Certain indie games are occasionally surprising for their engaging story or gameplay. Darkarta: A Broken Heart's Quest is no exception. It is a petite game, but at its heart houses a narrative rich with artistic talent, and the effort poured in by the developers is glaring.

Its story opens like this: Centuries in the past, a man suffered the punishment of perpetuity. A lifetime later, in 2017, on the Pirotan Islands, a family sails comfortably in a boat on serene waves. Mary had received a letter in which her adoptive grandfather told her that it was momentous for her to uncover the truth. He invited her to visit the island. Then, an eagle flew down, and visions popped up, the sky darkened announcing a great storm. A man astride an eagle descended to kidnap Mary's daughter, leaving her and her husband James adrift. Here starts out the adventure, whose mother is searching for her daughter.


Being an indie game, it captivates its existence due to its artistic beauty and narrative. The art form preaches the so-called visual novel: stationary images (almost static) with brief animations. Although the developers provide some cinematographic exercises in certain scenes of the narrative plot. Images and scenes still need aesthetic refinement to steer clear of exaggerations and saturations. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean that the art in the game is poor; it's quite the opposite, as the images are vivid, charming, orderly, and colourful, which together with the narrative are pretty reminiscent of the art of multicultural India. And as a last attribute, the music highlights the mother's mood in each scene, which adds the extra ingredient to make the player comprehend the protagonist's drama.

I am not very knowledgeable about comprehending the Weltanschauung of India. But I can point out that at all instances in-game, the narrative evokes some general thoughts from Hindu tradition, such as karma. But the setting is premised on love and its ways, following karma, past-present in the cycle of reincarnations (who broke the heart as a fulfilment of their retribution?). This can be appreciated in the way the plot unfolds, the temperaments of the characters, their names, and the places to go by (special attention in the extra scene). Being the story humble but consistent, the scriptwriters have carried out a thoughtful job in telling an enchanting tale, foreseeable but always encouraging the player to figure out details about the drama. The voice actors infused zestful performances into the characters, attaining to convey their feelings and thoughts at the same time. The story is lucid and sheer, with a plot sequence that sets out to break the cycle to go beyond and escape.


Some people rack their brains for the gendering gameplay modes. Well, in this game, some element holds sway over others. The gameplay is modest and logical; it's an ensemble of solving puzzles and seeking for specific hidden objects as a component of the quest puzzle. The interaction consists of point and click. The logic presented is consequential and ramifying. The story puzzle is addressed by solving other previous riddles and mini-games that comprise parts, portions, or segments of an object necessary for the principal task. It is logical and consistent the method to resolve them; I like that type of logic in which the obvious or usual is the answer.

The puzzles are well-invented, intuitive, and entertaining. However, the instructions on how to resolve them are, sort of, unclear. The premises that comprise such a rule are often quite general or abstract. The helpful tip was that the puzzles include symbols and signs, whereby render it feasible to deduce the answer. They are subtle but recognisable. The map indicates where to relocate when a key is obtained. Although, if you run into a hurdle finding the answer, there's a peacock where it offers you clues (responses written in the diary or a blue indication where to point and look), or you can skip them. The gameplay is minimal and entertaining. Each riddle is one-off in design. Everything is amalgamated with the narrative.


In short, the game comes with an attention-grabbing narrative that draws on its Hindu traditions. Indian art is utterly vivid; it wouldn't be a bad idea to feel inspired by its art, such as the painter Raja Ravi Varma, Madhubani art, Kalamkari or Pichhwai. It stands out for its harmonious array of colours and nuances. It's a game with a rich narrative, but it's even more delightful when it evokes oriental art, through which it can be the substance of its story, adapting epic poems similar to that of Arjuna. An indie game that provides a pleasant tang in the ātman.