Bluehole Studio and Krafton plan to fully launch the medieval fantasy PvPvE battle royale extraction game Dark and Darker Mobile, which will take the popular PC game and optimize it for smartphones. In Dark and Darker Mobile, players will delve into mysterious dungeons and step into the shoes of iconic classes directly inspired by Dungeons and Dragons. In these dungeons, players can find tons of pressure chests with loot, but the thing is, there's a closing circle around the map that shrinks more and more as time goes on, causing damage to players if they step in it. The goal is to nab as much loot as possible and extract (exiting the stage via a portal) without losing all your health. Get too greedy, and you'll lose all your equipment and need to either find it again in a different match or purchase them using currency.
Dark and Darker Mobile draws inspiration from other battle royale games like PUBG and Fortnite and is definitely one of the more interesting games in its genre that we've seen in recent years. Game ZXC got to sit down with the producer of Dark and Darker Mobile, Joonseok Ahn, and talk all about the development of the multiplayer extraction battle royale and what fans can expect from its release.
The following transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity .
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Q: So, the PC version of Dark and Darker has the Druid Class. Are there any plans to bring that class over to the mobile version? Is the mobile version going to have its own unique classes in the future?
Joonseok Ahn: As you know, there are classes such as Bard and Warlock, and we plan on developing them into the mobile version, but we're not sure in what order. Specifically, the Druid class is an interesting character class. What's important is not just creating classes but making sure that we have maps that work for each class. We plan on developing mobile-specific maps as well.
And when we develop classes for Dark and Darker Mobile, we are going to keep in mind and recognize the heritage of medieval roleplaying that can be seen in Dungeons and Dragons.
Q: Are there any classes in the mobile version that didn't make the cut or that you thought weren't going to work out because of the mobile touchscreen controls?
Ahn: We are trying to change the skill systems so we can have the classes function properly for Dark and Darker Mobile. Classes like the Bard and Wizard, for example, have access to skills that are hard to perform on mobile because of limitations. Going forward, we are going to think about mobile optimization. Speaking of the Ranger class specifically, the class uses bows and arrows, and on a mobile screen, turning around quickly to deal with enemies and perform skills can be difficult. Going forward, we plan on implementing an auto-aiming system to make things easier for Ranger users.
Q: I noticed that there's a section of the main menu where you can look at pets, such as owls, wolves, and dogs. Are there any plans to interact with them in any way, like pet them or give them treats?
Ahn: Yes, you'll be able to feed them and bring them with you into the dungeons. We basically have them act as companions for players on their adventures. And in our game, we don't see it simply as a session-based competition. We plan on offering new services and RPG elements, and we want players to play very long, be excited, and have fun.
Q: Any plans for a pinging system? It would be neat to alert your teammates about a neat item or weapon that you might not need yourself.
Ahn: There's a 3D marker feature we're developing that will let players ping certain items. We also have a voice chat system in-game so players can verbally communicate with their team.
Q: How does the team plan on balancing Dark and Darker Mobile as a free-to-play game with microtransactions?
Ahn: Krafton has insight into the development of PUBG, giving us knowledge on the best ways to develop a free-to-play game. For now, we do not plan on putting out Dark and Darker Mobile as a pay-to-win type of experience—that's not our intention. The most important thing for us is that D&D Mobile players are actually having fun and being excited about the game.
Q: Obviously, D&D Mobile takes a lot of inspiration from PUBG with the closing circle that damages you over time and there's also a chicken emote that pays homage to PUBG as well. Are there going to be other Easter eggs related to PUBG or other Krafton games? Any collabs or events to look forward to in the future?
Ahn: We definitely have collaborations with other games in mind for D&D Mobile, especially PUBG. When it comes to Easter eggs, though, we want to surprise players with unexpected fun, and we are thinking about that going forward.
Q: PUBG is huge in the Esports world with competitions and huge events --do you ever imagine a world where Dark and Darker Mobile has similar appeal? Do you think there's a world where people are competing in a big event for the game to win prizes and stuff like that? Would you want that for D&D Mobile down the line?
Ahn: At Krafton, one of the most important things is making video games that are fun to watch - which is what PUBG is all about. And I think Dark and Darker Mobile will be the same. So we can imagine people gathering in a stadium or streamers doing their own streams because people just have a lot of fun watching.
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Q: What was the reasoning behind making Dark and Darker Mobile third-person? Does it work better on mobile devices that way? Are there any plans to add an option to allow players the chance to change to and from first and third-person?
Ahn: The core fun and excitement behind Dark and Darker Mobile is that you go into an unknown dungeon and have strategic or tactical adventure and exploration. We wanted to highlight and improve that, so we thought a third-person view would be best. There are currently no plans for a different camera angle option, but we are, of course, going to listen to players' feedback during the beta period and make a decision from there.
Q: The mercenary system screen is neat because you see all these guys in a pub, and you don't know whether they will be useful. But is there a plan to have a sort of lobby or somewhere where players can hang with other players? Any plans for more social elements like that to bring friends together?
Ahn: In our game, a gathering space is very important. So we plan on developing a village area and an encampment, the latter of which will allow up to 30 players to come together, and they can have their own houses, share outfits, weapons, armor, and just chitchat with each other. We are also making a Guild system.
Q: Regarding player customization, are there plans to add more options?
Ahn: We plan on adding more features and customization options as we continue to develop Dark and Darker Mobile and get closer to launch.
Q: What's the plan for a global release for Dark and Darker Mobile?
Ahn: We are conducting beta tests and expanding to other regions globally. Maybe by the end of this year or early next year, fans will hear more information from the studio regarding release announcements. However, the plan right now is to launch Dark and Darker Mobile by the end of 2024.
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