The Dark Queen of Mortholme

Here we go again.

You get to be the hero in another video game where you have infinite lives and do overs. Can't beat a boss? You get better equipment and come back. You get to try again until you are victorious!

Though, have you ever wondered what it might be like to be the Big Bad Evil Boss? What would a story look like from their point of view?

Well, in The Dark Queen of Mortholme, you get to be the final boss. You are all-powerful, and now you have to deal with the unrelenting hero who keeps coming back to your castle to defeat you. Will you be enough to keep the hero from reaching their ultimate goal of thwarting you? Find out in this Indie, fixed screen, pixel art, short game by Monster Theater: The Dark Queen of Mortholme.

The Dark Queen of Mortholme review

Having played many epic fantasy games where I was always the hero, I never thought once that I would play a game as the evil final boss. However, when I first came across The Dark Queen of Mortholme, I knew I had to give it a try.

Right from the get-go go you are placed on your throne with the hero making their way to you to vanquish you once and for all.

Like all destined showdowns, the hero comes in and claims they will defeat you. Wielding your mighty mace, you slay the hero. Rather easy if I might say so. After they have been defeated, you set their body on fire and return to your throne.

Except, before you can return to your seat, the hero has returned, ready to challenge you again. Once again, you are forced into a showdown of fates. Whether you use the massive mace again or use some dark magic, the hero is once again defeated. You snap your fingers and reduce to hero to nothing but ashes.

Again and again, the hero comes back. Every time they do, they come back stronger. They acquire new weapons, or they learn your patterns. Soon, it's like trying to hit a pesky fly that you can never quite manage to hit.

The dialogue between the hero and the queen is some of the best I have seen in a while. It's not your usual whirlwind of insults and empty-handed promises. The dialog is very thought-provoking, and you get to choose how to respond to the hero. Playing multiple times and trying out new dialog was something I really enjoyed.

After defeating the hero multiple times, the queen starts to open up to the hero. Even the way in which she burns their body changes. The queen goes from snapping their fingers over the body, to placing her hand on the hero to burn their body, to eventually embracing the hero and setting their body on fire.

I admire this progression of respect and even admiration that the evil queen shows. Very rarely do we get to see an emotional, vulnerable side of the final boss.

The game progresses like most do, with both the hero and the evil queen changing and evolving until it truly is the final fated conflict. In the end, the hero wins, and the evil queen is vanquished. Cue the end credits.

While it is a relatively short game (I think I finished the first play-through in about 15-20 minutes), it has you wanting to play it again. The pixel art gives it the old-school video game vibe that is very appropriate for the game.

I definitely recommend it to those who want a casual game that is very chill. Needing a controller to play, this game is great on the PC or on the Steam Deck. The Dark Queen of Mortholme can be purchased through Steam and is available now.

Pixigonal received a free copy of The Dark Queen of Mortholme in exchange for an honest review.