Dark Deception: Monsters & Mortals Review Summary

Fun and engaging gameplay with great character designs shines with friends, but an extremely low player base, slow broken matchmaking, and buggy unplayable states drag it down.

Game is fun and engaging: Players consistently describe the game as fun, engaging, and creative, with many praising the gameplay as super fun and an absolute blast. This positive sentiment is widespread across multiple clusters.

Fun concept with potential: Reviewers appreciate the game's concept, noting it has potential and a good idea, with some finding it interesting and a fresh take on the horror genre. The concept is seen as engaging and fun.

Great with friends: The game is highly enjoyable when played with friends, with many noting it is fun for multiplayer sessions and good to play with other people. This social aspect is a key strength.

Character designs praised: The character designs, particularly the monsters, are wonderful and well-designed, with characters having their own advantages and voice-acting. This adds to the game's appeal.

Single player mode appreciated: The addition of a single player mode is praised as a great idea and a masterstroke, making the game playable without friends and saving players from waiting. This mode is seen as a valuable addition.

Player base is extremely low: The online population is very small, leading to long waits and difficulty finding matches. Many players describe the game as 'dead' or 'empty', with few active users.

Matchmaking is slow and broken: Players consistently report extremely long wait times, often exceeding 10 minutes, and matchmaking that gets stuck or fails to find matches. This is the most frequent and severe complaint, making the game nearly unplayable online.

Game is buggy and unplayable: Numerous bugs, glitches, and server issues prevent normal gameplay, with some players experiencing black screens and other critical errors. The game is often described as an incomplete product with many unfixed issues.

Character balance is poor: Characters are heavily unbalanced in terms of health, damage, and abilities, with some being overpowered and others nearly useless. This leads to frustrating and unfair matches.

Gameplay is repetitive and boring: The core gameplay loop becomes monotonous quickly, with limited variety in maps, characters, and modes. Players find the experience dull after a few hours.

Multiple game modes available: The game features three distinct modes: Maze Escape, Shard Mayhem, and Soul Collection. This variety offers diverse gameplay experiences.

Two factions: monsters and mortals: Players can choose to play as either monsters or mortals in a versus format. This faction-based gameplay adds strategic depth.

Multiplayer with bots and friends: The game supports multiplayer play with friends, online randoms, and bots to fill matches. This provides flexible play options for different preferences.

Matchmaking system included: The game has a matchmaking system and is peer-to-peer, allowing players to find matches easily. This is essential for online multiplayer.

Variety of maps and characters: The game includes multiple maps, characters, and mechanics, providing a rich and varied experience. This variety keeps gameplay fresh.

Frequent game crashes: Multiple players report the game crashing constantly, including on specific maps like Crazy Carnevil and during matchmaking screens. This is a widespread stability issue affecting core gameplay.

Poor optimization issues: Players consistently complain about poor optimization, with some unable to select quality settings above lowest and others experiencing poor performance on certain maps. This suggests the game runs inefficiently on a range of hardware.

Freezes and fatal errors: The game frequently freezes and throws fatal error crashes, making it unplayable for some users. This is often linked to the Unreal Engine 5 framework, which has rendered the game unstable for certain configurations.

Lag and server issues: Players report lag, P2P server problems, and general server issues that affect online play. These connectivity problems degrade the multiplayer experience and are a common source of frustration.

Black screen problems: Several players encounter black screens after matches or as a general bug, which disrupts the flow of gameplay and may require restarts. This is a notable visual and functional glitch.

Game not recommended currently: Several reviewers do not recommend the game in its current state, citing issues that need fixing. This negative sentiment is significant but not overwhelming.

Advise against purchasing: Some reviewers strongly advise against buying the game, calling it a waste of money. This is a clear negative signal for potential buyers.

Recommended for Dark Deception fans: Fans of the original Dark Deception are likely to enjoy this game, as multiple reviewers specifically recommend it to them. This suggests the game appeals to the existing fanbase.

Better with friends: The game is more enjoyable when played with friends, and some reviewers say it's not worth buying if you play solo. This highlights the multiplayer focus.

Recommended for horror genre fans: Fans of asymmetrical horror games and similar titles like Dead By Daylight are likely to enjoy this game. This broadens the recommendation beyond just Dark Deception fans.

Community fair range: $1.99 - $3.99.

The game is fun when played with friends, but quickly becomes repetitive and dull due to limited content and balance issues, leading to a drop in enjoyment after a few hours.

Friction: matchmaking issues; lack of active playerbase; inadequate tutorial; bugs and glitches; balance issues; lack of party system.

Unlock drivers: playing with friends; active community; finding enough players.

Dark Deception Devotee: Plays both monster and mortal roles, engages with the horror theme, and may play solo or with friends while tolerating some imbalance for the sake of the franchise. Motivation: To extend the original Dark Deception experience into a multiplayer setting and explore its lore from both monster and mortal perspectives. Stance: sale.

Asymmetrical Horror Competitor: Optimizes builds, studies maps and character abilities, seeks competitive online matches, and values fair, well-designed mechanics. Motivation: To compete in a strategic asymmetric horror environment and master the meta through map knowledge and character optimization. Stance: sale.

Social Party Gamer: Plays in private lobbies with a full party, engages casually, and values laughter and shared moments over winning or meta optimization. Motivation: To have a fun, chaotic time with friends in a horror-themed party game. Stance: buy.

Steam Deck: The game is playable but suffers from stability issues such as black screens and online gameplay bugs. No launcher or Proton issues were reported. The lack of anti-cheat is a concern for online integrity but does not affect Steam Deck compatibility.

Monetization: The game is a paid multiplayer title that sells DLC characters which are significantly more powerful than base characters, creating a clear pay-to-win dynamic. Additionally, the DLC is widely considered overpriced, and the game is perceived as a cash grab. The combination of paid power advantages and high-priced content makes the monetization predatory.

DLC-heavy monetization criticized: The game is seen as heavily reliant on paid DLC, with many collaborations and add-ons. Some DLCs are temporary due to contract terms, and characters are sold separately.

Crossover DLCs with franchises: The game features crossover DLCs with franchises like Silent Hill, Monstrum, Yandere Simulator, and Evil Nun. Some of these DLCs are no longer available for purchase.

Frequent Dark Deception comparisons: Many reviews compare the game to Dark Deception, noting it as a multiplayer or co-op version of the original. Some reviewers prefer the single-player Dark Deception over this game.

Developer Glowstick criticized: Glowstick Entertainment is often criticized for focusing on other projects, making unfulfilled promises, and banning critics. Some reviews accuse the developer of greed and unreliability.

Comparisons to other horror games: The game is frequently compared to Dead by Daylight, Pac-Man, and other horror titles like FNAF and Secret Neighbor. Some comparisons highlight similarities in gameplay or aesthetics.