Disclaimer

I was sent the Dark Fairy Tale: Dreamland Survivors to review for my blog. I understand the game is still a demo and will be a bit more lenient. That said, this will be my honest review.

What is Dark Fairy Tale: Dreamland Survivors?

Dark Fairy Tale is a survivor-like roguelike coming to Steam June 19 2025.

Play as Pinocchio as he attampts to escape his dark and twisted fairy tale. Unlock new powers, fight off monsters and their masters, and try to survive as best you can. Do you have what it takes to fight your way out of this nightmare?

Gameplay

This is a top-down autoshooter roguelike with some very cool art. Unlike other games in the genre, players unlock spells and abilities by increasing certain stats. Players can unlock more power by eating forbiden eggs at level up, or buy buying permanent powerups between runs. There are over 100 available powers to chose from, with 40 permanent buffs to create a good amount of choice for players. Like other games in the genre, the goal is to survive as long as possible, using the build earned along the way.

Impressions

I love this game’s art, but Dark Fairy Tale: Dreamland Survivors game isn’t fun. When it comes to survivor-like games, you simply have better options. My biggest issue with the game is that it feels like nothing is happening. Unlike other games with a similar loop, it just feels like you’re moving around the map collecting exp for a meaningless level-up. Leveling in this game feels meaningless. No matter what I chose, it felt like I wasn’t doing anything. This is a game where there is a grind, and it feels bad. Sure you might get a cool new animation, but watching it do absolutely nothing to overwhelming hordes or enemies is disheartening.

Another major issue I have with the game is how it handles permanent boosts. God forbid you build wrong because you will get stomped at a very early stage. This game feels like it has a solvable solution, and more often than not, the RNG won’t give you the chance to do so. The full game might have a more balance pool of abilities and skills, but I am not holding my breath.

If you’re looking for a new survivor-like, go play brotato. That is the best entry to this genre, and that is a hill I am willing to die one. That said, I am willing to give it a second chance when the full version does, until then, I wouldn’t even bother with the demo.