Dark Auction

All that said, even with its slow moments and uneven presentation, Dark Auction’s writing and mystery kept us hooked. If you enjoy character‑driven visual novels with a darker edge, then it’s worth a look.

Dark Auction is a melancholic and deeply human visual novel that shines through its atmosphere, character stories, striking locations, strong voice acting, and memorable soundtrack. Its repetitive structure, simple auction puzzles, and limited exploration keep it from reaching its full potential, but the emotional core and mystery-driven storytelling still make it an easy recommendation for fans of slower, character-focused narratives.

Quote not yet available

Dark Auction is a graphic novel with point-and-click adventure elements. You play as Noah, a man who enters an auction to avenge his father. Throughout the game, you'll explore, chat, and complete orders, all while solving puzzles to uncover the mystery behind your father's life and death.

Dark Auction attempts an ambitious move with certain themes, but due to its use of generative AI, its focus on an abominable figure, and its disjointed ending, it falls flat.

The overall experience of Dark Auction is quite the contradiction, just like its genre-breaking story. There are moments of superb 2D-driven visual novel-style dialogue, conflicting with dull, clunky and unnecessary 3D exploration. Overall, I'd say the former still trumps the latter, and when you experience the next shocking over-the-top theatrical plot revelation during an auction, Dark Auction proves well worth the effort.

Dark Auction positions itself as a visual novel with one of the more intriguing premises tackled in the genre. Players comfortable with a rather straightforward pace and lack of challenge will likely enjoy the ride and some of the strange twists in store.

Dark Auction left me asking "why" quite a bit. Why are we calling the leader of Germany during World War II "X"? Why was AI generated art used at all, especially in a part of the story that talks about the importance of art? Why isn't this a visual novel, when the 3D exploration adds more tedium than value? Why does the ending feel like it needs a lot more context? Nevertheless, there are still a lot of good moments here, especially in the final chapters when the mystery starts to come together. It's an interesting story with some unexpected developments, but it just feels like it could have been much more than it is.

Quote not yet available

Dark Auction is a visual novel with gameplay elements that reward observant players while the plot and cast come together in an intriguing way to deliver story twists that you'll never see coming. 🏷️