As a child I spent many an hour battling my brother at ‘Hero Quest’. The board game was a staple in our house, and we lost ourselves for hours (sometimes days) as we completed quests and fought it out to emerge as the winner. For those that loved board games such as ‘Hero Quest’, ‘Dark Quest’, the computer game franchise, was a big draw thanks to its retro gameplay. The original game in the series has been remastered using the latest engine from ‘Dark Quest 4’ and I looked at the game on PC via Steam, to see if it’s still worth playing in 2026.
I should say that ‘Dark Quest: Remastered’ is available on consoles for the first time with this release, expanding its reach and hoping to appeal to even more gamers than ever before. The set-up of ‘Dark Quest: Remastered’ is simple enough; a dark sorcerer has risen and constructed a dungeon beneath the village of Darkwood. Players have to control three heroes as they navigate their way through the dungeon, using tactics and skill to emerge victorious.
Before I dig into the gameplay, I want to talk about what’s new with this remaster. There’s a brand-new 3D perspective engine that offers enhanced lighting and effects along with refined gameplay balance. There are new spells and items along the way as well as an improved audio design. The game looks the best it ever has, and while it’s graphics definitely pay homage to the old school style of gaming, ‘Dark Quest: Remastered’ has a nice charm that will appeal to fans of the series and those who used to play board games like this.
For the Steam version of the game (it’s important to note that if you already own ‘Dark Quest’, you get this remaster as a free update), you pair your gaming controller with your PC and off you go. There are 10 dungeons to work your way through, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that this game is challenging. Mirroring the board games it was inspired by, players work through a turn-based system, moving each of their three characters and having the option to battle enemies, and move through doors to reach new parts of the dungeon.
As you’d expect, each of your heroes – the barbarian, the wizard and the dwarf – have different strengths and weaknesses, so your first challenge is to get to grips with those to make the best moves that you can. Facing off against a range of enemies including orcs, trolls and warlocks, your aim to is to stay out of harm’s way while inflicting the most damage you can to them. I found several times while playing, that I was essentially stuck in a loop that I couldn’t get out of, and with limited places to go it was really hard to make much headway in some of the dungeons. I fully admit it could be player error on my part, but the difficulty level is a little off-putting.
As far as the controls go, there’s nothing wrong with ‘Dark Quest: Remastered’. Yes it’s a little bit clunky and some updates to the control system would have been welcome, but overall it’s fairly standard and simple to get your head around. RPGs are notorious for being a little frustrating thanks to their turn-based system, but as long as you implement a solid strategy, you should befine.
‘Dark Quest: Remastered’ will likely appeal to those that are already bought into the franchise. If you’re not a fan of retro or table-top gaming, there’s going to be little for you here. While the game’s remaster is impressive, the gameplay is limited and at times frustrating, with a difficulty level that could well make gamers give up pretty quickly. It’s great for a nostalgia trip but I don’t see a huge amount of replay value here, and that’s going to be a problem for hardcore gamers.
Publisher: Brain Seal Reviewed on: PC / Steam Also available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch Release date: 6th February 2026 Visit ‘Dark Quest: Remastered' on Steam
