Dark Mystery is a 2D puzzle platformer on PlayStation 4. How does it fare on Sony’s console? Come read our Dark Mystery review to find out!

 

You play as a furry black blob on a quest to find the Queen to rid the world of evil, making you the land’s savior! The game’s graphics place a big focus on black as the dominant color, with some extra coloring here and there such as the green leaves and trees, some purple on flying bats, and so on. But mostly the backdrops are as black as our furry protagonist. The game is not without its issues, but it’s clear from the start that a lot of care went into its development.

Dark Mystery has 35 levels for you to complete, and its gameplay is quite challenging. If you want that all-important 100% completion, then you will need to complete all levels and collect all yellow particles, and that is no easy task! Gameplay controls are easy to pick up, but feel a bit floaty when jumping onto and from platforms. One mistake is all it takes to send you to your doom, but you’ll eventually get the hang of things. You’ll learn from your mistakes and find ways to make the jumping mechanic work for you instead of against you – make good use of your double jump!

The game has some charming enemies such as the colorful flying bats, the enemies on the ground with gray hairs, and more. Enemies are always bad in games, and for Dark Mystery, they can kill you in a single hit, so be sure to avoid them. On top enemies, you will also run into several traps and hazards on your path, such as spikes between the gaps you need to jump or buzzsaws. There are also a few puzzles to solve as you press buttons to open the way, so be sure to make every jump count so that you can stay far away from the spikes.

Once you complete a level, you’ll be shown how long it took you to complete it, as well as your score for the level. I was sorta expecting a three-star grading system or something similar for completing a level below a specific time limit, one for collecting all particles and so on. The game offers only eight trophies on its list, but it’s a challenging list that will keep you busy for a while before you can manage to obtain all trophies.

All in all Dark Mystery is cute but challenging 2D platforming release on PS4 that has its pros and cons. The floaty jump might get in the way of some of you, but once you get the hang of things you’ll realize it’s not a deal-breaker. If you’re searching for a challenging 2D platformer, then this might be what you need to scratch that itch.

Disclaimer
This Dark Mystery review is based on a PS4 copy provided by Yash Future Tech Solutions.