Dark and Light
Dark and Light positions itself as a fantasy sandbox MMO with survival elements, built around three opposing factions, a long list of playable races and classes, and a heavy emphasis on player-driven construction. This 2017 release is also a revival of the original Dark and Light from 2006, a game that disappeared a few years later, with this newer version aiming to deliver the open-ended “make your own story” style that the original promised.
|
Publisher: Snail Games Playerbase: Low Type: Survival Release Date: July 20, 2017 Pros: +Enormous map with lots of space to explore and settle. +Plenty of races and class directions to experiment with. +Faction structure adds some identity to PvP and politics. Cons: -No longer in active development. -Performance and stability issues hold it back. -Very small community makes the world feel empty. |
Dark and Light Overview
Dark and Light is built around the idea of scale, it advertises a world spanning more than 40,000 square kilometers (about 15,000 square miles), which is often described as far larger than traditional theme park MMOs. Rather than funneling players through tightly curated zones, the game leans into wide-open land, long travel, and territorial control, with the expectation that player settlement and conflict provide much of the structure.
This version is a modern reboot of the 2006 MMORPG of the same name, rebuilt using Unreal Engine 4. The core pitch mixes MMO-style character roles with survival crafting staples. You can pursue combat-focused class paths, but there is also room for life-skill style progression and economic play, with professions that support crafting and trade. The headline system is construction, players start with a claim and basic structures, then gradually expand into larger bases and, with enough coordination, shared towns and larger “empire” style projects.
Dark and Light Key Features:
- Expansive Game World – a huge continent-scale map (15,000 square miles) designed for exploration, settlement, and carving out territory.
- Variety of Playable Races – choose from options like Humans, Elves, Orcs, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halfings, Dragons, and more, then align with one of three factions.
- Multiple Classes – mix and refine your playstyle by trying different abilities and gear, spanning both fighting roles and practical professions.
- Build a Kingdom – claim land through progression and fame, then develop it from a bare plot into a fortified settlement with friends.
- Controllable Vehicles – use travel tools and mounts designed for long distances, including dragons, paragliders, aerial cable cars, and other options.
Dark and Light Screenshots
Dark and Light Featured Video
Dark and Light Review
Dark and Light is easiest to understand as a sandbox survival MMO that tries to marry large-scale fantasy roleplaying with base building and territorial ambition. When it clicks, the appeal is straightforward: you are dropped into a massive world, you pick a race and faction identity, and you work toward a character build while establishing a foothold that can grow from a simple shelter into something closer to a player-run settlement.
Moment to moment, the game’s focus tends to revolve around gathering, crafting, and traveling to find safer or more strategically useful locations. The class concept aims to provide direction, but the broader experience is still sandbox-first, which means your goals are largely self-assigned. Players who enjoy setting their own projects, building a base, securing resources, and gradually optimizing routes will generally get more out of Dark and Light than players looking for a guided MMO campaign.
The scale of the world is both its defining feature and one of its biggest practical hurdles. A map this large can feel adventurous early on, especially when you are scouting for territory or chasing the promise of rare resources. At the same time, huge spaces demand strong technical performance and an active community to feel alive. With a low population and the game no longer receiving active development, the world often comes across as under-occupied, and some of the intended faction politics and large-scale conflict can be difficult to find organically.
Building is the centerpiece system and, in theory, the main reason to invest time. Starting from an empty plot and turning it into a functioning base delivers the familiar survival-game satisfaction, and the idea of combining multiple players’ efforts into a larger city project is a compelling long-term hook. The downside is that a thin playerbase limits the number of thriving settlements, and performance issues can make large builds or busy areas more frustrating than they should be.
From a technical perspective, optimization is the most common friction point. Even on capable hardware, the game’s ambition can run ahead of its stability, and that reality affects everything from exploration to combat. As a result, Dark and Light is best approached with cautious expectations: it contains interesting sandbox ingredients, but it is not a polished, constantly evolving MMO ecosystem.
Overall, Dark and Light is a niche recommendation in 2025 terms. If you are specifically interested in a giant fantasy survival sandbox, enjoy experimenting with races and class directions, and are comfortable with a smaller community and rough edges, there is still a unique “frontier MMO” flavor here. If you want a lively server scene, strong performance, and ongoing updates, it is difficult to recommend over more actively supported alternatives.
Dark and Light System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
Operating System: Windows 7 x64
CPU: Core i5 2500K | Phenom II X6 1055T
RAM: 8 GB RAM
Video Card: GeForce GTX 960 / Radeon HD 7870
Storage: 50 GB
Recommended Requirements:
Operating System: Windows 10 x64
CPU: Core i7-5820K 3.3 GHz or better
RAM: 16 GB RAM
Video Card: GeForce GTX 1070 or better
Storage: 50 GB
Dark and Light Music & Soundtrack
A dedicated soundtrack section has been planned, but official details have been limited, so this area remains a placeholder for now.
Dark and Light Additional Information
Developer: Snail Games
Publisher: Snail Games
Game Engine: Unreal Engine 4
Announcement Date: August 1, 2016
Release Date: July, 20 2017
Development History / Background:
Dark and Light (also referenced as Savage Horizon) is developed and published by Snail Games, a Chinese studio associated with titles like Taichi Panda and Age of Wushu. The franchise’s roots go back to the early 2000s, with the original project drawing attention for the sheer size of its world. That first Dark and Light launched in 2006 under NPCube and Farlan Entertainment and was met with a largely negative reception. Not long after, the game went offline in 2008 without a clear, formal shutdown message.
Following the closure, Snail Games acquired the property and restarted development with a modern engine foundation. Work on the reboot moved to Unreal Engine 4 and remained mostly quiet for a period, resurfacing with a teaser trailer in 2012. After that brief reappearance, the game stayed out of the spotlight until August 1, 2016, when it was officially announced during ChinaJoy 2016. The team later stated on March 14, 2016 that the Early Access window had been shifted to Summer 2017. Dark and Light ultimately arrived on Steam on July 20, 2017.