Graphics in video games have come a long way, which is why it would be a waste to have some pretty visuals overshadowed by literal darkness. Because some games have lighting so dark, one could even mistake them for a Zack Snyder DC film. While they're not necessarily gloomy or grisly, their lighting suggests otherwise, making certain scenes an eyesore for players.
While players could just tweak the gamma or brightness settings to make the darker scenes or areas brighter, it would also make the lighter areas annoyingly brighter or washed out. Some video game developers outright sacrifice visual clarity for artistic expression or probably what they perceive as adherence to realistic light behavior. These games are some of the best examples, and they need to lighten up.
7 Cyberpunk 2077
- Release year: 2020
- Platforms: Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows
When it's bright, it's good, but once players enter buildings or dimly-lit areas, Cyberpunk 2077's lighting system can be cruel to the eyes. This is a game that sorely needs flashlights. True, there are eye cybernetics that highlight objects and provide thermal vision, but they don't illuminate surroundings.
The simplest solution in Cyberpunk 2077's dark indoor areas is still a flashlight. Funny how even after two years, the developers haven't implemented that yet, seeing how it's easy to achieve. They could just use vehicle headlights as improvised flashlights. Some side quests in the game are even frustrating due to poor illumination.
6 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- Release year: 2019
- Platforms: Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order commits the same lighting mistake as Cyberpunk 2077 did. Its outdoor areas are well-lit and utilize impressive lighting. But some indoor areas just suffer due to the in-game light's limited behavior. That notorious cave section in Zeffo takes the cake.
It's a cave system that's poorly lit and impossible to traverse without Cal's lightsaber acting as a flashlight. Funny thing is, there are sources of light near its entrance and realistically, the light should have bounced off and illuminated the cave a bit more; if light behaved more realistically, players needn't have to suffer through those cave or tomb sections.
5 Battlefield 3
- Release year: 2011
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
One can often wonder what developers were trying to achieve with Battlefield 3's lighting. Because it's simultaneously too dark and too bright, depending on the scenario. Outdoor areas will burn the players' corneas with the heat of a thousand suns while nighttime or indoor areas might as well render players too blind with the need for squinting.
Indoors, it can get difficult to see enemies hiding in dark corners either due to poor lighting or an overblown implementation of Screen Space Ambient Occlusion in an attempt to make the game look photorealistic. This is most apparent in Battlefield 3's single-player campaign, which wasn't particularly well-received.
4 Doom 3
- Release year: 2004
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Xbox
Doom 3 went full horror which was puzzling since its predecessors focused more on the action gameplay than jumpscares. So it's understandable why the game keeps forcing players to trudge through dimly-lit corridors. Still, it's somewhat of an unwelcome change of pace for a lot of Doom fans.
The lighting did help with the horror elements, but it also hampered player exploration since it's harder to see buttons, levers, and pathways when players are not in gunfights. The game does give players a flashlight but its beam and illumination are ugly and almost dysfunctional.
3 Nioh
- Release year: 2017
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5
Nioh and its sequel both have oppressively and impractically dark lighting, but the former has it worse since it's an older game with a more outdated graphics engine. This Souls-like game is way too dark indoors to enjoy without getting too stressed out from accidental falls and deaths.
Cave areas and castles are the worst of them. Because despite having torches and lamps on the walls, they don't do much to shine the way. Heck, the torches don't do anything at all. Even in outdoor areas, there were plenty of times when Nioh's literal darkness can be unbearable, especially during nighttime or when it's raining.
2 Dragon's Dogma
- Release year: 2012
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
Dragon's Dogma is yet another JRPG that cheaped out on its light sources. Again in the daytime, the sun reinforces why it needs to be appreciated better; because come nighttime, there's literally no light. It's one of the earliest RPGs that adopted true realistic nighttime.
Initially, it's a good way to provide challenge and build up the atmosphere, but eventually, the pitch-black nights and dimly-lit dungeons become more of an annoyance. Those would have worked better in a first-person game if the developers were aiming for immersion.
1 Dark Souls (Original)
- Release year: 2011
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Thankfully, this genre-starter was remastered because its original version has some of the most disserviceable lighting in all Souls games. Areas like Darkroot Garden, Oolacile, New Londo Ruins, Valley of Drakes are too dark with abysmal contrast.
Oh, there's also this place called Blighttown, a perfect spot for those who want to develop glaucoma from poor lighting and induce a stroke due to frustration. And if the game wasn't clear enough that it doesn't give a shitake mushroom regarding players' visual comfort, the game introduces the Tomb of Giants area. Eyesight and sanity be damned.