Dark Scrolls Review Roundup: Doinksoft’s $9.99 Roguelite Splits Critics
Doinksoft’s latest, Dark Scrolls, launched on June 22 on PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch, priced at $9.99, and it has split critics almost exactly down the middle between those who love its chaotic co-op runs and those who found solo play a grind. The game released on June 22, 2026, developed by doinksoft and published by Devolver Digital. Aggregator OpenCritic currently lists the game as “Weak,” rated after being reviewed by 17 critics, with an overall average score of 64, ranked in the bottom 23% of games and recommended by 29% of critics.
What Doinksoft Means By “Dungeon Scroller”
Dark Scrolls is the third collaboration between Oregon-based Doinksoft and Austin publisher Devolver Digital, following Gato Roboto and Gunbrella. Dark Scrolls is a fantasy-themed action platformer that fuses shmup-style chaos with roguelite progression and is packed with charm, challenge, and secrets. Several reviewers pointed to the same reference points for that mash-up: the game that perhaps serves as the closest point of comparison is Ghosts ‘n Goblins, with players pushed steadily from left to right while firing endless projectiles at enemies that flood the screen and continually respawn. Nintendo World Report drew an even wider net, noting Dark Scrolls is an auto side-scrolling action game that shares DNA with a handful of 8-bit classics like Gauntlet, The Legend of Zelda, and Ghosts ‘N Goblins.
Doinksoft’s own designer got ahead of the genre debate before launch. In a press release accompanying the reveal, lead designer Cullen Dwyer said, “Whenever I search for ‘roguelike’ I don’t find what I’m looking for. I get a poker game or a pachinko game or a heartfelt narrative about a Greek god or a Yu-Gi-Oh! card game. How are those at all like a 1980s turn-based, grid-locked dungeon crawler that you can play in the command line with vim control bindings? They have ‘randomness’? Pathetic. And here I am, part of the problem. Might as well call it a Metroidvania too.”
Nine Playable Heroes, From a Barbarian to a Saxophone-Playing Rat
Players begin with a choice of three heroes and can unlock six more over time. There are so many different ways to play, with six characters unlockable on top of the original three, all with their own unique abilities, movement and attack patterns. ScreenRant named the starting trio as a barbarian named Grizz, Pigeon the rogue, and Emerys, a mage reminiscent of Vivi from Final Fantasy IX. Nintendo Life’s reviewer gravitated toward Pigeon first, noting they were immediately drawn to Pigeon for his very silly name and his resemblance to Link.
Unlocking the rest of the roster is tied to an in-run currency. Players can save up 100 gems to purchase a new character, which is a tall task when a failed run might only net you three to five gems in total. That economy became a recurring sticking point: several outlets felt the game under-explains its own systems, with Nintendo World Report adding that a bit too much is left up to the player to figure out, and I would have welcomed a bit more transparency while I struggled through my first couple hours with the game.
Critics Split Along a Solo-Versus-Co-op Fault Line
The clearest pattern across reviews is that Dark Scrolls plays very differently depending on whether you’re alone or with a partner. Nintendo Life’s assessment leaned positive on the whole, headlining the game as a ‘Soulslike side-scroller’ more of a shorthand than an all-encompassing label, with significant influence from roguelikes, as well as Sonic the Hedgehog. ScreenRant, by contrast, was far harsher, describing it as Doinksoft’s newest retro-styled co-op platformer struggles to find its purpose, lacking context, reward, or even a proper game over screen.
Nintendo World Report’s review sat in between, calling the core loop fairly uninspired and rarely feels good given some awkward albeit novel conventions, while still conceding with nine playable characters from a starting roster of three and both local and online co-op, there are some sound reasons to give this one a shot. Rogueliker.com landed on a similar verdict after comparing the pacing directly to the arcade classic it echoes, concluding that Darks Scrolls might not be finding its way onto any of our top lists any time soon, but it’s still a stylish co-op platformer that can be fun in short bursts.
Free Gato Roboto and Gunbrella Through July 6
Devolver Digital paired the launch with a promotional bundle rather than a discount on Dark Scrolls itself. Through July 6, purchasing the game includes Gato Roboto and Gunbrella free. That window has since closed for new buyers, but it made the $9.99 entry price effectively cover three Doinksoft games at once during launch week, softening the risk for anyone put off by the mixed early word on solo play.
Steam’s own community response mirrored the critical split rather than resolving it. All Reviews are Mixed (119) with 63% of the 119 user reviews for this game being positive. For Australian and New Zealand players, Dark Scrolls is available now through the regional Steam store and Nintendo eShop listings alongside every other territory, with no reported delay to local storefronts.
Taken together, the reviews suggest Dark Scrolls is a game best judged by how you intend to play it rather than by a single aggregate number. Bring a co-op partner, local or online, and multiple outlets found a genuinely compulsive arcade loop worth the asking price; go in solo expecting a traditional roguelite grind, and the consensus is considerably less kind.
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