Veil of Darkness
Encyclopedia
Veil of Darkness is a horror-action-adventure game for the PC
, which was developed by Event Horizon Software and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc.
in 1993. Veil of Darkness is a third person, 2D point-and-click adventure game with RPG
elements featuring a fixed isometric perspective and a fair share of action-RPG style combat
.
point of view, and an inventory
system. The player moves around in a dark valley, solving puzzles and occasionally killing monsters like werewolves, vampires and skeletons. Although VoD lacked a skill system, it can be regarded as one of the spiritual ancestors of popular action RPGs like Diablo
or Sacred.
The screen is divided into a playing area on the top portion and a control panel at the bottom. The control panel is customizable in size. The playing area is viewed from an isometric angle.
All actions were controlled by the mouse and by areas / items within the control panel. A player can use either arrow keys for guiding movement or the mouse.
The game is non-linear: (it could be considered a precursor to the open environment games prevalent in the new century) the player can wander about and explore freely within an area, but certain places or actions cannot progress until the Player has done certain actions and/or found certain items.
In conversations, the Player can click on a certain underlined word to pursue that topic, or the Player can type a word when the input cursor appears. If the typed word is appropriate, the Player will receive a response. To end a conversation, the Player would click 'Bye' or type 'Bye'.
The inventory can hold several items, and the Player can also find bags and pouches that enable the Player to carry more items.
There is an indication in the control panel for weight (the knapsack bulges when inventory is too heavy), and for health (the Player character in a coffin becomes a skeleton progressively from the feet upwards).
There is a 'mirror' that will indicate if the Player have an ailment (aged, cursed, etc.), and also certain ailments show on the Player’s face in the Player portrait in the control panel.
The puzzles are typical of a point-and-click adventure game. Some of them require very good reasoning. The puzzles consist mainly of:
Different weapons work with different enemies, so the Player needs to find the right weapon for each battle. Also, one needs to find different plants (and sometimes other items) to cure different ailments.
Kairn is the local vampire lord who long ago murdered his father and brothers so he could inherit control of the valley. Becoming a vampire, he's used his powers to cut off contact with the outside world. The valley rests in perpetual darkness or as the game’s title suggests a “veil of darkness” and the Player moves about the map, learning of new locations from the populace as you assist in various quests.
As Kairn has cut off all ways out of the valley, the only way the Player is going to leave is by fulfilling the Prophecy, an ancient curse put upon Kairn by his original source of power, a tome known as the Agrippa. The Player uses the Prophecy scroll as a guide and after bringing aid to many in the village, finally confronts Kairn at his fortress.
The Player defeats Kairn by performing a number of tasks that weaken the vampire to the point that a stake in the heart will kill him. The tasks are;
Upon the destruction of Kairn, the Player and Deidre head for America via steamer ship.
The Player assumes the role of a cargo pilot whose appearance is that of a young Caucasian male with blond hair. The Player can type in any name or alias they wish, and all in game characters will often refer to him by that name.
Kairn
Kairn is the primary antagonist of the game. An evil nobleman who’s become a vampire and subsequently plagued the valley he rules over with an iron fist. Kairn’s origins and back story are revealed in a story called The Forge of The Evil Heart which can be found preceding the Prophecy in the game manual.
A major plot point of Veil of Darkness is the Player’s need to discover the real name of Kairn. The name - contained in the pages of the Agrippa - is chosen randomly from a long list.
A partial list of those names include: Beaulu, Bhenblod, Brcko, Dauthr, Drak, Malachi, T'san, Yfelan.
Kirill Khristoverikh
The richest and most powerful man in the Valley, Kirill acts as a guide for the Player and instructs them in the Prophecy. He is also quite corrupt, despite wishing to free himself and the others from Kairn’s evil grip, he willingly hands his daughter to the vampire and keeps his son, Andrei in an upstairs bedroom as a zombie. Unwilling to kill him.
Deidre Khristoverikh
The female lead, she is the one who saves the player’s character and is later given to Kairn by her father Kirill. Deidre plays a small active role in the game itself, merely acting as a love interest and a damsel in distress for the end battle.
The Agrippa
The Agrippa is an ancient and powerful book of dark magic. Used by Kairn to achieve his power, he later saw it as a threat and had it chained in a secret room, in a cave. It threw a curse on him which is the prophecy that forever threatens Kairn.
When the player speaks with the Agrippa, they become affected by the Brimstone curse and must remedy it by using the Dismissals of Evil Vol. III, which is located in Kairn’s fortress. No one will talk to, or help them until the curse has been removed.
THE MONK; The Monk resides in the monastery and helps the player with religious items. He can bless weapons, and water to make them holy. He's also adept in the rite of resurrection.
SYLVA; A local woman who is secretly a werewolf. The player must confront her to form a transformation and then shoot her with silver bullets to kill her.
BORIS; The husband of Sylva, he’s clueless to the fact that she is a werewolf. He becomes distraught after her death.
GHEORGHE;
NIKOLAE;
CONSTANTINE;
MONIKA;
ALEKSAI;
CRAZY FRANK; Crazy Frank lives in a small cabin in the woods. Using a voodoo doll, the Player can extract the location of the cave in which the Agrippa is held prisoner.
CATHERINE;
JOSEP;
CHRISTIANA;
PIUS; A cursed man in the monastery, he cannot stop writing. Only when player requests his Quill is he released.
MIHEALA;
BAYARD;
MIHAI;
IULIU;
ELIZABETA;
CLAUDIA;
SETH; The bartender and owner of the Severed Head tavern.
ANTON;
MISCHA THE MINSTREL; A musician who hangs out at the Severed Head tavern. He is killed by the werewolf and his violin is one of the lost items requested from Kairn’s brothers.
ERASMUS;
ANNABELLE; The local herbalist who helps the Player create various herbal remedies.
JASCHA;
KREGORH;
MARIA; The gypsy fortune teller.
NATALIA: A young girl whom the player must rescue from a sickness.
IVAN; The Man-Servant of the Khristoverikh family.
ION;
THE FERRYMAN; The cursed spirit who allows you to travel across Lake Blackwater to visit the island.
SOPHIA;
LUCIAN;
CARMEN; The Gypsy healer.
AMBROSE;
EUSTACE;
MATTHIAS; A guest at the hotel, he spends his time staring at a mirror and reveals the location for Crazy Frank.
CAROLUS;
ANDREI KRISTOVERIKH: The son of Kiril, he has become a zombie and kept in a locked room at Kiril’s house.
The Family of Kairn
The father and brothers of Kairn haunt a tomb in the mausoleum. The seven souls will offer him aid by revealing the box containing the sun (which Kairn has removed from the valley) but only after the Player retrieves a beloved item from their former life, for each of them. The seven items are; rapier, old coin, quill, hunting cap, violin, dagger, diamond and signet ring.
ALEKSANDER; One of the brothers of Kairn, he was killed in a tavern. His spirit is later summoned to help the Player defeat Kairn.
FEODOR; One of the brothers of Kairn, he was attacked in the night and had his skull crushed. His spirit is later summoned to help the Player defeat Kairn.
NATHAN; One of the brothers of Kairn, he was killed in Dark Forest while hunting. Nathan was attacked by something. The creature was never found. His spirit is later summoned to help the Player defeat Kairn.
MICHAEL; One of the brothers of Kairn, he contracted a strange disease and died. His spirit is later summoned to help the Player defeat Kairn.
KHRISTIAN; One of the brothers of Kairn, he died suddenly in his sleep. His spirit is later summoned to help the Player defeat Kairn.
PETER; One of the brothers of Kairn, he drowned while boating on lake Blackwater. His spirit is later summoned to help the Player defeat Kairn.
NIKOLAE; the father of Kairn, He died from a mysterious stranger as he slept. His spirit is later summoned to help the Player defeat Kairn.
The prophecy is written as such;
and DarkSpyre
.
Strategic Simulations, Inc. was bought by Ubisoft Entertainment in 2004.
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, which was developed by Event Horizon Software and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Strategic Simulations, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher with over 100 titles to its credit since its founding in 1979. It was especially noted for its numerous wargames, its official computer game adaptations of Dungeons & Dragons, and for the groundbreaking Panzer General...
in 1993. Veil of Darkness is a third person, 2D point-and-click adventure game with RPG
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
elements featuring a fixed isometric perspective and a fair share of action-RPG style combat
Combat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
.
Gameplay
Veil of Darkness features an isometricIsometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
point of view, and an inventory
Inventory
Inventory means a list compiled for some formal purpose, such as the details of an estate going to probate, or the contents of a house let furnished. This remains the prime meaning in British English...
system. The player moves around in a dark valley, solving puzzles and occasionally killing monsters like werewolves, vampires and skeletons. Although VoD lacked a skill system, it can be regarded as one of the spiritual ancestors of popular action RPGs like Diablo
Diablo (video game)
Diablo is a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North and released by Blizzard Entertainment on December 31, 1996....
or Sacred.
The screen is divided into a playing area on the top portion and a control panel at the bottom. The control panel is customizable in size. The playing area is viewed from an isometric angle.
All actions were controlled by the mouse and by areas / items within the control panel. A player can use either arrow keys for guiding movement or the mouse.
The game is non-linear: (it could be considered a precursor to the open environment games prevalent in the new century) the player can wander about and explore freely within an area, but certain places or actions cannot progress until the Player has done certain actions and/or found certain items.
In conversations, the Player can click on a certain underlined word to pursue that topic, or the Player can type a word when the input cursor appears. If the typed word is appropriate, the Player will receive a response. To end a conversation, the Player would click 'Bye' or type 'Bye'.
The inventory can hold several items, and the Player can also find bags and pouches that enable the Player to carry more items.
There is an indication in the control panel for weight (the knapsack bulges when inventory is too heavy), and for health (the Player character in a coffin becomes a skeleton progressively from the feet upwards).
There is a 'mirror' that will indicate if the Player have an ailment (aged, cursed, etc.), and also certain ailments show on the Player’s face in the Player portrait in the control panel.
The puzzles are typical of a point-and-click adventure game. Some of them require very good reasoning. The puzzles consist mainly of:
- Piecing together what the Player learns from conversations.
- Finding and using objects.
- Finding ways to get into locked areas or past a guardian.
Different weapons work with different enemies, so the Player needs to find the right weapon for each battle. Also, one needs to find different plants (and sometimes other items) to cure different ailments.
Plot
The Player assumes the role of a cargo pilot whose plane is shot down by a mysterious force while flying over a remote valley in Romania. A helpful village girl named Deirdre Kristoverikh rescues the Player from the crash and takes the Player to her father Kiril, who informs them that their arrival via plane crash marks them as the chosen one who is prophesized to destroy Kairn.Kairn is the local vampire lord who long ago murdered his father and brothers so he could inherit control of the valley. Becoming a vampire, he's used his powers to cut off contact with the outside world. The valley rests in perpetual darkness or as the game’s title suggests a “veil of darkness” and the Player moves about the map, learning of new locations from the populace as you assist in various quests.
As Kairn has cut off all ways out of the valley, the only way the Player is going to leave is by fulfilling the Prophecy, an ancient curse put upon Kairn by his original source of power, a tome known as the Agrippa. The Player uses the Prophecy scroll as a guide and after bringing aid to many in the village, finally confronts Kairn at his fortress.
The Player defeats Kairn by performing a number of tasks that weaken the vampire to the point that a stake in the heart will kill him. The tasks are;
- Protecting themself from Kairn's hypnotic powers
- Finding the sun box and releasing the light.
- Striking Kairn with a vial of holy water.
- Calling Kairn by his real name.
- Nailing his coffin shut.
Upon the destruction of Kairn, the Player and Deidre head for America via steamer ship.
Main characters
The PlayerThe Player assumes the role of a cargo pilot whose appearance is that of a young Caucasian male with blond hair. The Player can type in any name or alias they wish, and all in game characters will often refer to him by that name.
Kairn
Kairn is the primary antagonist of the game. An evil nobleman who’s become a vampire and subsequently plagued the valley he rules over with an iron fist. Kairn’s origins and back story are revealed in a story called The Forge of The Evil Heart which can be found preceding the Prophecy in the game manual.
A major plot point of Veil of Darkness is the Player’s need to discover the real name of Kairn. The name - contained in the pages of the Agrippa - is chosen randomly from a long list.
A partial list of those names include: Beaulu, Bhenblod, Brcko, Dauthr, Drak, Malachi, T'san, Yfelan.
Kirill Khristoverikh
The richest and most powerful man in the Valley, Kirill acts as a guide for the Player and instructs them in the Prophecy. He is also quite corrupt, despite wishing to free himself and the others from Kairn’s evil grip, he willingly hands his daughter to the vampire and keeps his son, Andrei in an upstairs bedroom as a zombie. Unwilling to kill him.
Deidre Khristoverikh
The female lead, she is the one who saves the player’s character and is later given to Kairn by her father Kirill. Deidre plays a small active role in the game itself, merely acting as a love interest and a damsel in distress for the end battle.
The Agrippa
The Agrippa is an ancient and powerful book of dark magic. Used by Kairn to achieve his power, he later saw it as a threat and had it chained in a secret room, in a cave. It threw a curse on him which is the prophecy that forever threatens Kairn.
When the player speaks with the Agrippa, they become affected by the Brimstone curse and must remedy it by using the Dismissals of Evil Vol. III, which is located in Kairn’s fortress. No one will talk to, or help them until the curse has been removed.
Supporting characters
These are the denizens of the valley, the people the Player encounters.THE MONK; The Monk resides in the monastery and helps the player with religious items. He can bless weapons, and water to make them holy. He's also adept in the rite of resurrection.
SYLVA; A local woman who is secretly a werewolf. The player must confront her to form a transformation and then shoot her with silver bullets to kill her.
BORIS; The husband of Sylva, he’s clueless to the fact that she is a werewolf. He becomes distraught after her death.
GHEORGHE;
NIKOLAE;
CONSTANTINE;
MONIKA;
ALEKSAI;
CRAZY FRANK; Crazy Frank lives in a small cabin in the woods. Using a voodoo doll, the Player can extract the location of the cave in which the Agrippa is held prisoner.
CATHERINE;
JOSEP;
CHRISTIANA;
PIUS; A cursed man in the monastery, he cannot stop writing. Only when player requests his Quill is he released.
MIHEALA;
BAYARD;
MIHAI;
IULIU;
ELIZABETA;
CLAUDIA;
SETH; The bartender and owner of the Severed Head tavern.
ANTON;
MISCHA THE MINSTREL; A musician who hangs out at the Severed Head tavern. He is killed by the werewolf and his violin is one of the lost items requested from Kairn’s brothers.
ERASMUS;
ANNABELLE; The local herbalist who helps the Player create various herbal remedies.
JASCHA;
KREGORH;
MARIA; The gypsy fortune teller.
NATALIA: A young girl whom the player must rescue from a sickness.
IVAN; The Man-Servant of the Khristoverikh family.
ION;
THE FERRYMAN; The cursed spirit who allows you to travel across Lake Blackwater to visit the island.
SOPHIA;
LUCIAN;
CARMEN; The Gypsy healer.
AMBROSE;
EUSTACE;
MATTHIAS; A guest at the hotel, he spends his time staring at a mirror and reveals the location for Crazy Frank.
CAROLUS;
ANDREI KRISTOVERIKH: The son of Kiril, he has become a zombie and kept in a locked room at Kiril’s house.
The Family of Kairn
The father and brothers of Kairn haunt a tomb in the mausoleum. The seven souls will offer him aid by revealing the box containing the sun (which Kairn has removed from the valley) but only after the Player retrieves a beloved item from their former life, for each of them. The seven items are; rapier, old coin, quill, hunting cap, violin, dagger, diamond and signet ring.
ALEKSANDER; One of the brothers of Kairn, he was killed in a tavern. His spirit is later summoned to help the Player defeat Kairn.
FEODOR; One of the brothers of Kairn, he was attacked in the night and had his skull crushed. His spirit is later summoned to help the Player defeat Kairn.
NATHAN; One of the brothers of Kairn, he was killed in Dark Forest while hunting. Nathan was attacked by something. The creature was never found. His spirit is later summoned to help the Player defeat Kairn.
MICHAEL; One of the brothers of Kairn, he contracted a strange disease and died. His spirit is later summoned to help the Player defeat Kairn.
KHRISTIAN; One of the brothers of Kairn, he died suddenly in his sleep. His spirit is later summoned to help the Player defeat Kairn.
PETER; One of the brothers of Kairn, he drowned while boating on lake Blackwater. His spirit is later summoned to help the Player defeat Kairn.
NIKOLAE; the father of Kairn, He died from a mysterious stranger as he slept. His spirit is later summoned to help the Player defeat Kairn.
The Prophecy
The Prophecy is the curse placed on Kairn by the Agrippa for imprisoning it. When the Player acquires the Prophecy it is visible as a screen of a scroll-parchment with writing on it. As the Player solves various puzzles, the prophecy becomes fulfilled. The line is greyed out on the scroll and a voice speaks the line.The prophecy is written as such;
- "From the ever dark sky shall he descend in a bird of steel"
- "Salvation for those who have been unrightously damned"
- "He shall deny the part he is destined to play"
- "Until he find the bloodied tool most foul"
- "He must free a man cursed for curiosity's sake"
- "And Dispel one dead but forced to serve"
- "A youth in madness he shall willingly heal"
- "The hanged man's grief he must unveil"
- "7 lost souls have favours to ask"
- "Once appeased he shall be allowed to pass"
- "He shall find and slay the hound that haunts the night"
- "Claiming a purse of silver to serve his needs"
- "A hidden place he must pry from one quite mad"
- "And speak to evil incarnate the darklord's bane"
- "He shall turn aside the vampire's charms"
- "And stand strong against claw and fang"
- "Then he must make his own most holy attack"
- "And the imprisoned light must he set free"
- "A true name must be spoken for evil's power to wane"
- "He cannot falter not even once for it means his death"
- "If he denies the darklord's his place of rest"
- "The veil of darkness shall be lifted"
- "And the evil reign of terror shall at last come to an end"
Intellectual property rights
Event Horizon Software has ceased to exist as a company long ago. The company has developed three other games: The Summoning, Dusk of the GodsDusk of the Gods
Dusk of the Gods is an isometric-view computer role-playing game developed by Event Horizon Software and published by Interstel in 1991.-Plot:...
and DarkSpyre
DarkSpyre
Darkspyre is a 1990 computer game produced by Event Horizon Software for DOS. It was released the following year for the Amiga.-Gameplay:Darkspyre was a dungeon crawl style role-playing game...
.
Strategic Simulations, Inc. was bought by Ubisoft Entertainment in 2004.
External links
- Unveil An open-source project dedicated to extract VoD resources and provide a map viewer.