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About DARKTIMES
What is DARKTIMES?
DARKTIMES is a free-to-play Brawler Royale set in an ominous, Nordic-inspired mediaeval world, built on a physics-based combat system. The developers describe it as combining the epic scale of classic ARPGs with the chaos of intense PvP, in a gritty world laced with humour rather than played entirely straight. The framing device is the Blood Queen's Challenge: before entering, players swear the Blood Queen's Oath and bind themselves to the rules of the realm.
How to play DARKTIMES
Combat is the draw, and it is physical rather than stat-driven — swings, weight and momentum decide fights, which is what separates a brawler royale from a shooter royale. Around it sits character progression and a lore layer covering the Seven Realms, backed by an animated trailer series that tells the story in two parts. The game is distributed as a download, reached by agreeing to the terms on the official site, which also emails the links out for anyone who cannot download immediately.
DARKTIMES tokens and rewards
The project has its own token, $TIMES, and an in-game store built around it. A premium tier called the Slayer's Circle is announced as coming soon, promising rare items, premium rewards and exclusive access for members. The game itself remains free to play, with the paid layer positioned as optional rather than as the price of entry.
Our verdict
DARKTIMES is a free-to-play brawler royale set in a Nordic-inspired medieval world of blood magic, built by Big Kid Studios in partnership with Blowfish Studios, Animoca Brands' in-house game studio. It runs on Sui, the layer-1 from Mysten Labs, and its economy is denominated in $TIMES, a token issued by Social Republic Limited.
The combat is the reason to look. It is physics-based: weight, momentum and the arc of a swing decide a fight, whether you are in close with a weapon, at range, or casting. Around it sit character progression, a lore layer covering the Seven Realms, and a framing device in the Blood Queen's Oath that every player swears before entering.
The economics are where the caution belongs. $TIMES is described as deflationary, with staking rewards and in-game benefits attached, which means the value of what you earn moves with a token and with your play. Ownership entered through Genesis NFTs distributed in the Rune Run campaign, which granted early access and no gameplay advantage. Mysten Labs' pitch for Sui here was that wallet creation and gas fees stay out of the player's way.
Release has been staged slowly: a first playtest at Korea Blockchain Week, then an alpha to selected users. Anyone evaluating it should treat the published roadmap as the developer's plan, since the product has not shipped, and check playdarktimes.com for the current build and the state of the announced Slayer's Circle tier. It suits players who want physical, chaotic melee combat and are comfortable with an early-stage release; anyone wanting a finished game with a settled economy will find the current build early.
This is our own editorial assessment. We do not score games — ratings come from players.
DARKTIMES pros and cons
What we like
5 pros- Physics-based brawler royale combat where weight and momentum decide fights
- Free to play, with the paid Slayer's Circle tier optional
- Top-down camera, ragdoll humour and dark medieval comedy
- Five distinct fighters, from a raging giant to a holy warrior
- Built by Big Kid Studios with Animoca Brands' Blowfish Studios
What to watch
4 cons- Still in staged playtests and alpha, not a finished release
- $TIMES token rewards move with the token's price
- Chaotic PvP brawls will frustrate players who prefer precise combat
- The Slayer's Circle premium tier is announced but not yet open
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