Road of Darkness
| Road of Darkness | |
|---|---|
| Game | |
 | |
| Main links | |
| Published | 9 May 2026 |
| Credits | |
| Author | Aster Fialla |
| Gameplay | |
| Interaction style |  Choice |
| Location |  Wilderness |
| Language | English |
| Cruelty scale | Merciful |
| Technical details | |
| Authoring system | Twine |
| Format | HTML |
| License | CC-BY-SA |
| IFID | CFCE4C17-9D94-4279-8AF6-9595042696E0 |
| Browse the games database • Edit this page | |
How it begins
Our heroic adventurer finds themself on a difficult road.
Notable features
Inspired by Cloak of Darkness, this is a tiny adventure designed to be easy to port to a given authoring system. However, Road of Darkness is specifically designed to showcase the features of Authoring systems for choice-based IF. Choice-based IF tends to prioritize branching paths, as well as conditional text, choices, and endings over a detailed world model. Therefore, the story and its specification are structured around highlighting those capabilities.
The "Road of Darkness" specification
The game begins in a forest. You stand before a crossroads that splits to the left and right. There is a man standing next to the path on the right, wearing a large, black, velvet cloak.
These elements can be examined at the crossroads.
- The left path is well-lit and inviting.
- The right path is shadowy and scary-looking.
- The man has a generally suspicious manner.
- The cloak is magically absorbing the light on the right path.
You are wearing a scarf, and can pick what color the scarf is.
You can start a conversation with the man at the crossroads. All conversation options with the man can be explored, and you can leave the conversation at any time.
- Ask about the left path: he will talk up how interesting and pretty it is, and encourages you to go that way.
- Ask about the right path: he will say the same thing as with the left path.
- Ask about himself: he will try to pass himself off as friendly, but it's clear that he's a dastardly thief with a dagger under the cloak.
- Ask about the cloak: he will only say it has very special properties. You realize the cloak has a tag that reads "Pull to turn off".
These choices can be taken at any time, and lead to the endings. You can't return to the crossroads once taking them.
- Take the right path.
- Take the left path.
- (Hidden at the start): If you both examine the cloak and Ask the man about himself, it will unlock the option to Steal the cloak and run.
Endings
All endings should reference the scarf and its color in some way.
Regardless of whether you take the left path or take the right path, you get the same possible endings:
- If you haven't asked about himself, he follows you down the path, which magically darkens around you. He stabs and mugs you, and you die.
- If you have asked about himself, you are ready for his attack and dodge it. You disarm his dagger and escape safely.
If you steal the cloak and run:
- If you haven't asked about the cloak, you get lost in the woods as they darken around you. You ditch the cloak to be able to see again.
- If you have asked about the cloak, you pull the tab and the magical darkness effect turns off, allowing you to escape the forest safely with the cloak.
Versions
Release 1
Date: 9 May 2026
Related games
- Inspired by Cloak of Darkness (Roger Firth; 1999; Inform 6).
Links
N.B. Many IF Archive games are temporarily unavailable in the UK.
- Originating discussion on intfiction.org.
- Author's website with more explanation.
- Itch.io link.
Date: 9 May 2026