There are a ton of King’s Field-inspired first person dungeon crawlers coming out of the indie scene these days, and I try to keep my finger on the pulse of which ones have the juice. Going off its demo, Hark the Ghoul is among that number.
The vibes are very reminiscent of 2023’s killer Lunacid, but with a freaky Bloodborne gothic city instead of the older game’s stately underground kingdom. Hark begins with a classic Fucked Up Little Man soulslike scenario. In life, you were some kind of anthropomorphic bug person with a bug job in a bug kingdom. In death, you have been deputized to explore, sword fight, and level up your way into setting right what has gone all freaky-deaky in bugburg.
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Right away, I love how Hark the Ghoul handles character creation: You don’t choose a class with mechanical differences, but one of nine backgrounds that change how NPCs react to you. For example, in my second run through, I went with the “Militiaman” background, and Hark’s first merchant immediately assumed I was some kind of narc.
It seems largely aesthetic, but that’s part of why I love it: A ton of work put into incidental details meant to further immerse me in the world. One bit I love: This is a game where your weapon viewmodel floats instead of having your hands visible, but your kick attack shows a little leggy whipping out. The pants and foot are unique for each character background, and that’s what I’m talkin’ about right there.
Speaking of that quick melee kick, Hark the Choul cribbed from the best: Arkane’s Dark Messiah of Might and Magic. The kick itself doesn’t do damage, but it pushes enemies back and can send Hark’s many physics objects flying.
You can use this to kick enemies into pits, or kick crates into enemies for direct damage. I love that the first spell you get, rather than being a magic missile of some extraction, instead summons a rock you can then kick into your foes.
The actual sword fighting didn’t light my world on fire, but the kick and spells are enough for me already, and Hark the Ghoul’s trailers showcase an enticing variety of weapons, like a harpoon you can throw, stick in walls, and then use for platforming.
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One other note: Hark’s devs made no promises about Steam Deck support, but I decided to try it out. I was nearly at a locked 60 fps in the starting dungeon, but that plummeted to 20 fps out in the city proper. This is definitely a desktop-only experience, at least for the time being.
Hark the Ghoul is scheduled to release some time this year. You can wishlist it and check out the demo for yourself on Steam.
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