DarkMaus
A skill-based action RPG set in a corrupted world.
DarkMaus, an action role-playing game created by Daniel Wright, launched on Steam for Windows on January 26, 2016. Its story takes place in Hazath, a world that has fallen to corruption, and centers on a lone mouse trying to uncover the cause.
Combat relies on player skill, with weapons such as swords and bows, plus the ability to shoot fireballs. Enemies are far stronger than the player, so careful planning is essential, and greed is punished. Upon death, a ghost character appears to help, and over time players can collect multiple ghosts, choosing which of their weapons to use. The game starts with a steep difficulty curve, encouraging thoughtful progress, and offers several playstyles, each with distinct strengths and weaknesses.
The concept drew inspiration from the Dark Souls series. The developer documented the process in a blog, with the first entry on March 6, 2014. An early version hit Steam on September 10, 2015, and the game was designed for an Xbox controller.
Reception includes an aggregated Metacritic score of 83 out of 100 from five critics. Hardcore Gamer gave it 4 out of 5, noting that Daniel Wright created a focused, challenging experience that successfully adapts the core principles of Dark Souls.
- developer
- Daniel Wright
- release_date
- January 26, 2016
- platform
- Microsoft Windows (Steam)
- genre
- Action role-playing
- setting
- Hazath
Lore & Background
DarkMaus is set in the world of Hazath, which has become corrupted. The story follows a lone mouse who sets out to discover what has happened. The game's combat is skill based, featuring weapons such as swords and bows, and the ability to shoot fireballs. Enemies are much more powerful than the player, requiring strategic thinking to defeat. The player is punished for being greedy, and upon death a ghost character appears to assist the player. Over time, the player can collect multiple ghosts and choose which of their weapons to use. The game begins with a steep difficulty curve, encouraging thoughtful progression, and offers multiple playstyles each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
Reader's Guide
DarkMaus holds an aggregated Metacritic score of 83/100 based on 5 critic reviews. Hardcore Gamer awarded it a score of 4 out of 5, stating that the game 'successfully translates the core tenets of Dark Souls.' The game's concept was inspired by the Dark Souls series. The developer kept a blog detailing the development process, with the first entry added on March 6, 2014. An early version was released on Steam on September 10, 2015. The game was designed to be played on an Xbox controller. Its significance lies in its focused, challenging experience that adapts the punishing yet rewarding design philosophy of Dark Souls into a smaller-scale, mouse-themed action RPG. The game's legacy is as a well-received indie title that demonstrates how core mechanics of a major franchise can be effectively reinterpreted in a new context.
Did You Know?
- DarkMaus was developed by Daniel Wright.
- The game was released on January 26, 2016 for Microsoft Windows via Steam.
- When the player dies, a ghost character appears to assist them.
- The game's concept was inspired by the Dark Souls series.
More in Soulslike video games 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record