14 months after leaving Steam after legal issues, Dark and Darker goes free-to-play - but you'll still need to pay if you want to "experience everything the game has to offer"

Dark and Darker, which was once one of the most wishlisted games on Steam before it was pulled from the platform, has suddenly introduced free-to-play accounts, allowing players to experience "some" of what the first-person dungeon-crawling PvPvE adventure has to offer.

The news was announced yesterday along with a fresh hotfix, with developer Ironmace explaining that players can now have either a free account or a 'Legendary' one – fans who already bought either the Standard or Founders editions have been automatically upgraded to the latter. Although the game is now being called 'free to play,' Ironmace appears to describe it more like an extended demo, noting that those who "want to experience everything the game has to offer can upgrade their accounts."

So, what's the difference between the two? Free accounts will only be able to create one character and play Normals on maps (so, no option to play the more intense High Roller dungeons). They'll still be able to do quests and "build a stash of loot," though. 

"We hope that this free version will give players a chance to experience some of what Dark and Darker has to offer, and to give players who have not played since the playtests a chance to see what's new before they dive in and become a ‘Legendary’ adventurer," Ironmace writes.

For now, Dark and Darker is still only playable via the Blacksmith game launcher, although earlier this year, Ironmace announced that it'll eventually be coming to the Epic Games Store. When that'll be is another matter, as it still shows as just 'coming soon' on its store page. 

As for how account upgrades work, Ironmace states that anyone with a free-to-play account will be able to upgrade to Legendary "in a few days with the start of the new season." So, if you've already given it a go and are keen to try the full experience, it sounds like you'll have to sit tight for a little while. 

Last year, Ironmace was accused of allegedly stealing assets from game publisher Nexon, but the studio's CEO said "ABSOLUTELY NO stolen assets or code were used to make our game."