Dark Fall 2: Lights Out
Dark Fall 2: Lights Out
Game
Game2013
Dark Fall: The Journal
Developer Darkling Room
Dark Fall is a 2002 first-person psychological horror/adventure game developed and independently published for Microsoft Windows by Jonathan Boakes, under the XXv Productions label. After the independent release proved a success, with the game selling well and generating good word-of-mouth, The Adventure Company purchased the rights, releasing it worldwide in 2003 under the title Dark Fall - The Journal. The game… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
214 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 30, 2026 · last updated Oct 30, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
78
LovedLoved
150 positive · 43 negative
95% range 71–83%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 150 | 43 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 5 | 1 | 12 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 3 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
179 of 226 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
78% recommend · 150 yes, 43 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 193 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (244 of 311 positive).
Players praise the game's eerie atmosphere and lack of jump scares. [1][2][3] Many note the game requires patience and note-taking due to its challenging puzzles. [4][5][6] Some reviewers find the game dated and frustrating, with poor navigation and pixel hunting. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
Honestly, as a fan of Point & Click games of any kind, I wanted to like this game, but couldn't. The issue is that it is a non-linear game, as said in the description; that means that from the very beginning, there are many places you could go and things you could check out. While that is fun and intriguing at the beginning, especially with the atmosphere the game builds up, it quickly devolves into frustration. …
- [1]
I'm used to playing the usual point-and-click games, but this one is definitely one of the bests. Reasons why I loved it with a passion: 1) It can be considered horror, but it's not a survival horror game. That means you can't die. Nonetheless, the combination of graphics, music and sounds make it wonderfully in horror mood. It doesn't have the classic "jump-scares" (which, for me, is a good thing), but it has an …
- [5]
Many of you will have already discovered the joy of this game; for the others.. If you like a superb story, characters, ambience and ghost hunting, get this ! It is older, certainly, and some people may not like the graphics but I am a huge fan and relish the opportunity to play it once again. (I originally played it on a cd I purchased long before I joined steam) It's not an easy game, you really have to use your …
- [2]
This is a really smart and creepy game! I bought Dark Fall 1 and 2 in a bundle sale a couple weeks ago and I have to say that knowing what I know now, these games are worth their full retail price. First the good stuff: This game has a wonderfully creepy atmosphere. This is an old game, but I think it still looks great. You are alone in an abandoned 1940's English train station, investigating the disappearance of …
- [3]
I liked this game a lot. It's very very similar to Myst (probably most like Myst 2 aka Riven) except spooky and about ghosts. There's no jump scares at all which is rare to find. It's just a point and click about ghosts and you basically roam around learning what happened. It's actually really neat if you like reading notes. You pretty much slowly start to learn everything thats going on and get to know the ghosts …
Summarised from 34 of the 213 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Dark Fall: The Journal sits at 78% positive across 193 opinionated reactions from 3 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
In March 2004, Lorraine Lue of DreamCatcher Interactive Europe reported that Dark Fall "kind of surprised us because it is selling very well worldwide, including Germany and the UK." She attributed this partly to the game's use of atmosphere, rather than violence, to generate fear. In North America, Dark Fall sold 17,828 retail copies during 2003, and another 5,432 in the first two months of 2004. The game received "mixed or average reviews" upon its general release in 2003. It holds an aggregate score of 68 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on twenty-three reviews. IGN's Staci Krause scored the game 7.8 out of 10, writing "It is rare that a PC game, especially a point and click adventure,…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 214 · most liked firstI'm used to playing the usual point-and-click games, but this one is definitely one of the bests. Reasons why I loved it with a passion: 1) It can be considered horror, but it's not a survival horror game. That means you can't die. Nonetheless, the combination of graphics, music and sounds make it wonderfully in horror mood. It doesn't have the classic "jump-scares" (which, for me, is a good thing), but it has an overall eerie atmosphere that had me at the edge of my seat the whole time. Now,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a really smart and creepy game! I bought Dark Fall 1 and 2 in a bundle sale a couple weeks ago and I have to say that knowing what I know now, these games are worth their full retail price. First the good stuff: This game has a wonderfully creepy atmosphere. This is an old game, but I think it still looks great. You are alone in an abandoned 1940's English train station, investigating the disappearance of your brother, and what happened to the people who were at the station. You never…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I liked this game a lot. It's very very similar to Myst (probably most like Myst 2 aka Riven) except spooky and about ghosts. There's no jump scares at all which is rare to find. It's just a point and click about ghosts and you basically roam around learning what happened. It's actually really neat if you like reading notes. You pretty much slowly start to learn everything thats going on and get to know the ghosts that are there slowly. A lot of the notes are optional and only give you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly, as a fan of Point & Click games of any kind, I wanted to like this game, but couldn't. The issue is that it is a non-linear game, as said in the description; that means that from the very beginning, there are many places you could go and things you could check out. While that is fun and intriguing at the beginning, especially with the atmosphere the game builds up, it quickly devolves into frustration. While there is a loose path you can follow at the start, it quickly dissolves into…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My list would be: The Mountain Witch Dog Eat Dog Psi*Run Apocalypse World Fiasco Steal Away Jordan Companion's Tale InSpectres Rusalka Mothership Wanderhome Honey Heist Swords Without Master Blades in the Dark Fall of Magic Death Game Mörk Börg Brindlewood Bay What Dust Remains Dream Askew
neutral · AI labelView post →Hum... For starters, I would say it is challenging. I finished it but it was more like a chore than a fun thing to do. This game is not just old, it's rather "primitive", belongs to the times of exploring possibilities to come up with very original designs while looking for a niche on the raising PC gaming industry. Nowadays, this game is just dated. It is really dated. There are several nice things like the voices, the clever puzzles, the sound effects and the somewhat effective mystery…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game requires a lot of patience. At the beginning, there were plenty of audio cutscenes where I listened to a ghost (?) talk, while the camera was frozen with me staring at a wall. I also really liked* the time I walked into a hallway and all my controls were frozen for 2 minutes; I eventually realized that this was to make sure I saw a spooky cutscene of all the lights in the hall slowly going out one by one. Far from being scary or atmospheric, this only served to make me annoyed with…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just No. Horrible intro Very boring Quite aimless Not scary in the least Totally mediocre audio Too dark to see much No subtitles/text at all Extremely primitive gameplay controls Counter-intuitive game mechanics Too low-res (on 1920 x 1080) "Story" is fragmented and lame Footnotes to above Someone supposedly speaks over the telephone with you, rather unintelligibly, in a thick British accent. There are no subtitles so all I managed to catch…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just finish the game. First of all I recommand this game, it has a really good quality/cost ratio. Cons: Stupid voices talking while trying to read medium to long text.(A pet peeve of mine) Lots of backtracking if you don't take the time to make lot of notes. (Would be great to have all important data on hand like in shivers). Didn't understand how the cue system works (not needed to finish the game) Some anticlimatic long text. (Remove the feeling of danger and urgency) Pros: Really nice…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Many of you will have already discovered the joy of this game; for the others.. If you like a superb story, characters, ambience and ghost hunting, get this ! It is older, certainly, and some people may not like the graphics but I am a huge fan and relish the opportunity to play it once again. (I originally played it on a cd I purchased long before I joined steam) It's not an easy game, you really have to use your powers of observation (as clues abound) and be prepared to write a lot of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →SO, I’ve hit affiliate and I’m kind of flabbergasted about it- So what if I have an impromptu celebration stream on Wednesday night at 8:30PM EST? We’ll be going for a while until the game (or games) are completed, so pick what you’d prefer to see! -MYST -Dark Fall: The Journal -Payday 3
neutral · AI labelView post →While P&C Adventures, especially spooky ones and ones in a hotel, are my absolute favorite, this game was more of a chore than a challenge. Many of the spots you had to click on were a dreaded pixel hunt. It was Myst style navigation, meaning once you went somewhere, you had troubles getting back. For example for some reason at the end of each hallway, the stairs appear to go up but actually go down. You also need to take lots of notes and screen shots as there is no journal or map or hint…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Big Halloween news: @senscape.net is becoming a game publisher, and we're thrilled to announce our first title! 🎃 Seclusion: Islesbury from Silent Game House is a new horror adventure that fans of Scratches and Dark Fall should greatly enjoy! Wishlist now! islesbury.com
neutral · AI labelView post →Ignore my Steam play time - I played this when it was first released, and while it was fun and challenging then, it hasn't aged well, and the whole thing just feels like a chore now. If you get it on special or part of a bundle, go for it, but not for the advertised price. There's just far better things nowadays for the price. The good Maintains a creepy atmosphere Tells an unsettling story The bad No journal - constantly need to go back to clues, notes, etc to recall what you've seen, read…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There are degrees of puzzle games, and honestly I'm a fan of the straight-forward ones that go HERE IS A PUZZLE and then have you put gears on a board or rearrange a chessboard. Older puzzle games were puzzles unto themselves, where half of the challenge was determining how the actual puzzles manifested in the world. Dark Fall is one such game, so if you're going to dive into this one you'd better have a fresh notebook and a sharp pencil at the ready. Dark Fall takes place entirely in an…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dark Fall: The Journal is a classic point-and click horror game by Johnathan Boakes. The game begins with an eerie phone call from your brother, asking you to come join him to investigate some strange goings-on at the abandoned train station he's working on renovating. You arrive there to find him gone, the station completely empty, of living people at least. You spend the game wandering around, trying to find out what happened and what, if anything you can do. The gameplay consists of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Now this is a game I would love to see remastered. Despite the horrible old graphics, it is still cool to play. Dark atmosphere. Cool ghost story. Summary: You get a call from a worried friend. He wants you to come to an abandoned hotel. Claims he sees ghosts. Then he disappears. That message was the last you heared from him. You go to the hotel and , in an oldfashionned way , try to unravel the mystery of his disappearance. With oldfashionned I mean: no ingame notes, no ingame…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →To me, this game means so much. It was one of the first games as a kid I saw my grandfather playing on his computer one day and I've loved it ever since. It's a fun puzzle game and you should make sure you write anything down that you find because man, these puzzles are doozers. I haven't gotten the chance to play the second dark fall yet, but I still have my dark fall game box set that my grandfather had. This game has so many memories locked up in it for me. I miss my grandfather. I be he…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well done guys!! It has some creepiness goin on and very immersive... especially with good 'ol Cali Green ::)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Firstly, I am playing on windows 10, I have had no problems at all but i see others have. Saves work fine but there is no auto save which I think people may have expected. TL:DR RECOMMENDED, Buy it now regardless if on sale or not!! Higlhy recommend for those who have patience, do not mind old graphics and are willing to REALLY think, this does not hold your hand, it is a supernatural mystery with a fair amount of reading, it will leave you scratching your head often. It is eery and really…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I enjoyed this game, but would only recommend it to people who are either already oldschool point-and-click mystery buffs - or, like me, want to play a spooky game without having to worry about monsters, jumpscares or dying. I didn't want to use a walkthrough so I probably spent many hours wandering around when in fact this isn't a terribly long game. It was hard to tell what information was relevant, so prepare to read a lot and write a lot of things down with actual pen and paper. The slow…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →People who compared this to Myst are out of their minds. Honestly, I'd rather be beat in the head with a hammer than to have to play this game any more. I'm sure it's fine for people who like such things, but there are just loads of huge documents to read and strange puzzles with little to no direction on what to do. When I got to the substitution cipher and realized I needed pen and paper, I lost all remaining interest. I explored the entire hotel in less than half an hour. Maybe there…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a low-budget and poorly aged point-and-click puzzle adventure game from 2002, but it actually feels like it's from the early 90's because of its primitive technical development; therefore, it's so antique to play in 2024.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pros: -Interesting story -Great atmosphere -Charming characters -Good sound effects Cons: -Very easy to miss something clickable -Not very many puzzles Pro/Con: -Not much direction is given after the beginning of the game -There are a couple spooky moments, but not many and they aren't really scary -A lot to read Would recommend if you are looking for a slow paced story game with a spooky atmosphere, and don't mind doing a lot of backtracking and dealing with some janky controls
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you like this review, then maybe check out my curator page for others :) https://steamcommunity.com/groups/The_dull_games_reviewer Though, uh, they're probably a bit more boring than this one Dark Fall is a very atmospheric, and rewarding, point and click, that I admittedly haven't finished yet because it's a tricky blighter to solve. But that's a good thing, despite my poor brain being curled up in the corner and weeping madly to itself, my curiosity / self pride / masochistic streak (?)…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don’t judge ghosts by their spirit orb. With the wide plethora of ghost related shows and movies, such as Ghost Whisperer or The Conjuring, and most is successful no matter if a lot of people hated it afterwards. So when it comes to games of course we will have ghosts in them too. For the most part I never see any quick cash grab games with ghosts like I do with zombies. Though with ghosts being very prominent in the horror genre, with them holding fear in our world, of course Dark Fall will…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've been PC gaming since the early 90's so I can appreciate a game like this. In fact playing it has been more relaxing and engaged my brain much more than a lot of newer stuff. Pure genius. Like a graphic novel that you navigate the pages yourself and piece the story together. There was just one item that was hidden in a silly spot. I would have found it eventually but I work too much and have no time so had to give in to a walkthrough. O:) Starts off so easy but as you get into it, old skool…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →6.8/10 - A Darker Myst Clone This game is pretty good. Very similar to Myst, but there is tons of voice acting which is a bonus. Clues also have lots of detail so you really feel like you are solving the mystery. Controls are good for the style and overall the one is enjoyable to play. Always on sale. Good price for the content. Worth $3-5 Accidently Reviewed Was this review helpful or maybe even not helpful? Either way join this group for more. Free Keys and Reviews weekly!…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love these games, honestly, I never knew point and click games could be so emmersed.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is fantastic! Not perfect, but fantastic. It took a bit of getting used to as there is not really any opening tutorial for controls (it took me a long time to realize how to use the goggles!) or instructions other than to find your brother. I would've appreciated an in-game tasklist, but I had fun keeping notes myself in a notebook and trying to keep all the characters straight. It was easy to become attached to all the characters as you learn more about them and what happened there.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unplayable on current systems. Have spent hours searching online for a solution, to no avail.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great atmosphere! great if you like old schoo point and click.. very challenging for the brain!! one tip-- make sure you have a notepad beside you.. you'll need to take alot of notes!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Apparently a game for those with more patience than I. The voice acting is...unconvincing. Maybe you have to be in the right mood for this but I couldn't even get past the kid's voice droning on and on and on as you stand in some tunnel waiting for him to shut up so you can move along. The missing brother's voicemail message didn't sound like a man in fear for his life at all. It would have been better off as text, imo. As I didn't get far, take my review with a grain of salt. Perhaps it gets…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Want a bunch of screamers and jump scares? Want blood and guts? You won't find them here. This is a classic horror story a la 7th Guest. It reminds me of Myst too. Perphaps the developer had some of those in mind when he made the game. Defenitely recommended for those who like atmospheric and enganging adventure games. You will have to read, but it's not too bad. Definitely not as bad as Black Dahlia. Watch for the unexpected ending. See you in Dark Falls 2
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First off I want to say that this isn't negative from the point of view that it's a bad game. Truth is I never got to see much of that. It looks and feels thoroughly ancient. Reminded me a lot of 7th Guest which was a truly excellent game... in it's time. 256 colours and low res graphics simply don't do it for me anymore I'm sorry to say. As if to further emulate that nostalgic time, the only way I could exit the game was to Alt-Ctl-Del to task manager and crash out of the game. I really wanted…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Check out this fantastic interview with Jonathan Boakes @darklingroom.bsky.social about his game dev journey making such ghostly adventures as Dark Fall and The Lost Crown 👻 youtu.be/n5OL4vaV4gc?...
neutral · AI labelView post →Dark Fall: The Journal is a slow-burn psychological horror adventure that deliberately rejects spectacle in favor of atmosphere, mystery, and unease. Developed by Darkling Room and later published on Steam by THQ Nordic, it stands as a clear product of early-2000s adventure design, drawing inspiration from titles like Myst while carving out its own identity through sound-driven horror and meticulous environmental storytelling. Rather than overwhelming the player with action or explicit scares,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →a few puzzles cant be completed without guides and the game hasn't aged really well in terms of visual & audio quality. There are better point & click games in the market
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you are into old point-and-click adventure games, you should give this game a try if you aren't scared of horror games. The sound effects and music ♥♥♥♥ with your brain as you play it, although some of the puzzles aren't good, its still a good game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →top tier point and click adventure horror with a rich storyline and atmosphere, loved it
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cannot get the game to run properly on Windows 11. The resolution defaults to 640 and no matter what keyboard key I press no options pop up allowing change of resolution, no help on controls.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hi BlueSky! I'm foolio and I game hard! From Minecraft Left 4 Dead Call of Duty The Long Dark Fall Guys Fortnite to JackBox And everything in-between. Our foolish community loves goofing off. Check me out on Twitch 👋
neutral · AI labelView post →wow at first I thought: this is ugly as hell, and it's a pain to navigate this environment. I powered through that initial feeling and wow, just wow, only wow can somehow convey the amazement at this brilliant game. It is very carefully crafted and the riddles are really good! Be warned though, you're left to navigate a strange setting with very little context, so you'll feel disoriented at first, for sure. Then you'll be able to just progress and explore most of the place without really…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wanted to play this game for a long time, from its very release. I was attracted to the atmosphere, good music and riddles. What was my disappointment when I completed it today... I strongly recommend not spending time and money on it. Most of the characters are dummies, about which you will learn 1-2 facts and nothing more. You simply won't want to sympathy or help them. Some of the plot lines are introduced just like that - they lead nowhere. There are a lot of moments when it will seem to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I did not like this game. Very basic gameplay and looks quite dated now. Maybe I should have given it more of a chance but i just didnt take to it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I personally really love this game. I have played it maybe two times before it got on Steam, so I have a nostalgic feeling when replaying it. The atmosphere and sounds are unforgetable. It really sucks me in every time. I recommend playing in the evening/night with headphones on, and do not forget to have pen and paper with you, you will need it :D And if you like it, play the other games from Jonathan Boakes too, you will probably like them if you liked The Journal.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was a very good game that required a lot of note taking and problem solving to beat it. It may be a 15 year old game but I really enjoyed playing it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →dated, boring for me... not an original story... tortured gameplay and puzzles...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →while the idea of this game is at least pretty solid as a spooky point and click game, i think it falls short of being a good game as you get such a broad set of information and not a lot in terms of getting that information to the puzzle it needs to be at, even finding where the locks are can be tricky as each area gets scanned up and down with the pointer and the sequel doesn't seem to be any better in this regard a lot of viewing spots don't seem to have much purpose, and much of the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An old classic. I was quite impressed as I have never played this game before. It's a solid point and click horror game with great narrative depth and interesting, detailed environments. The voice acting is surprisingly good and overall, it's a fun experience. The puzzles are difficult but not impossible and I only looked at a walkthrough for a couple points that I just happened to miss while exploring on my own. Overall, a solid old game. No technical difficulties other than it's locked to a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →live! I'm in my point n' click era trying a horror game called Dark Fall www.twitch.tv/ashmordre
neutral · AI labelView post →Join me for some spooky Halloween gaming as we visit a haunted lighthouse and deal with my seeming inability to play a game with Dark Fall 2: Lights Out. youtu.be/cx_Gt_reCio
neutral · AI labelView post →While Dark Fall 1: The Journal bills itself as a Point & Click Horror Adventure game, it also does the Detective genre better than many genre-specific detective games. Clues to solve every puzzle can be found scattered about in the form of notes, journals, emails, recordings, etc., and all can be solved through careful observation and mostly inductive reasoning. Only one requires a logical leap, but it's a leap that should be obvious as it's based on an experience everyone has had at some point…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It can be very difficult to make a point&click game both engaging and enjoyable to play. Dark Fall manages to accomplish both to a large extent. The big puzzle that extends the whole length of the game is creative and relatively easy to figure out on your own. I would recommend keeping a loose sheet of paper for notes, but otherwise the game is not too difficult. Prepare for lots of reading, however. Dark Fall's atmosphere is largely successful in making the abandoned train station and hotel…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For the life of me, I just could not get into this game. It was extremely difficult to figure out what to do next and how to solve puzzles. I spent so many hours just walking aimlessly, trying to figure out what to do next. I kept looking up hints and cheats just so that I could finally advance, hoping in doing so I could get the ball rolling, but I kept getting stuck. The puzzle solutions were WAY WAY out of the box that I would have never figured it out on my own. I finally just gave up.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can see this game not being to everyone's taste, but if you're a fan of pen-and-paper games and not put off my old-style graphics or mechanics, then give it a go! I really enjoyed collecting clues and joining the dots. The game conjured up a genuinely frightening atmosphere using audio and side-of-vision shadows. Primary criticism of the game would be too many red herrings with no clear indication that you're wasting time with them - wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that some of the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A brilliant game with an excellent story and an incredibly tense and creepy atmosphere. I would say its better not to read many reviews as this is an brilliant game to just jump into if you think it looks cool. My only critique is that some of the puzzles, especially near the end, are rather confusing to understand. You will need a notebook!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've enjoyed these games over the years and look forward to the games in production that I've been waiting for for years as well. Come ooooon, Jonathan.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →its a great puzzle game for how old it is. graphics may be outdated but the clicking and figuring out what happened there is very interesting!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is an old point and click adventure game with a mild horror/supernatural theme. Click around old buildings and things, solve some simple puzzles, etc etc. Aged like milk, 4:3 aspect ratio, fixed resolution, low resolution, super clunky interface by todays standards. This wasn't even a big game when it came out, so no sense why they are nostalgia gouging this old wreck for a whopping $5 USD. Nothing to see here, move along.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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