21 Apr 2026

Dark Quest: Remastered Xbox Series X Review 6/10 *The boardiest of digital board games* ☠️⚔️ @brainseal #IndieGame #GameDev

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Dark Quest: Remastered Xbox Series X Review
I first got on board with the Dark Quest series back in 2023 with the third entry, which was a fantastic isometric title that relied on a blend of chance and memorisation as you delved ever further into its rewarding depths, as a man with a loud voice shouted numbers at you – good! 

More recently, I covered Dark Quest 4, which further evolved the formula with more classes and personalisation options – and so when I had the opportunity to go back to the start of the series and cover this remaster of the original Dark Quest – originally released back in 2015 for PC– I leapt at the chance, as Brain Seal have fast become a personal fave developer of mine – helped along by their recent explosive physics-based title Blow It Up. Although this remaster does feel a bit of a step backwards as opposed to a celebration and re-imagining of an earlier title. In the Brain Seal catalogue.

Much more stripped-back than the other games in the series, Dark Quest: Remastered really does feel like a simple, digitised version of an ‘80s adventure board game, with even the character art from the top-down view appearing to be mere cardboard counters on a fold-out board rather than avatars brought to life. 
Dark Quest: Remastered Xbox Series X Review
Whilst this can kick you right in the nostalgia, the awkward UI and fussiness of traversal around the dungeons soon begin to chip away at the easy enjoyment of playing such a simplistic game. 

Whilst the audio and visuals are scene-setting (if unmemorable), the overall takeaway here for me was that the Dark Quest games have clearly moved on beyond this initial bare bones setup, and I’m not sure what the purpose was of revisiting this initial chapter in a series that has moved on and branched out over the following three sequels.
Dark Quest: Remastered Xbox Series X Review
SUMMARY
I’d recommend this if you are after a very simple, plain digital version of a game akin to Hero Quest, and it is priced accordingly. Still, I think that, even then, the slight fudging of the basics, such as character selection and traversal, will sting a tad. That said, I’m just as keen as I always am for Dark Quest 5, Blow It Up 2, or whatever comes next from Brain Seal!
6/10
💧MELTING💧

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