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The Darkest Tales — Into the Nightmare

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2021

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Quick resume

When a nightmare creeps into reality, the only ones that can help are those whose magical powers we’ve believed in since childhood. A brave teddy bear and his fairy sidekick head to the darker side of “happily ever after” to rescue his owner, Alicia.

Global score

85/100

Genres

Action, Adventure, Casual, Indie, Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Free To Play, Platform

Similar games

    Pros

    • Beautiful art and graphics
    • Engaging dark fairy tale story
    • Challenging but fair platforming and combat
    • Skill trees and upgrades for progression
    • Free demo with substantial content

    Cons

    • Floaty and sometimes clunky controls
    • Some voice acting considered poor or annoying
    • Lack of keybinding customization
    • Combat can feel simplistic or repetitive
    • Some platforming sections frustrating or unclear

    Analysis

    A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Relaxation, Survival, Violence, Fellowship. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Story, Expression. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Status.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      3

      "Players have freedom to explore, choose skills, and plan attacks with multiple attempts allowed; some routines in combat and platforming but overall player-directed progression."

    • Competence
      4

      "Challenging platforming and combat requiring skill and learning; some complaints about floaty controls but overall skill-based gameplay."

    • Competition
      -4

      "Focus on personal challenge and progression without mention of competitive or ranked modes."

    • Continuation
      4

      "Players express strong attachment and desire to continue playing; demo length and story hooks encourage habitual engagement."

    • Cooperation
      -5

      "Single-player experience with no cooperative or multiplayer elements mentioned."

    • Creativity
      3

      "Skill trees, upgrades, and some exploration of secrets encourage player customization and experimentation."

    • Domination
      -5

      "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; gameplay is individual and narrative focused."

    • Escapism
      5

      "Dark fairy tale setting and immersive story provide strong escape from real life."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest and enjoyment; no obligation or pressure reported."

    • Experimenting
      3

      "Players try different skills and strategies; some repetition but encouragement to explore mechanics."

    • Exploration
      3

      "Exploration of levels with hidden secrets and portals; some backtracking and discovery encouraged."

    • Expression
      2

      "Customization through skill trees and upgrades; no mention of avatar or cosmetic personalization."

    • Fantasy
      5

      "Strong fantasy theme with dark fairy tales, imaginative characters, and nightmare settings."

    • Fellowship
      -5

      "Solo play with minimal social interaction or community involvement mentioned."

    • Growth
      4

      "Skill acquisition, learning mechanics, and character progression through upgrades."

    • Health
      -5

      "No physical activity or health-related features; sedentary gameplay."

    • Idle
      -4

      "Requires focused attention and continuous engagement; challenging platforming and combat."

    • Intimacy
      -5

      "No close social relationships or emotional sharing; single-player narrative experience."

    • Leadership
      -5

      "No leadership or group management elements; individual gameplay."

    • Progression
      4

      "Character upgrades, skill trees, and item collection provide clear progression."

    • Relaxation
      -2

      "Challenging and sometimes frustrating gameplay; some players find it tense rather than relaxing."

    • Sensation
      3

      "Enjoyable visuals, sound, and atmospheric effects provide sensory stimulation."

    • Status
      -5

      "No social recognition or ranking systems mentioned."

    • Story
      5

      "Strong narrative immersion with dark fairy tale story, character dialogue, and cutscenes."

    • Strategy
      3

      "Requires planning attacks, learning enemy patterns, and skill tree choices; some straightforward platforming."

    • Thrill
      3

      "Challenging platforming and combat create suspense and tension; some players find it exciting."

    • Value
      4

      "Free demo with substantial content; players feel good value for time and anticipate full game purchase."

    • Violence
      3

      "Combat involves attacking enemies with scissors; some blood and dark themes but not excessive."

    • Survival
      3

      "Players must avoid hazards and enemies; death has limited penalty but challenge remains."

    Where to buy

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    Last update: 29/04/2026