Dark academia is more than an aesthetic that has long dominated social media feeds, romanticising things like tweed blazers, ivy-covered libraries, and midnight espresso. You get the idea.
However, beneath that aesthetic is the darker side of dark academia—the arts' obsession with forbidden knowledge and intellectual implosion.
From the crumbling spires of Gothic universities to the grimy, brooding streets of dystopias, here are seven games that show—in their own ways—the dark toll of too much knowledge.
Bloodborne
In this classic from FromSoftware, the brains behind the ‘Soulslike’ genre, what should have been a pathbreaking medical and philosophical experiment is taken to an extreme level, ending in a colossal catastrophe that mutates most people at the Byrgenwerth College.
The Byrgenwerth plot, which forms a part of the larger story, sees The Hunter in pursuit of the nightmare that is Rom, the Vacuous Spider, so that he can advance to the next level.
Disco Elysium
One of the best examples of your own intelligence being your undoing, Disco Elysium sees you play as Harrier “Harry" Du Bois, a detective with a decaying mind on a case in the decaying world of Revachol.
Through deep dives into sociopolitics and existential theory, the game lets you shape his very psyche, offering multiple endings to fit all kinds of bizarre life trajectories.
Dishonored
Set in the plague-stricken fictional city of Dunwall, this title from Arkane Studios shows you the dark veil of erudition: how even the educated can descend into crime.
You play as Corvo—one in a series of memorable characters in the game—a supernatural bodyguard in search of the assassin that framed you for the murder of Empress Kaldwin.
Alan Wake
You'd be hard-pressed to find better characters that fit the dark academia profile than Alan Wake, who is in search of his missing wife in the rustic, haunted town of Bright Falls.
Capturing the essence of what it means to be tormented by one's own genius, this psychological horror uses the full power of its interesting mechanics and captivating storytelling to keep you up long after the credits have rolled.
Vampyr
Set in 1918 London, Vampyr has you play renowned blood specialist and newly turned vampire, Dr Jonathan Reid, torn between honouring his craft and filling his bloodthirst .
From the game's atmosphere and its brilliant soundtrack to its plot points and combat, here is a game that pays homage to the vampire tales of yore in the finest way.
A Plague Tale: Innocence
Despite being a stealth puzzler, this offering from Asobo Studios features many elements of survival horror—one that is less supernatural and more rooted in the gritty, rat-infested reality that Amicia de Rune and her little brother must overcome.
For these kids, the dark knowledge of alchemy and other forbidden truths not only becomes their superpower against the French apocalypse, but also a responsibility, that comes with its own burdens.
BioShock
Set in the 1960s, this title from 2K Studios set the ball rolling for one of the most well-known franchises in gaming history.
Rapture—the central location in the game—is a literal "underwater university" experiment gone wrong, offering insights into how unchecked intellectual ambition in an individual utopia collapses on itself, leaving behind the psychotic creatures that our hero, Jack, takes head-on.