CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

Darq

2019 horror video game developed by Unfold Games

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMar 19, 2026
Entity authorityQ59254704
Source-derived summary

Darq (stylized as DARQ) is a puzzle-platform adventure game developed by independent studio Unfold Games. Marketed as a psychological horror game, Darq follows a boy named Lloyd, who is trapped in a lucid dream state, as he manipulates the physics system which governs his dream world in order to solve puzzles and evade enemies. The game was initially released for Microsoft Windows on August 15, 2019. An updated version of the game titled Darq: Complete Edition, which collects the base game and all downloadable content, was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on December 4, 2020, and ported for multiple console platforms in March 2021.

Prior to the game's release, Darq gained significant media attention following public disclosure by Unfold Games founder Wlad Marhulets that he had rejected numerous offers from several publishers as well as an exclusivity deal with the Epic Games Store. Darq received mixed or average reviews on PC and PlayStation 5, whereas the Nintendo Switch version received a more favorable reception.

Gameplay

Darq is presented as a 2D side-scroller with greyscale graphics, and is predominantly accompanied by minimalist ambient sounds. The player controls Lloyd throughout the game, which is set in a "zero-gravity lucid dream". He can walk left or right, and interact with environmental features like picking up objects or climbing through gaps. A key gameplay mechanic is the ability to change Lloyd's perspective or his surroundings as part of the solution for the game's many puzzles.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Darq” is 2019 horror video game developed by Unfold Games. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Darq, horror and video, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2019, 2020, 2021—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 2019. For this dossier, Darq, horror and video is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “2019 horror video game developed by Unfold Games” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q59254704. None of the 2 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Darq”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Darq primary sources, Darq archive and Darq research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Darq”?
  2. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
  3. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Darq” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.