Steam's Newest Hit Game Isn't Even Out Yet

There's another Steam game that looks poised to take over the PC gaming platform like other sleeper hits such as Valheim and Vampire Survivors have in the past. It's a game that's attracted nearly 70,000 concurrent players already, and the most impressive part of that achievement is that it isn't even out yet. It's called Dark and Darker, and it's right in the middle of an alpha playtest right now that just recently got extended to give players a bit more time with the game.

Dark and Darker, for those who haven't heard of it before, is a Steam game from developer Ironmace which has been running playtests since August when the first alpha opened up for testers in North America. Another took place after that, and this third one opened on December 16th to give players another taste of Dark and Darker.

What is Dark and Darker?

Described as an "Unforgiving Hardcore First-Person Fantasy Dungeon Adventure," Dark and Darker puts players in teams of up to three people playing archetypal roles like a barbarian, mage, and more options. You and your teammates head down into a dungeon and scour the depths for treasures while facing off against monsters within.

The catch is that like other games such as Escape from Tarkov, you have to make it out alive if you want to make use of your treasure haul. There are PvE threats in the dungeon as well as other players, and an ever-encroaching zone pushes players in from the outskirts of the dungeon to force engagements and intensify situations. The "hardcore" part comes from quick deaths against AI enemies and other players if you're not careful in your fights where even one or two blows can upend a dungeon dive.

How to Play Dark and Darker

So, how do you play this new Steam game that's already got nearly 70K players invested in it? Right now, the third alpha is scheduled to go on until December 26th following an extension due to some network issues. If you want to get in on the alpha, you can try and do so by heading to the game's Steam page and hitting the "Request Access" button. There's no guarantee that you'll get into this test considering the holidays and the short time it has left, but doing so will at least have you considered for future opportunities.

As for the game itself, Dark and Darker isn't scheduled to be released until Q4 2023, so there will certainly be more opportunities to try it out between now and then.

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