You can't buy Dark and Darker yet

[Betthauser]

In any case, it's not fair to heap those expectations at the feet of a studio launching its first game, even one comprised of a "merry band of veteran game developers" as Ironmace calls itself. It's a ways off being a blueprint for the future, but the staggering number of folks jumping in to try it gives me hope that Ironmace will massage Dark and Darker into Dark And Darker Gold something genuinely enviable.

Despite the constant death and the slightly stodgy swordplay, I'm going to clock several more evenings of co-op with friends or randoms during Dark and Darker's alpha, which will remain open until February 13 as part of Steam Next Fest. Its prior test ran from December 16–26, so I'll have to hope that another isn't too far away in the spring.

You can't buy Dark and Darker yet, it may not ever release, but they will sell you some coffee and a tankard

A mere 10 days ago, developer Ironmace Games announced the delay of Dark and Darker's early access release—news that was not-unexpected given its rolling legal dispute with Nexon. There is a not-insignificant chance thanks to cheapest Dark And Darker Gold this legal battle that, while this game is definitely a real thing (and we've played it), it may not ever see a full release.

We'll get to the details of the dispute but, shortly after it began, Ironmace started and then paused a GoFundMe campaign to help with its legal battle. "The reality of the situation is that their end goal is to bleed us dry in court fees," said the developer, and there's no doubting Nexon has the kind of serious resource that could do such a thing to a smaller studio. Ironmace needs cash wherever it can get it.