[Demo] Spark in the Dark

 Spark in the Dark is a dungeon-crawling action RPG made by the first-time game dev team of Stellar Fish, and recently as part of the Steam Next Fest a demo was made available. What had been showcased prior had caught my attention because of its visual similarities to Exanima, a favorite of mine, but the games are really not at all similar. The demo was quite promising, though there is still a great deal of room for improvement.

The demo covers the first level of the rogue-like adventure, where after choosing a class (essentially a playstyle), the game plops you in the entry room of the dungeon. The four classes (Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, and Blacksmith) offer dramatically different playstyles that go beyond simple weapon/armor choices. The map is the same on each run, with the same item and enemy placement. From this, the presence of containers and their status is randomized, as are traps. In some runs there are hardly any, and others a secret passage is littered with the things, which adds an interesting dimension to repeat runs. I'm not sure if the game spawns additional monsters in empty rooms or if there's some elaborate patrol system, but it adds some good variety to the gameplay. I enjoy the resting system, which adds a feeling of investment to each run. What little can be gleaned about the game's setting at present is compelling, and the game makes excellent use of lighting. The environments are mysterious and compelling, and it left me wanting more in a good way. There is a good deal going for this game already, and in some areas the game has everything down pat.

However, Spark in the Dark does have some areas that are definitely in need of improvement. The writing for the classes definitely needs some tightening up in the cutscenes and the character dialogue needs adjustment, as it is a bit incoherent across the board, which is odd given the good quality in the written documents/lore readings. Given that it is a rogue-like game, one would think that there would be some sort of checkpoint system (take this with a grain of salt given that it is a demo), but nothing is saved across runs at present, not even the lore legends. The game is also more than a little difficult for an early section, and the place is absolutely crawling with enemies, a few of which are a bit much for early characters to handle. It's hard to become invested in this game when it feels less like an adventure and more like an arcade survival game. Stellar Fish needs to decide what the game is supposed to be, because at present the game is simply too difficult for what it presents itself to be. Aside from this, the combat and movement is floaty and lacks weight/impact, but on the scale of problems present this is more in need of adjustment rather than a rework. There's a great deal that needs to be improved in this game, but it's all very much fixable in my view.

In total, Spark in the Dark is at present a promising but flawed title in its present demo. There are some glaring problems in the piece as it stands right now, that if left as they are could ruin the end product, but I hope that Stellar Fish will make the most of the feedback from this demo. There's a good game in this, and I hope one day to be able to see it.