Welcome to the new series I want to introduce on a weekly basis for the blog roundup in 2025. I believe I do not have to introduce the itch.io platform to anyone in the Indie sphere. It is a delightful spot for developers and creators, a place of unbound creativity, and stellar ideas, and a spot where any indie game has a place. I already played quite a few great little titles posted on that site and the ability to play so many of them directly from your browser is an absolute delight. And so, for quite some time already to make a little review of the best titles I played there in a given week, give them a bit of a spotlight in the hope that more of you can give them a taste.
This time we start with a genre close to my heart - souls-like. Tooting my own horn here, I completed all of the Souls in the trilogy, Elden Ring multiple times, and Bloodborne in my company office since they blessed us with PS4 back in the day. I love this type of RPG, with minimal handholding, organic exploration, and combat, that require a keen eye and a bit of focused attention to detail.
THE DARK QUEEN OF MORTHOLME, however, is more of a deconstruction of one of the big aspects of the souls-like genre. The inevitable bashing of your head against the wall of a boss, who smears you effortlessly over the floor. Of course, equally inevitable is the fact that you'll learn, get better, level up, scale your gear and ultimately triumph over that pesky obstacle. This is the moment that all the genre enthusiasm lives for. But... I know that I did ask myself a question, often in jest, what the poor sod of a boss must think seeing my sorry derriere coming back over and over to receive my spanking? What was mingling in their heads? Were they tired of my attempts, bored, annoyed?
Lo, and behold! We might not need to wander anymore, for this little anti-game, as the developer called it, offers a good bit of insight. We play as the ritual Dark Queen - a mighty and imposing figure, a tyrant of the age. Eternal, powerful, and... unchanging. One day a tiny, scruffy adventurer with his dingy sword comes to challenge us and with a single swipe of our terrible dread mace, we end their misery.
But they come back. Oh yes, they do come back, and this time, the little pest dares to Dodge our slam! That's not a problem, we have a few more great abilities in our arsenal, and soon after the miscreant re-learns his lesson in death, once more. But they come back, once more. And so, the dance begins anew. Each time they return, each time a bit more skilled, a bit more annoying, and more equipped to deal blows to us that hurt. Our pride hurt, and our position as eternal queen of darkness seems a bit less permanent every single time the hero comes back...
I don't want to spoil too much, since it is a very short game, but it is a very engaging exploration of the concept. The little hero is as persistent as a player would be, but the charm of this title doesn't lie in our looming demise, but in the well-written conversations, we will have with the intrepid adventurer. About the nature of change. About inevitability. About persistence and pushing through against the odds. It is also worth adding, that the game sounds and looks fantastic. The heavy footsteps on the marble floor were a sound that quickly sank into the depths of my brain and was a constant company as our majestic dark figure traversed her throne chamber.
It was a great pleasure to play through and well worth a couple of bucks and half an hour of your life! Give it a go, especially, if you love the Souls-like genre.
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