Darktopia drops you onto a strange planet,
largely bereft of support, facing some rather terrible odds. A malignant force
is at work here, and without some help Lorraine may very well be facing the end
of her life. This article provides a bit of that help (in conjunction with thiswalkthrough) by detailing the items and enemies of Darktopia, and how they'll
all come in handy.
Items
- Expedition Log - Telling the story of Darktopia, the Expedition Logs are found at the beginning of new areas. They serve no purpose beyond detailing how deep the rabbit hole goes… and it goes pretty deep.
- Power Boots - Located in A2. The Power Boots allow you to jump via the Z key. Nifty.
- Accelerator - Located in A9. Hold down the Shift key while you have the Accelerator equipped and Lorraine will break into a dash for a few seconds, usually with the effect of launching you a bit further when you jump. The Accelerator also allows you to move more quickly underwater.
- Blaster - Located in A5. Your staple weapon for most of the game, the Blaster does light ranged damage to most enemies. It has unlimited ammunition, but if you use it for too long it will overheat. Note that you can point the Blaster up and down as well as side to side.
- Jump Booster - Located in B3. The Jump Booster allows you to jump a second time when you're in the air. This includes while simply falling from a platform rather than jumping off of it.
- Rocket Launcher - Located in C6. Your alternative weapon, the Rocket Launcher hits a lot harder than the Blaster - with the trade off that you need to collect extra rockets from enemies and crates to use it. You can switch between the Blaster and the Rocket Launcher with the C key.
- Emergency Barrier - Located in C9. The Emergency Barrier slightly extends the moment of invincibility whenever you get hit, giving you more time to flee from danger.
- Rebreather - Located in A4. Normally when you swim you face oxygen deprivation. Find the Rebreather and you'll eliminate the deadly countdown.
- Rune Shield - Located in D11, held by Caleb. Once equipped, the Rune Shield will frighten ghosts and force them to flee whenever you enter the room.
- Idol - Located in D16. The last item in the game. It has no in-game function - though grabbing it DOES spark the final boss battle.
- Steroids - Located in B10, D2, and C14. Steroids increase your maximum health by one.
- Keycards - Green, yellow and red, located in A14, B11 and C17, respectively. The Keyards allow you to open doors of the same colour.
Enemies
Buzz
Saws - There are two variations of these traps. The
first is small and moves slowly. The second is larger and moves more quickly.
Both will plague you throughout the game, and should only prove a great
nuisance if there are other enemies around.
Zombies - Ambling horrors without much to do, the yellowish zombies are the
easiest enemies to deal with. Shoot them from a distance or simply jump over
them.
Bats - Flying creatures with little durability. Bats fly either up and
down or left and right in a predictable, slow pattern.
Ghouls - Though stylistically similar to zombies, ghouls act very
differently. They'll remain static until you get close, at which point they'll
come towards you specifically - and they won't stop unless you get far enough
away, or are on a different level. Ghouls are persistent, tough and can jump.
Don't expect a heap of boxes to protect you from one.
Ceiling
Cannon - Though sometimes situated on walls, these
cannons are usually found hanging from ceilings. Their function is the same
either way: they periodically unleash balls of plasma in one direction. Timing
will render them useless. Be careful not to jump into the Cannon itself or
you'll take damage.
Laser
Traps - Typically timed and situated in
geographically-inconvenient locations, Laser Traps go off at regular intervals.
Get caught in the beam and you'll take damage. Watch the pattern and run
through when they switch off for a few seconds.
Ghosts - Possibly the most annoying enemy in the game. Ghosts will follow
you everywhere if you get too close, and your weapons won't make a scratch in
them. The only way to kill a ghost is to detonate a nearby floating eyeball…
and for the majority of the game, that won't be an option. You can usually deal
with ghosts by getting them stuck under platforms, though not always.
Floating
Eyeballs - Putrid pink creatures, eyeballs will
descend if you're below them. If an eyeball gets too close it will blow up and
cause damage. This can work to your advantage, as destroying one can cause a
chain reaction with other, nearby eyeballs. As noted above, destroying an
eyeball is the only way to get rid of a ghost.
Caleb - A fellow science team member gone mad! Caleb is an optional boss
fight, and not a difficult one at that. Stand in the middle of his area and
jump whenever he approaches or fires a shot. Target him with rockets for a
quick kill.
Boss
Ghost - The head honcho of these horrific ruins.
This ghost hovers quietly along the top of the screen, summoning rockfalls,
ghouls and eyeballs to do its dirty work. Avoid these attacks, wait for an
eyeball to get near the ghost, and fire off a rocket. Properly timed the
explosion will damage the boss. Do this four times to beat the game!
