Twelve kinds of taste
Which one are you?
Rate five things you know, from any shelf. Your archetype shows up in about a minute, and gets sharper with every log.
Rate five things you know, from any shelf. Your archetype shows up in about a minute, and gets sharper with every log.
Adventure, Mystery
The game is a mystery adventure centering on the idea of a historical figure having surreptitiously bequeathed a fictitious estate, following the drama that plays out among the characters faced with an enigma extending all the way into their modern world.
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Plot-driven, raw, contemplative and dark.
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A few lines from each review; the whole review is on the critic's site. Not part of Taste Buds's numbers.
Noisy PixelJan 20269/10Dark Auction is a gripping narrative-driven mystery that explores memory, guilt, and survival through a morally complex story shaped by an ensemble of deeply written characters. Written by Rika Suzuki (Hotel Dusk, Another Code) and featuring a haunting soundtrack by Yuko Komiyama and Tsukasa Masuko, the game blends visual novel elements with light investigation mechanics. While its linear structure may limit replayability, its strong voice acting and thematic depth make it a standout for fans of thoughtful mystery games.
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Pure NintendoSophie HinerFeb 20267.5/10Dark Auction is a graphic novel with point-and-click adventure elements. You play as Noah, a man who enters an auction to avenge his father. Throughout the game, you'll explore, chat, and complete orders, all while solving puzzles to uncover the mystery behind your father's life and death.
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TheSixthAxisAdrian BurrowsFeb 20267/10The overall experience of Dark Auction is quite the contradiction, just like its genre-breaking story. There are moments of superb 2D-driven visual novel-style dialogue, conflicting with dull, clunky and unnecessary 3D exploration. Overall, I'd say the former still trumps the latter, and when you experience the next shocking over-the-top theatrical plot revelation during an auction, Dark Auction proves well worth the effort.
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Cubed3Eric AceFeb 20266/10Dark Auction falls into a rare spot that the plot and writing is actually pretty interesting but the story is still tough to recommend. The characters feel real, and the tension and mystery is very good, but it goes nowhere fast. There are certainly some other problems such as the auction puzzle parts being a big letdown, and the main mystery not being as big as it first seems, but mostly it is just that more needs to happen. The overall plot meanders, and it really grinds down what should have been a brisk and interesting story that could have been told in half the time or less.
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MonsterVineSamantha LienhardFeb 20263/5Dark Auction left me asking "why" quite a bit. Why are we calling the leader of Germany during World War II "X"? Why was AI generated art used at all, especially in a part of the story that talks about the importance of art? Why isn't this a visual novel, when the 3D exploration adds more tedium than value? Why does the ending feel like it needs a lot more context? Nevertheless, there are still a lot of good moments here, especially in the final chapters when the mystery starts to come together. It's an interesting story with some unexpected developments, but it just feels like it could have been much more than it is.
Read the reviewSnippets via OpenCritic, where 53% of critics recommend it.
IGDB rating 7.3/10 from 2 ratings.
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Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Is the roughness the point?”
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“Would a little humor have helped?”
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“Is the story better than the gameplay?”
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