an online battle from the Shop area that can be seen on the map.
Another nice addition is that every day you get daily rewards such as Energy or Stars and many more. If you play every day awards get better and better, otherwise awards go back to day one again. This is the norm for most games that offer daily rewards.
Defeating Darklings is not really hard but you need to make sure you draw the symbols the right way because otherwise there’s a high chance they won’t be recognized by the game. From my experience though, a sloppy drawing is easily recognizable as long as you follow the right pattern (e.g. not mixing up the first line of the symbol with the second).
Controls
The controls work incredibly well and are very sensitive in touch so drawing symbols flows really smoothly. Because Lum can’t move back or forth, winning depends solely on the gesture controls and it is a big relief to see that the game delivers on that matter.
In-Αpp Purchases
The shop offers a variety of items, namely Power ups, Costumes, Gadgets, Companions, and Colors. Each category has items that range from cheap to expensive. Your currency are stars and crystals. Most items are purchased with stars as crystals are rarer. The IAP helps you buy both stars and crystals and some prices will probably leave you speechless and not in a good way. You can, however, enjoy the game without resorting to IAP although you will have to try and gather as many stars as possible because especially power ups are essential.
Graphics & Music
Darklings’ art style is a bit creepy, gloomy and cute at the same time. Lum is adorable and it’s amazing how vibrant he is to show the contrast between him and the Darklings. Speaking of which, Darklings remind me of Kingdom Heart’s Heartless creatures and if you’ve played KH I’m sure you’ll notice that too. The graphics are top-notch and despite the lack of colors they are crystal-clear and beautiful.
The music is made to fit the whole creepy atmosphere and for that reason it is eerie but a bit comical too. It kind of reminded me of the Adams Family theme and it is very catchy. The sound effects are beautiful and they make up for the lack of colors.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Darklings 2 is a big improvement for the 1st game and the fact that it is a Freemium unlike the 1st one, will certainly attract more new fans. It is an endless game so don’t expect a plot driven game with continuity. It has a story of course but its goal is to reach the highest score possible and unlocking new areas. It is well-made and its smooth controls and gorgeous graphics will amaze you. Give it a try.
Get Darklings for iOS here.
