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Several of the greatest video games ever made belong to the fantasy genre. But dark fantasy isn’t like your good ol’ regular fantasy, oh no. These are video games where morality is far more grey, where hope and clear-cut heroism are in short supply, where the atmosphere is grim and even scary, and where the characters’ goal is pure survival rather than just triumphing over evil.
Indeed, this is a genre that has produced several of the most beloved video games in history. It’s one thing for a game to be great, however, and a whole other thing for it to be downright perfect. From classics like The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask to modern gems like Elden Ring, there are only a handful of dark fantasy game masterpieces out there which could reasonably be said to be flawless.
10
‘Fear & Hunger’ (2018)
The iconic indie game Fear & Hunger was practically a one-man project. It was Finnish developer Miro Haverinen who created the entirety of this survival horror masterpiece, from the writing to the music to the programming. Set in a Medieval dark fantasy setting as atmospheric as it is creepy, it’s nothing short of one of the best dark fantasy video games of all time.
It’s a dungeon crawler unlike any other, one whose grueling difficulty and disturbingly morbid tone feel like they could have only possibly been the product of an indie development. The game is utterly uncompromising in both its gameplay loop and the grimness of its atmosphere, and that’s precisely why it’s a must-play for adult dark fantasy fans.
9
‘Diablo II’ (2000)
Blizzard’s Diablo series was born with the original game all the way back in 1997, instantly establishing itself as an action RPG franchise to look out for going forward. Its sequel, Diablo II, came only three years later, and fans still widely consider it the best of the bunch. It improved the gameplay and story progression of its already-phenomenal predecessor in substantial ways, and it’s still one of the best 2000s video games worth playing over and over.
Where does that infinite replayability come from? Perhaps from the game’s legendary randomization and tremendously deep character customization, features that fans of dark fantasy RPGs are pretty much guaranteed to appreciate. Some core mechanics definitely feel a bit dated nowadays, but they only add to the timeless charm of this wonderfully immersive experience.
8
‘Shadow of the Colossus’ (2005)
As a gorgeously-built game that has often been interpreted as one of the most profound character studies gaming has ever offered, Shadow of the Colossus is usually part of any conversation about why video games deserve to be considered an art form. Originally conceived as an online multiplayer experience, the game eventually transformed into the single-player masterpiece that fans know and love today.
It’s one of the best video game masterpieces of the last 50 years, a massively influential gem whose clunky controls never get in the way of the emotionally stirring story, the jaw-dropping visuals, or the addictive gameplay loop. With a dark setting whose tone blends poignancy and the wonder of discovery in perfectly equal measure, Shadow of the Colossus has aged as one of the most groundbreaking games of the 2000s.
7
‘Dragon’s Dogma’ (2012)
Capcom’s action RPG Dragon’s Dogma is set in the dark high fantasy world of Gransys, heavily inspired by Sicily. It’s the perfect setting for this wonderfully diverse, uniquely inventive, and satisfyingly challenging gaming experience, one of the most fun that the 2010s ever had to offer. As far as open-world games from the era go, it doesn’t get much better than this.
It’s a cult classic full of groundbreaking action, side missions that make the world feel incredibly alive and vibrant, and a level of tactical depth that few modern RPGs have ever been capable of replicating. All in all, it’s one of the best RPG game masterpieces of all time, an incredibly addictive fantasy experience that refuses to ever hold the player’s hand and is all the more rewarding as a result.
6
‘Dragon Age: Origins’ (2009)
It’s rare for a video game series’ very first installment to be the one that ages the best, but in the case of the groundbreaking BioWare franchise Dragon Age, that’s precisely the case. When fans rank the Dragon Age games, Origins is typically right up there, and for good reason. Heavily inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, this dark high fantasy masterpiece is one that every fan of the genre should play at least once.
That’s because with its incredibly deep tactical combat and fantasy world, its impeccably written story, and its fascinating lore and world-building, this is undoubtedly one of the best fantasy video games of the 2000s. Player choices feel incredibly meaningful here, and that’s pretty much the main thing that anyone should want out of an RPG.
5
‘Bloodborne’ (2015)
FromSoftware’s Dark Souls became such a massively influential groundbreaker that it led the gaming community to coin a new game genre: the “soulslike,” any game sharing Dark Souls‘ unique DNA. Unsurprisingly, it has been FromSoft themselves who have dominated the soulslike space throughout the years, and few of their games have ever achieved the kind of cult status that Bloodborne still holds to this day.
Inspired by the works of dark fantasy and horror masters like Bram Stoker and H. P. Lovecraft, Bloodborne is the ultimate Victorian video game out there. Gothic to the core and unapologetically difficult from beginning to end, it’s simply one of those fantasy video games that are perfect throughout.
4
‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’ (2015)
Andrzej Sapkowski‘s The Witcher books were quite popular in their native Poland from day one, but it wouldn’t be until CD Projekt Red released the 2007 game of the same title that the franchise would be catapulted straight into the mainstream. From that trajectory came what many would confidently refer to as the greatest piece of Witcher media ever: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Winner of over 200 Game of the Year awards and widely regarded as one of the greatest action RPGs in history, this dark fantasy masterpiece is easily one of the best story-driven video games of all time. You can get hundreds upon hundreds of hours of everlasting fun out of Wild Hunt, thanks to the balance between the engrossing narrative and the richness of the open world.
3
‘Hollow Knight’ (2017)
Saying that Hollow Knight is one of the best Metroidvania video games of all time would be an understatement. Thanks to its dark yet charming art style and its lack of graphic content (especially compared to many of its dark fantasy peers), this modern classic may look kid-friendly on the surface, but make no mistake: At its most challenging, Hollow Knight can be gleefully punishing beyond comparison.
But just like the best hyper-difficult video games, Hollow Knight always knows how to best balance that level of challenge with satisfying rewards that make blasting through the immersive Hallownest map a blast from start to finish. The bosses are legendary, the Metroidvania elements are perfectly balanced, and the whole experience is as addictive as it is replayable.
2
‘The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask’ (2000)
There are those who may argue that Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda franchise is the single biggest and most important fantasy video game series in history, and it would be hard to argue against them. There is only one Legend of Zelda game, however, that truly fits into the dark fantasy box. Fittingly, it happens to be many fans’ favorite installment: Majora’s Mask.
When fans rank the 3D Legend of Zelda games, Majora’s Mask almost always gravitates around the top, and that’s because it truly is one of the most perfect video games ever created. Its unique “save the world in three days” time loop mechanic makes for one of the most enthralling gaming experiences the dark fantasy genre has ever had to offer, and the depth of the mechanics and world make this a top-tier Zelda masterpiece.
1
‘Elden Ring’ (2022)
Co-written by George R. R. Martin of “everything but finishing A Song of Ice and Fire” fame, Elden Ring has given gamers four years to allow any kind of recency bias accusations to die down. And yet, they haven’t. That’s because at this point, it’s almost a universal truth that this is not only FromSoftware’s best and biggest game to date, but also one of the best video game masterpieces of the last 50 years.
As far as dark fantasy gaming goes, it doesn’t get much more essential than this flawless open-world RPG. The unparalleled sense of discovery, the depth of the combat mechanics, the sheer density of it all—everything in Elden Ring comes together perfectly to offer one of the most irresistibly entertaining gaming experiences anyone could ever possibly have, regardless of what genres they usually gravitate to. The soulslike difficulty that fans of the series know and love is there for those who crave it, but the gargantuan openness of the experience also makes this the perfect gateway point for those who have never played a FromSoft game.
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Diego Pineda Pacheco
Almontather Rassoul
