Darfalldevelopers Lukas Tomondy and Martin Krajc have been working on the project for a few years and have taken inspiration from a diverse set of games.Darfallis an interesting combination of various very distinct genres to create a compelling andbalanced experience that includes city building, MOBA aspects, and tower defense.
However, there is yet another aspect of the game that is crucial to both the gameplay and the ambiance of the game. Tomondy and Krajc likedMinecraft’s day and night cyclebut wanted to improve upon it, they told Game Rant in a recent interview. They created a much darker, more atmospheric nighttime, which has more dire consequences. The undead rises at night and terrorizes the city, and the player has to prepare for it in different ways.
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The Dual Nature of Darfall
The land ofDarfallhas fallen mostly to the hands of the undead, and only the capital remains. A hero is sent to revive the lost lands and build cities across it, but the horde attacks every night. That is the premise ofDarfall. In the game, players spend most of their time during the daytime, which allows easyaccess to materials and exploration. Gathering resources by both chopping wood or mining ore and killing monsters with the hero, however, is to prepare for the inevitable attack on the city.
Preparing thecity involves building defensive structures, such as ballista, traps, and exploding barrels, but without the hero, there is no hope. Hero is the most powerful unit in the game - and in the beginning, the only unit that can attack the enemies. Hero is also excellent for exploring the outer world, which means that it can bring in loot from its journeys to the unexplored parts of the land. Gaining loot and experience not only powers up the hero with added spells, but also allows the buildings to produce better equipment and thus units.
“It really builds this level of terror. I know that the graphics aren’t super realistic but a sense of what the darkness will entail. The music and ambiance build that too.”
As the night falls overDarfall, the units of undead creatures start swarming from every direction. This is where the hero shines. Regular workers cannot attack the undead and have to hide in houses if confronted. This means that theplayer needs to dispatch the enemies quicklybefore they destroy buildings or disturb the harvesting.
Light Is the Key to Victory in Darfall
While Hero makes a massive difference in defeating the undead, and the developers note that the player wouldn’t survive a single night without its powers, there’s another aspect of the game that is crucial to survival: light. Not many games, especially city builders,use light as an important variable. Often, it is a superficial element that doesn’t have many gameplay applications, and even in the game that inspiredDarfall’s day-night cycle,Minecraft, it doesn’t have as big of an impact on the gameplay.
“The light affects both the economy and the combat aspect, so you can’t be in the darkness.”
InDarfall, one of thefirst buildings available to the player is the humble lamp. Expanding the lit area one light source at a time is important not only for detecting enemies but also to keep morale up. Defending units, like archers and knights, are able to hit enemy units better when in a lit environment and workers work more efficiently, too. Therefore, continuing to harvest effectively during the night requires not only keeping the workers safe and well-fed but also providing lighting for their workplace.
As the city expands, this will become increasingly harder. Building lamp posts isn’t enough either, as they need to be provided charcoal to burn. While in the limited demo that is currently available on Steam this is fairly simple, the developers explain that the full game will deliver a much more complex challenge.
Darfallis currently in development for PC with a demo available on Steam.
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