Dark Fall
| Dark Fall | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | XXv Productions |
| Publisher(s) | XXv Productions (UK) The Adventure Company (world-wide) |
| Designer(s) | Jonathan Boakes |
| Engine | Made with Macromedia |
| Platform(s) | PC |
| Release | 2002 (UK) July 23, 2003 (world-wide) |
| Genre(s) | First-person adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Dark Fall is a British first person adventure game which was independently released in 2002 by XXv Productions. It was released world-wide (and re-released in the UK) by The Adventure Company in 2003 with Dark Fall: The Journal as the box title. The game is based on the short story "Dark Fall" by Jonathan Boakes. It is a Point and click style game. It falls in the horror genre and is considered to be an Adventure game. The game has a small cult following.
Plot
When you get home from work, you run the answering machine. The message is from your brother, who's currently working on a redevelopment portfolio for his company. He pleads for you to come to the old Dowerton train station in Dorset because something is very wrong. Frightened, you get over there as fast as you can to help your brother only to find out that he as well as two other people have disappeared. You find that although you are the only one there, you're not alone, the location has a history of disappearances and hauntings.
Characters
These are the main characters and their backgrounds:
Tom Oliver: A soldier from the 1600's during the English Civil War, who was betrayed by his friend Will and taken by the dark fall while he was in the cellar of the Dowerton Inn. Note: he was, as supported by in game texts, a devout Protestant.
Betty Penfold: Daughter of Edith Penfold, who played the piano and trumpet. Hates 'common' music, and played for the guests at the inn the night of their disappearance. Had a liking for Thomas Callum, a local boy.
Edith Penfold: Hostess of the station hotel, who enjoys music.
George Crabtree: Mysterious owner of the hotel, murder suspect after his disappearence. Oldest sibling of his family, and a gifted photographer.
Arthur: George's closest friend, killed in WWII; a romantic sort. He had a bad relationship with his father, and so took refuge in the Dowerton Inn.
Matilda Fly: An actress who was laughed out of the Empire Theatre. Spent her final days at the Dowerton train station.
Tim Pike: An 11-year old boy who was captured by the dark fall while playing in the train tunnels. He helps you during the game.
Gloria Grable: A mysterious character who spent some time at the station hotel and supposedly drove a sports car, which can be found in the nearby barn.
Andrew Verney: an amateur astronomer, with a gentle, inquisitive nature, despite his penchant for red wine. He had apparently been a guest at the inn regularly for some years.
Thomas Callum: Not one of the vocal spirits, but he can be spoken to through the Ouija board. He loved Betty Penfold, the daughter of the hostess of Dowerton Inn, and also was one of the people who was consumed by the dark fall.
Peter Crowhurst: Your older brother who has made a name for himself in the architecture field. He seems to eschew the idea of hauntings or spirits until the events of the game.
Polly White: A university student who had been working on a project for school studying hauntings. She enjoys working with the computers.
Nigel Danvers: Also a university student, a classmate of Polly's. He is familiar with photography, and enjoys Chinese food.
You: The player's character. You last name is Crowhurst (assuming you share a name with your brother). You tend to leave your morning coffee lying about. You have an aloof relationship with your brother, but still care for him (since you showed up for him).
Trivia
- This game contains a plot and situations similar to a 1996 computer game titled AMBER: Journeys Beyond which was also made with Macromedia. It is not known whether the references are intentional or not.
- It may not be noted in the instruction manual in the Adventure Company release but, there is a subtitle option which may be turned on or off by pressing the F1 key during gameplay.
- The original release from XXv Productions was slightly different than the wide release from The Adventure Company:
- The CD was originally black (symbolizing darkness) with the manual, making of and a help file included on disc. These features were all removed in the re-release and The Adventure Company sold their own hint guide.
- The game menu was changed slightly in that pictures from the game were added as well as the subtitle "The Journal".
- Originally, the game did not install anything to the hard disk. When the game was inserted into the drive, the player could immediately begin play by running the executable from the CD-ROM. The Adventure Company release does the opposite in that the entire game is installed to the hard drive and the disc is not required for play.
Sequels
The game is followed by an unrelated sequel, Dark Fall II: Lights Out, which is set in a lighthouse and follows the same style of point and click. Another sequel has been announced by Jonathan Boakes which returns to the Dowerton area.