Dark Pathways

Dark Pathways

ThunderSloth · June 1, 2021 · Action, 2D Platformer, Indie, Singleplayer, Hand-drawn

Dark Pathways is free to play — no purchase needed. We track it so you know if that ever changes.

PC
8 user reviews88% · 8
This game is free to play. Get it on Steam →

Screenshots

Dark Pathways price

Dark Pathways is free to play — there is no purchase price, on Steam or anywhere else we track. We keep watching it, so if it ever stops being free the price history on this page will show when that happened and what it changed to.

About Dark Pathways

Dark Pathways is a 2D adventure game with an arcade soul that winks to pixel art. Once out of his cell, our fugitive has to find a way to survive by running along dark paths full of monsters and traps. The door is finally open; it is a mad rush of killing as many enemies as possible while trying to close the gates that allow creatures to enter this world. There is a letter, but it has been torn apart.

Gameplay Description


Your cell is finally open, and you are free to go and move in a vast maze. In the beginning, the labyrinth is empty.
In the perimeter of this maze, there are 4 gates for another dimensions, one at north, another at south, then east and west.
Every minute these gates will remain open for 30 seconds; after that, evil enemies will invade your world, ready to kill you.
The more time passes, the more enemies will be present in the maze.

So haven't got a moment to lose, you need to find one of the four Gate-Key and then find the relative gate.
You can decide to freely run and kill every monster in your path or use your stealth ability and silently evade them.
Use the Gate-Key to overload the gate circuit and blow it up.

As soon as a gate is destroyed, you get a small fragment of the Golden-Key, you must come back to your cell to secure it.
Be ready! This tiny object will attract in your direction all the enemies present in the maze while making it impossible for you to use your stealth skill.

When you bring a fragment of the Golden-Key to your cell, you will be safe for a few moments. But remember, even if inside your cell nothing changes, the entire maze out there will look now different. The paths you have been walking through might be altered or blocked.
Take advantage of your light bullets to create new tunnels and reach your destination.

Destroy all the four gates, and make the Golden Key complete again to finally finish the game.

Main Features

  • 9 amazing environment styles
  • procedural maze and traps creation
  • possibility to climb every surface
  • 6 bullet types (light, fire, thunder, ice, portal, dark) and the possibility to upgrade
  • destructible maze walls using light bullet
  • constructible maze walls using dark bullet
  • portal bullet, to fast teleport the player
  • 4 different enemies, each with different element resistance and weakness

Dark Pathways — game info

Platforms
Windows
Steam Deck
Playable
Player modes
Single-player
Controller
Full controller support
PC Game Pass
Not included

What Steam players say

Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.

Recommended Oct 6, 2021
Great game! Highly underrated tho. This deserves a lot more attention!
9 found this helpful
Recommended Jan 26, 2025
Good but rough. Dark Pathways is a cool idea but struggles to execute itself gracefully. In essence, the player has to move through the map and collect an item which will let them seal a gate. Typically the items are placed in the opposite direction of the associated gate and there is no way to hold multiple items. You will also grab ammo and fight or avoid enemies. After sealing a gate you rush back to the spawn under pressure as all enemies are alerted to your position. You have the ability to destroy terrain which can allow for creative routing. Unfortunately, the game does a poor job of explaining these mechanics, and can feel awkward to control, with the player having a strangely implemented wall jump, and frequently getting stuck on terrain. Worth a download at least.
3 found this helpful
Recommended Nov 13, 2025
Игра 'Dark Pathways' - довольно атмосферный, но местами сырой инди-хоррор. Визуально игра выполнена неплохо, особенно радует работа со светом и тенью, создающая жутковатую атмосферу. Сюжет, вроде бы, интересный, но подан слишком сумбурно, приходится собирать его по кусочкам из редких записок и обрывков диалогов. Механика передвижения ощущается немного скованной, что затрудняет погружение. В плане геймплея - это классический "симулятор ходьбы" с элементами головоломок. Головоломки в основном несложные, но иногда не совсем очевидные, что заставляет долго бродить по локациям в поисках подсказок. Монстры, появляющиеся в некоторых моментах, пугают, но их поведение кажется предсказуемым. В целом, 'Dark Pathways' - неплохая игра для любителей хорроров, которым нравится медленное повествование и исследование мрачных локаций. Однако, игра могла бы быть лучше, если бы разработчики уделили больше внимания оптимизации, ясности сюжета и разнообразию геймплея.

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