Dark Arisen Review: The World Below

March 04, 2022

At the behest of a mysterious woman named Olra, the Arisen sails to the Bitterblack Isle. Olra and the Arisen do not know what dwells on the isle, but both can sense a powerful entity within it's depths, calling out to the both of them. Olra believes the entity must be slain, and that it may even desire death.

The Bitterblack Isle is an entirely new area, separate from Gransys. It acts as one massive dungeon, filled with new monsters and items. The isle does an amazing job of evoking an atmosphere of despair and foreboding. It is gorgeously bleak, and filled to the brim with outrageously tough enemies. There are only two NPCs on the isle - Barroch and Olra. Barroch acts as a sort of innkeeper and Olra can purify cursed treasures (a new feature) or sail the Arisen back to Gransys.

Some items are now cursed and rift crystals are inaccessible until you repair them.

The gameplay is identicle to the main game; the player has one constant "pawn" companion and two temporary pawns that are enlisted into the party. Large beasts can be scaled and stabbed, same as in Gransys. Exploding barrels can be lifted and hurled at flying enemies to set them ablaze, and tails can be severed or heads lopped off. Some beasts will target men first, while others grab their victims and run. Each creature has its strengths and weaknesses, like some only being vulnerable to magic. Learning how to exploit them is essential for surviving the tough but fair combat (in the original release). My level 130 Arisen consistently took a beating in the original release, however, the Dark Arisen remaster adds Normal and Speedrun modes that help to better balance the game and make it more accessible.

As the player descends further and further into the isle's depths, there is an added level of anxiety in the form of the soul harvester. He haunts the corridors of the Bitterblack and can appear almost anywhere, at anytime. He can also teleport and one-hit kill the player. Death is attracted to light, so turning off your lantern can help to minimize encounters with the Grim Reaper. The scent of fresh blood from recently slain enemies will also lure in additional foes, oftentimes tougher than the one that was just killed.

The Bitterblack Isle offers more of the monster climbing combat from the main title, but with ambience and enemies that fight dirty. My level 130 Arisen with dragonforged gear took quite the beating in the original release (the re-release is much easier). Like before, the story doesn't offer much. You come and stay for the combat.