The Dark Queen of Mortholme Review
The Dark Queen of Mortholme flips the dynamics of the action RPG power fantasy and delivers more than just the commentary of its gimmick.
The Dark Queen of Mortholme. Credit: Mosu / Monster Theater
Developer Mosu’s The Dark Queen of Mortholme is a self-reflexive experience that examines the nature of video game storytelling and player behavior. However, the game isn’t just a clever deconstruction of game tropes, but also a moving story about change and being left behind.
You are the Dark Queen, the villain and final boss waiting in the throne room in the tallest tower of your castle. The Hero arrives, who you unceremoniously crush with your giant spiked scepter. But the story doesn’t end there. The Hero keeps coming back, each time a little stronger and a little more skilled. The Queen questions why he insists on returning only to die again, while the Hero asks why the Queen refuses to change or leave the confines of her tower.
The Dark Queen of Mortholme. Credit: Mosu / Monster Theater
As the Dark Queen, you are both an obstacle and a victim. As the static final boss, you are powerful, but unchanging. Meanwhile, the Hero represents players of a game, who systematically throw themselves against you, learning and growing until they beat you. You start to empathize with the boss, whose only job is to wait alone in her tower, waiting to be bested, but wanting to be left alone, because deep in her heart, she doesn’t want to be there but has no other choice. The gameplay is intentionally limited to serve the game’s message; you have devastating boss attacks, but they begin to feel sluggish and futile despite their power as the hero learns to negotiate them.
The multiple-choice conversations between the Hero and the Queen explore themes of persistence, mortality, and existence, and often, what you choose not to say is as powerful or more so than what you do. The Hero maintains relentless optimism about growth, while Queen is trapped in her role, unable to change. There’s genuine pathos in the writing, the moving emotional core of the game.
The Dark Queen of Mortholme. Credit: Mosu / Monster Theater
The entire game takes place on a single screen, the throne room. It’s rendered with beautiful pixel art that deftly builds the somber atmosphere. Flickering candles and floor reflections add life to the scene, and subtle changes to the character sprite animations over the course of the story carry a lot of emotional weight.
The Dark Queen of Mortholme is a short 30 minutes long, designed to be completed in a single sitting. However, the game stayed with me long after the credits rolled. The genuine humanity on display here elevates the game beyond a thoughtful exercise in metatextual criticism. The Dark Queen of Mortholme doesn’t just hold a mirror up to its medium, it does to us as well.
The Dark Queen of Mortholme is available now on Steam.
Overall Score: 8/10
Played on: Steam Deck
