Darkiss! Wrath of the Vampire
Chapter 1: The Awakening

An interactive horror tale by Marco Vallarino
Originally written in Italian and then translated into English

Are you ready to quench your blood thirst?

Darkiss 1 is a horror text adventure written in Inform 6. You can play it on Windows using the installer darkiss1_setup.exe and also on other platforms using the file darkiss1.z5 (or darkiss1.ulx) and a Z-code interpreter, such as Gargoyle for GNU/Linux and Mac OS, Frotz for iOS, Text Fiction for Android. Darkiss1.ini is the configuration file for colors and fonts.

How it begins

You open your eyes, feeling alive again, after being... dead?

Who are you? You need time to remember.

It's dark, but you can see.

You are in a sinister place, you should be frightened. Or not?

You are unbearably thirsty, but not for water.

Crypt (in the coffin)
Hidden in the bowels of the mountain, this chamber has hosted your immortal body for centuries, while your enemies spent their miserable days hunting you down at your castle. The coffin is on a stone pedestal at the centre of the room. On the ceiling is a fresco of the red sun of Valmar. To the east a narrow tunnel leads to the other rooms of your hideout.

You're lying in the coffin, very weak. You struggle to keep your eyes open, while your necrotic flesh is recovering its former appearance. You feel a stab of pain, when you remember the stake drove through your heart. You should be dead, but you aren't. Something happened.

>_

How to play

Every command has to be inserted with the syntax verb + noun: >get , >open door, >examine coffin, >wear cloak, >ask girl about blood, >break pot...

To move from one place to another within the game world, you have to use the directions >north (or just n), >south (s), >east (e), >west (w), >up (u), >down (d).

The command >inventory (i) prints the list of the objects you have, while >look (l) shows the description of the place where you currently are.

The verbs you can use in this game are: take (t), drop, examine (x), search, read, learn, recite, count, look under, move, pull, turn, unlock, lock, open, close, wear, remove, light, insert [something in something else], put [something on someting else], tie [something to something else], attack, break, show, give, kiss, bite, ask [someone about something], answer, summon, wait, sing, sleep, listen, pour, empty, play, burn and many others.

By examining the furnitures and the details mentioned in the descriptions of the places you can find hidden objects and important information. By speaking with the other characters you can know what you have to do to obtain their help.

You can also ask for >help to the game, >save your progress on a file, >restore it, or check your >score.

If you need more information, look at this card: pr-if.org/doc/play-if-card/.

To read again these instructions type >instructions or just >info. To read the software license type >license. To have information about the game, its author and playtesters type >credits.

Have fun!

Credits

My name is Marco Vallarino, I was born in 1977 in Imperia, where I live. I work as a journalist at the newspaper Il Secolo XIX. I've written novels and short stories and I've published many books, but my real passion has always been the interactive fiction. Since I was a kid, I've played tons of text adventures, in Italian and in English, and I've also tried writing some games, using first Qbasic and later on Inform.

Darkiss 1 is my second attempt at translating a game from Italian to English, with the help of the editors and playtesters Emilio Audissino, Jacob Gunness, Marco Innocenti (who also designed the cover), Paolo Lucchesi, Ottavia Pesenti, who I truly thank for their fantastic support.

If you successfully complete the game, you'll find in the Amusing a password that allows you to enter the Crypt of Darkiss.

About Darkiss 1, I'll be glad if you let me know what you think about the style and the design of the game, writing to marco.vallarino@gmail.com. If you like it, please, rate it on the Interactive Fiction Database and write a review. For now, thanks for all the time you spend playing Darkiss 1. Have fun!

My other text adventure available in English is the comedy Save the Cheshire Cat! in which you have to find a missing cat before it's turned into a fur coat. It's a simple and short game, but I hope it's also funny: if you like cats give it a try.

Reviews

Software license

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

You are free to:

The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.

Under the following terms:

No additional restrictions - You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.