Darkest Dungeon is a gothic roguelike dungeon crawler in which managing hero stress is as important as winning battles, and reaching maximum stress can leave a hero afflicted with traits such as fearful, paranoid or abusive behaviour. The affliction cue became recognisable to players through countless difficult runs, shared clips and gameplay edits, where it instantly signals that a party is no longer stable. It remains popular because it condenses the game's bleak tone into a few seconds, making it a shorthand for pressure, panic and a plan unravelling.