Last Updated on Nov 5, 2025 @ 20:17:09 PM.
Recently, I have had the opportunity to try out the brand-new game Dark Quest 4 before its official release, in which I was able to explore all kinds of unique dungeons, battle horrifying monsters, and attempt to survive the death traps awaiting me at each corner.
During my time with this review, I took my time to adventure throughout the world of Dark Quest 4 to try and uncover the numerous secrets that lurked around each corner, while trying out all the different mechanics and characters that I could get my hands on within my playthrough.
Dark Quest 4 is Set in a Unique World That Makes You Feel Young Again
The first thing players will notice when they load into their first playthrough of Dark Quest 4 is the way that the game’s world is displayed to the player. If you are a fan of TTRPGs (tabletop role-playing games) like I am, this game world will immediately fill you with joy, as it evokes the nostalgia of playing games like Dungeons & Dragons at the table with your friends.
Whether it be the actual table that you can see on the border of the map, a mysterious figure hovering above, or the numerous details littered around, there are so many features within this map that will make players feel as though they are sitting around a table playing this game rather than on a computer.
Along with the overall setup of the game board, there are extra features within Dark Quest 4 that will spike players’ interest, and that is how the game features its own unique version of a fog of war system. In similar games and real life, players are often unsure what is hiding behind each door they approach, and this is something that Dark Quest 4 does with style.
While the player ventures through the numerous dungeons of Dark Quest 4, they will constantly find themselves unsure of the next step on their journey and will have to act blindly in an effort to discover their way forward.
For a lot of players, including myself, this is a fun mechanic of hiding the rest of the map, either by a literal fog or by physically hiding the other rooms until a door is opened, as it encourages the player to explore the dungeons to their fullest.
In terms of gameplay, this can be a double-edged sword, however, as there are possibilities in which this could change from a fun mechanic that encourages exploration to an annoying mechanic that could lead to your party being defeated as you found another room full of monsters you were not prepared for that may not even be the path you wanted either, but that is the challenge of a game such as this.
Gameplay Can be Rather Complicated and Difficult to Grasp, but Once Master, It Can be Very Fun
One of my biggest challenges within Dark Quest 4 was coming to terms with the overall gameplay mechanics that were involved in exploring the different dungeons and the combat mechanics. Even though the game does provide a tutorial straight off the bat for basic gameplay mechanics, there are a few things I found that the game doesn’t really tell you, leaving you to learn them on your own.
One of the biggest mechanics I struggled to get to grips with that seems so simple when spoken out loud is how I ended my character’s turn. In most turn-based games, the player will be able to do actions like attack, drink a potion, move, and many more during their turn to maximize their options, but there is one mechanic that I constantly forgot about: after moving my character, their turn was immediately over.
Due to this being how the mechanic worked, I found myself commonly making a lot of silly mistakes in terms of choosing where my characters should stand and how I should move them into battle, as I often found myself trying to move first and shoot later, rather than how the actual mechanics work, in which I had to choose an attack, what enemy I would be attacking, and then choose where the character would attack from.
For me, this seemed like a relatively complicated and irritating method of ending a character’s turn, as a simple misclick could end up with you moving a character incorrectly, using the wrong kind of attack, and so much more. However, as I played through the game, I did begin to get the hang of this mechanic and ensured I didn’t fall foul of it after numerous mistaken situations in the earlier levels.
When it comes to a lot of the other mechanics with Dark Quest 4, I cannot shout their praises enough, as they were incredibly detailed and easy to understand, as each mechanic was very well explained during the detail and allowed me the chance to practice and come to grips with things like unique tiles, how to inspect my characters and enemies, and even the upgrade systems that I unlocked during the later sections of my playthrough.
The Story of Dark Quest 4 is a Fantasy Gamer’s Dream Full of Monsters and Mystery
Arguably, the biggest part of a game like Dark Quest 4 is the story that the players will discover as they venture through these dungeons and explore the dark world within. During my time with Dark Quest 4, I was able to experience this story and how it unfolds, but for obvious reasons, I will not go into detail regarding the later sections of the game in order to avoid spoilers; however, I will discuss some earlier sections of the game story.
As stated above, the story of Dark Quest 4 is a relatively standard plot for a fantasy game, as it tasks the player with defeating the evil Gulak, the sorcerer’s puppet, who is working in the shadows, stealing civilians in an attempt to create an army that could help destroy the world as we know it.
During this story, players take control of up to 10 different characters as they venture through all kinds of dungeons in an attempt to thwart these plans by Gulak and even find out information that could help stop this dastardly plan from unfolding.
Throughout Dark Quest 4, players will take on small missions that task them with exploring these dungeons, each with their own unique addition to the story, which can allow them to uncover the plot of the game in its entirety.
This was something that I found fun, as I wasn’t overwhelmed with the story, but instead I could take it on at my own pace, while also being able to both read the story of each mission as I entered and also have the option to go back to these missions if needed to reread the story after I progressed far enough.
Although I do not want to discuss the overall story, as I want to avoid spoilers, what I will say is that the story is very fun to play through and does keep a good pace for a turn-based game without going too complicated or boring.
Dark Quest 4
Summary
While playing Dark Quest 4, I found myself having a lot of fun as I explored the numerous dungeons that the game had laid out before me, while also trying out the numerous different characters on offer.
Although there were a few mechanical issues that I stumbled into that soured my experience for a while, after mastering these mechanics, I found myself enjoying the game.
HOURS PLAYED: 9
PLAYED ON: PC
- The game board is very detailed and made me feel as though I was actively at a table playing.
- The maps were all creative and drove me to explore to the fullest extent I could.
- With so many characters on offer, I found each mission was a breath of fresh air and felt unique.
- There were a few mechanical issues I came across that soured my experience.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out our article talking about Dispatch hitting an impressive milestone or our article talking about the recent The Walking Dead crossover with World of Tanks.
Liam is a Senior Editor, Writer, and Critic for Thumb Wars and has been working with the team since day one. Liam is a big fan of all things gaming, as you will catch him playing all of the new releases from every genre you can imagine. Whether you find Liam gaming just for fun or spending his free time streaming, you will always find a smile on his face when it comes to all things gaming.
