Dark and Light is a vast sandbox survival RPG set in a world dominated by powerful elemental forces. Find your way in a meticulously crafted world, featuring breathtaking landscapes, a wide variety of mythical creatures, and limitless possibility to craft, build, and unlock dozens of powerful weapons, spells, and skills.
Recent Reviews:
Mixed (18) - 44% of the 18 user reviews in the last 30 days are positive.
All Reviews:
Mixed (10,350) - 52% of the 10,350 user reviews for this game are positive.
Release Date:
Jul 20, 2017
Developer:
Publisher:

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Early Access Game

Get instant access and start playing; get involved with this game as it develops.

Note: This Early Access game is not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“Dark and Light has been in development for a few years, and has gone through many iterations to become the unique Fantasy RPG / Sandbox hybrid that it is today. We still have a grand vision for Dark and Light, and we want to be able to finally realize it. We are proud of the progress we have made thus far, yet in order to fully achieve the ambitious plans we have for the game, we feel it is necessary at this crucial stage in the development process that we work with the community (many of whom have loved this game since its first release) to gather real player feedback based on firsthand experience with the game. Dark and Light’s Early Access period is the perfect opportunity for us to continue iterating, balancing, and optimizing in order to ensure that the final product is exactly the kind of experience we have hoped to deliver to our fans since day one.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We expect Early Access to last approximately one year.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“In terms of core gameplay, Dark and Light’s Early Access version is not far off from our eventual goal. Over the next year, we we plan on adding additional content to expand on the overarching narrative of the game, and make the overall experience as immersive as possible.

In subsequent updates, we will focus on gradually introducing the following features and improvements:

-Additional maps - in our current build, players only have one map to explore, but as development progresses, we plan on expanding the original map as well as adding entirely new maps with new resources and wildlife

-Even more spells! There are already dozens of unique spells that players can master in Dark and Light, but we have plans to add additional spells and improving the ways that players can use magic to interact with other features, such weapon / armor forging and more

-Additional servers globally and higher player caps per server

-Additional support for private server hosting

-Cross-server PvP activities

-Improvements to the in-game chat system, including support for voice chat

-Improved faction-based features, including unique NPCs, building types, merchant and trade relationships, and more”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Dark and Light is a true Early Access game. That means that core gameplay and content is in a playable state, and we're expecting players to really enjoy themselves with the content we have available currently. That being said, we're also expecting to see a lot of serious bugs, server stability issues, and gameplay balance issues, especially during the beginning stages of Early Access. We'll be relying heavily on player feedback to help us make Dark and Light the best experience it can be.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“The price of the Early Access version will be relatively lower than that of the full launch version.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We’ve already laid the foundation for Dark and Light, so from this point, we want the development process to be a collaborative effort between Snail and the community. We’ve already begun building a relationship with our community on Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, and Discord, and we plan on joining and supporting conversations on fansites and our official forums to stay up-to-date on player sentiment and feedback. We also plan on opening a Support system specifically for fans to directly communicate their feedback to us. We are very open to the opinions and concerns of the community, and we want to work together to make Dark and Light the best game it can be for the entire community.”
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About This Game


The shattered remains of the mother planet Gaia float in stark contrast against the sky on nearby satellite planet, Archos, serving as inescapable evidence of the dark forces surrounding the world. As a lone explorer in the wilderness, you must learn to understand the terrain, natural resources, as well as how to domesticate the local creatures and build a home. You will need to harness and control the magical energy that courses through the planet, or you risk being consumed by the looming darkness that permeates throughout the planet.





Every aspect of Dark and Light has been re-imagined, re-worked, and upgraded from the 2004 original. Gaia’s very existence is dictated by primal elemental forces, including wind, earth, water, fire, light, and darkness. These elements course through the world, sometimes clashing and causing earth-shattering changes. Gaia houses a number of various biomes, including lush forests, soaring peaks of ice-capped mountains, a towering volcano clouded with sulfur and ash, as well as breezy floating islands, ominous dark forests, wide swamps, and deep caverns. Extreme weather conditions will put you to the test; you'll need to procure food and water, as well as the proper tools required to roam this expansive land and brave the unforgiving elements.



Ages ago, Gaia was attacked by dark forces and collapsed, plunging the world into darkness. Many sought exodus to Archos, one of Gaia’s satellite planets - unwittingly (or for some, perhaps intentionally) bringing the dark forces along with them. As a result, Archos’s atmosphere has been adversely affected, causing some strange occurrences on the planet during the night. During the day, Archos’s landscape is peaceful, but once the sun sets, the planet immediately plunges into chaos. Occasionally, the remnants of Gaia will block out the sun, causing an eclipse on Archos, resulting in a violent, bloodthirsty frenzy among the planet's native creatures. Eclipses also provide an opportunity to obtain incredibly rare magical resources, so players must learn to survive during eclipses if they want to thrive.



Magic permeates throughout everything Dark and Light, and the line between physical and magical becomes increasingly blurred as the game progresses. There are dozens of magical skills related to survival, exploration, defense, transformation, control, attack, and more. Players can harness the power of the elements to construct buildings, erect a network of portals to transport you all across the continent, and even control the weather. Possibilities aren't just limited to creation and control, however. Players can master important battlefield skills with a magic staff and over 14 different melee and ranged weapons, including bows, swords, daggers, and more. Players can also use magic to forge weapons and create their own legendary equipment.





Dark and Light features dozens of magical beasts, including dragons, griffins, unicorns, centaurs, goblins, and many, many more. There are also plenty of unique creatures that players have never seen before, and all are native to this planet. All the creatures in the game survived the havoc spread by the destruction of Gaia, and thus are all imbued with incredible magical powers. Players can hunt them for food and clothing, extract their magical essence, or they can choose to tame them and raise them as faithful companions.



Players and NPCs can all progress through their own growth systems, and players can choose which skills they want their characters to master. These include both physical skills such as speed, endurance, and strength, but can also apply to a character's crafting abilities. Whether a character chooses to be an architect, a mage, or a warrior is all up to them, the combinations of skills and stat builds in Dark and Light are virtually limitless. It is possible to become a master of all skills, but doing so will require tremendous time and effort. In order to develop a strong foundation, players are encouraged to specialize and cooperate with one another throughout their time on Archos.



Archos’s punishing environmental conditions have bested many adventurers who tried to go it alone - players will need to band together to survive. Dark and Light is designed to encourage cooperation at every level; survival, exploration, and combat are all incredibly demanding, and few will be able to fully master their surroundings. This is particularly true in regards to group combat, where supporting and managing a diverse battalion of warriors, mages, trainers, and more will grant you a major advantage in large-scale battles.
Players can choose to start in one of three main cities, each one belonging to one of the three ruling factions on Archos. This community structure is critical in the early stages of the game, when players are relatively weak and need support from others. Your role in the faction becomes increasingly important as you progress through Dark and Light - if you establish your specialty early, it’ll go a long way in helping you contribute to the success of your faction.





Dark and Light's sandbox world affords players the freedom to create and build just about anywhere in the world. Whether you want a secret underground base or a fortress atop a massive floating island, if you can reach it, you can build there. As the forces of darkness simmer on the horizon, defending your homestead will become increasingly important. A combination of physical and magic fortifications, including NPCs and tamed creatures, will be necessary for players to defend their land from being engulfed by darkness.



Archos is still threatened by the total collapse of Gaia and a massive invasion by the forces of darkness. Even though the portals that link Archos to Gaia have closed, darkness emanates from the mother planet, affecting all the living creatures on Archos. Whether to embrace the darkness or fight it is a choice that remains solely with you, and it is your choice that will represent the future of the world.

System Requirements

    Minimum:
    • OS *: 64-Bit Windows 7 Service Pack 1, Windows 8, or Windows 10
    • Processor: Intel Core i5 2500K
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Graphics: GeForce GTX 960 or higher
    • DirectX: Version 10
    • Storage: 50 GB available space
    Recommended:
    • OS *: 64-Bit Windows 7 Service Pack 1, Windows 8, or Windows 10
    • Processor: Intel Core i7-5820k 6x 3.3 GHz
    • Memory: 16 GB RAM
    • Graphics: GeForce GTX 1070 or higher
    • DirectX: Version 10
    • Storage: 50 GB available space
* Starting January 1st, 2024, the Steam Client will only support Windows 10 and later versions.

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