Review
Disclaimer: Dream of Darkness is in pre-alpha stages. It may not reflect the final product. As such, there won't be any showcase of images. Thank you. Avatar-of-Chaos
Dream of Darkness is a visual novel, taken place in 1518 with light puzzles. You play Antón de Alaminos, a Pilot Major sailing in the Indies—along with a fleet of Naos and crew. In search of the fable phantom Isle. Bermeja.
There are some expositions to read through. This is fine, as Dream of Darkness is building context and connections to history. Having context is important—you get the idea of how the characters feel and think about everything. Although it does go into some tense racial and xenophobia tension (Ex: Portuguese and Aragonese) and circumstances of colonization. Antón, himself is uncomfortable with these ideals, as is his friendship with Taíno comes up. Learning a shocking truth. There are a lot of uncomfortable aspects that come up frequently in that challenge, getting blind-sided by the harsh language thrown around, but for me: I much preferred that the setting is historically accurate. With all its warts.
The drawings used for the scenes are great and I would like to see more of the black and white inking.
Puzzles are simple, as I breeze past them. The Astrolabe, something I have never seen before, felt like a trip back through time. I can smell the salt-waters of the Indies. As a Newfoundlander it's all I smell is salt-water.
As a visual novel, there are branching paths, a few added scenes based on the shield (Carlo) and book of hours (Padre). There are some unnecessary choices as they are intended to end the same way, regardless of what option you choose.
Dream of Darkness is an ambitious game. While it will be a long time coming to see the fruitfulness of this historical/lovecraftian fiction game and for now with the release of the prototype. The results are promising and I feel the same, as I've been starving for more original stories. I may be risking saying this, but the rewards are in sight.
"We are witnessing the birth of a new, refreshing take that breathes new life. An arc of the Cthulhu Mythos—if not, something entirely different. I think Cthu-Historica Mythos rings nicely."