First person horror shooter The Darkness, originally developed by Starbreeze, could be getting a remaster from Nightdive Studios. The 2007 classic remains a gothic masterpiece in need of more appreciation, but a lack of a PC port, and being stuck on ageing hardware, has dampened its legacy.
While far from being confirmed, a remaster for the game is now a distinct possibility, as Stephen Kick, CEO of Nightdive Studios, has claimed the title is ‘on the list‘ for a potential return.
In recent years, Nightdive has developed a reputation for producing high quality remasters of classic video games, including the recent System Shock. Notably, the studio is very picky with its remaster choices, often selecting less appreciated classics to bring back – like Shadow Man, and the Blade Runner point-and-click adventure game.
In future, the studio is also working on enhanced versions of Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion, System Shock 2, and Star Wars: Dark Forces. While not the most mainstream titles, they certainly have their dedicated fans – and recent announcements for each of these projects has been met with widespread excitement.
Read: System Shock (2023) Review – Respecting a classic
Given the number of projects in the works at Nightdive, it could be some time before we hear official word about a return for The Darkness – but regardless, it’s a project likely to be worth the wait.
On release, The Darkness was a game ahead of its time. Beyond being an early example of a comic book adaptation done right – Top Cow launched The Darkness at the peak of the grim-dark 1990s comics era – it also pushed the bounds of what a good first person shooter could be.
It combined a spooky, gothic aesthetic with surreal visuals, a dense mafia-heavy plot, and strong writing that elevated its main cast of characters, and more intimate subplots focused on love and survival. Plus, it had creepy minions and giant tentacle arms that could eat hearts, and throw quips. Something for everyone.
At this stage, we don’t know much about Nightdive Studios’ plans for The Darkness – and whether ‘it’s on the list’ will translate to direct action. But given Nightdive’s penchant for bringing back quality, weird games, we can certainly look forward to hearing more from the studio in future.
