DarkMaus is an intriguing little Souls-inspired top-down RPG where you play as a little mouse who ventures deep into this dark atmospheric world, pitting yourself against powerful foes to ultimately vanquish the evil that has corrupted the land.

This indie game might be considered as a bite-sized Souls experience; I completed it in around 7 hours during my initial playthrough and although it's short, don't be fooled: it still has a surprising amount of depth, lore, complexity and it's no walk in the park. In some ways it closely adheres to the traditional formula: you have a stamina bar, equip load, a 'souls' style currency (called 'marrow' which you drop upon death), you can dodge, you can customise your character for traditional sword-and-board gameplay, larger two-handed weapons, ranged, pyromancy, and many more combat options. Each enemy/boss has their own quirks and behaviour that one must understand and master otherwise you'll wind up dead very quickly. The world itself is non-linear with many different environments, filled with shortcuts, secrets, brutal bosses, bonfires and NPCs (both helpful and nefarious). The writing is excellent and the phenomenal soundtrack, and gloomy visuals, create a surprisingly-immersive experience as one becomes invested in the world and the characters.

In many ways, however, DarkMaus innovates with some clever gameplay mechanics.The controls take a little getting used to, and I would recommend a controller. It has a twin-stick style; with running, dodging, locking-on, stamina management; careful planning and strategy is a must for your weak little mouse and it has a unique feel but very rewarding once you've mastered it. The interesting gameplay comes from the little skills/perks that you unlock as you progress. Some of these are special moves (shield bash, helicopter-style spins, berserk mode) but the most interesting are the "ghosts" of your previous deaths. Unlocked through mid-late game items, these ghostly copies of yourself accompany you and fight alongside you, adhering to the behaviour and navigation of your prior attempt: the AI of these companions is surprisingly good and it feels a bit like PvE co-op. These shadows cannot follow you into boss arenas, thankfully, as they probably would have rendered some bosses completely trivial. There are also invader-style enemies who hunt you down and steal all your stuff (reminiscent of souls PvP), which you can recover by finding and killing them. DarkMaus also has A MAP to help you navigate the myriad of paths, forests, caves, beaches, fortresses, etc. Given the simplistic graphical style and the reduced colour palate I think this was a welcome design, one that I would normally frown upon.

The most impressive thing about DarkMaus is how this rather small and simplified game can generate such an intense and dark atmosphere. The subtle soundtrack provides brooding undertones and you face off against overwhelming odds and the use of light and shadow, simple fire and smoke/fog effects show that less is more, removing mess from the screen and allowing the player to focus on combat and navigation. The sense of scale is ever-present: little spiders, insects, crabs, birds and rats tower over your tiny mouse hero and are presented as overwhelming enemies and terrifying bosses.

Originally looking at gameplay/screenshots for DarkMaus I was sceptical: it looked a bit janky, a bit like a dated flash game or something. But I'm glad I gave it a shot because it has become one of my favourite souls-like games, sitting proudly upon my hypothetical mantelpiece alongside Salt & Sanctuary. Note that DarkMaus has a really steep learning curve and it doesn't give the player much advice/direction: one must plough forward through grim persistence and experimentation; it's not for everyone. But I think it's definitely worth playing, even if you don't complete it, because it offers a truly unique world and atmosphere; clearly a lot of creative force and effort went into it, it deserves much more exposure and it's usually on sale for only a couple bucks.