| “ | I need to keep going. I just need to survive a bit longer. | ” |
Chapter 2: Into Madness (Or simply Chapter 2) is the second chapter of Dark Deception.
Official summary[]
Dark Deception Chapter 2 is the next chapter in the Dark Deception story. Face off against 2 new nightmares - Agatha & the Gold Watchers. Dark Deception mixes the fast-paced style of classic arcade games with fun horror game design. Trapped in a dark world full of nightmarish mazes and ridiculous monsters, the only way out is to face the darkness and find a way to survive.
Enemies[]
Levels[]
Plot[]
Introduction[]
The chapter continues where the previous chapter left off, with Bierce reminding the protagonist in her ballroom on how many ring pieces they have left to collect, and then unlocking the portal to the next level.
Upon entering, Bierce notes the new obstacles that Malak has placed in the protagonist's path, blocking off the entrance to the nightmare. After instructing the protagonist to return to the ballroom's altar, she gifts them a power that boosts their speed for brief periods of time. This power not only allows the protagonist to outrun monsters while it's in effect but also allows them to destroy red barriers. Doug tests this ability by dashing through the barriers leading to the School.
Elementary Evil[]
The spawn point.
Upon entering, Bierce asks the protagonist if they miss their school days. She tells the player that it was the last time they were innocent. She then notes another barrier, telling them they know what to do. The protagonist enters a hallway with a crashed school bus protruding through the left wall, and then sees a welcome sign on the wall, presumably written with someone's blood.
The protagonist then enters a school auditorium, where Agatha, a demonic girl with long, burnt arms, sharp fingers and a grinning face teleports inside and introduces herself to Doug, referring to them as a new friend and welcoming them as a new student. She creates a welcoming party for them and talks a little bit before disappearing.
Agatha attacking the player.
Agatha then attempts to hunt down the protagonist in a game of Cat-and-Mouse as they collect the Soul Shards in the area. The protagonist discovers that unlike the previous nightmare, Agatha mainly patrols by herself in the hallways, and they skillfully evade the monster by listening for her voice when she talks. Although there are a few arbitrary encounters with Agatha, the protagonist outruns her with their speed boost and successfully collects all the shards in the first zone of the school.
As the protagonist heads towards the second zone after collecting about half of the shards, they find the ring altar in the middle of the schoolyard, and Bierce tells them that ring altars will be found in the heart of every nightmare. The protagonist proceeds forward and sees Malak in humanoid form, laughing maniacally as he strolls across an elevated walkway above the protagonist as he stares at them.
Upon entering zone 2, Agatha once again appears to 'greet' the protagonist, saying that it's been a while since she has played with anyone that long, but ends with saying playtime is over and she is ready to show the protagonist her true powers. Agatha then vanishes while laughing unnervingly. Doug then proceeds to collect the remaining shards, during which they find evading Agatha increasingly difficult as she continuously teleports to a location near them shortly after they make a sound when opening doors. She also attempts to cut the protagonist off during pursuit by teleportation. Nevertheless, the protagonist outwits Agatha and collects all the shards.
Malak attacking the player.
Upon obtaining the ring piece, Agatha once again appears and berates the protagonist for stealing her things before Malak is summoned and pursues the protagonist in his demonic form.
The protagonist eventually escapes Malak and avoids the fake portals and returns to the auditorium, Agatha appear for once more as they reach for the main door. In a desperate move to stop the protagonist, she locks said door and makes all the chairs disappear, make the room darker and her boss fight begins. The protagonist outruns her and avoids the fake portals which begins to anger her. Bierce then unlocks it, startling Agatha and allowing the player to escape using that small window while Agatha screams hysterically behind them.
The protagonist then enters another log using a typewriter, commenting on a memory that they were reminded of when seeing Agatha, lamenting that she was almost the same age. They then state that memories betray them here.
In-between "Elementary Evil" and "Deadly Decadence"[]
Upon the player's return, Bierce comments on their success and then prepares them for another nightmare. In the entrance to the next level, Bierce comments on the lava pits added in, and gifts the protagonist the ability to teleport.
Deadly Decadence[]
The spawn point.
Upon entering their third nightmare, the protagonist comes across a mansion garden, where Bierce remarks that the statues are lifelike. Doug then proceeds through the mansion gates and a corridor filled with warnings about never looking away. Doug then passes through another field containing a statue that at a first glance seems normal but turns out to be moving whenever the protagonist is not looking at it, it even gives a small snicker, supposedly taunting them. The sign leading to a hedge maze warns the protagonist one last time not to proceed, but they insist as there is no other choice. The protagonist enters the gates and realizes the statue behind them is nowhere to be found.
A Gold Watcher attacking the player.
The protagonist is then pursued throughout the hedge maze by the Gold Watchers, which move swiftly and only do so when they are not being looked at. Besides maintaining careful eye contact with the Gold Watchers, the protagonist also needs to avoid walking into spike traps, which to them are a new addition compared to the previous nightmares. After collecting the soul shards in that area, the protagonist proceeds into the manor as the doors leading to it open.
Inside the manor.
The protagonist finds the ring altar in the main hall of the manor and Bierce instructs them to collect the remaining soul shards inside. The protagonist opens the gates leading to the hallways of the manor and begins their quest, finding 7 Gold Watchers tailing them. A new type of trap is introduced - a huge swinging axe guarding the pathways connecting different sections of the manor.
After the remaining shards are collected, the Gold Watchers go into a frenzy, and Malak also appears in the main room with 3 extra Gold Watchers near the altar. The protagonist skillfully dodges the guarding watchers and retrieves the ring, then advances to escape the manor as the nightmare collapses.
The protagonist makes it outside, only to find the gates leading to the main passageway are locked, forcing them to make a dash through the outskirts of the hedge maze. As they reach the main garden, Malak is already present with 5 Gold Watchers along with a Titan Watcher, awaiting their arrival. The gate will be locked and it's required Doug makes the Titan Watcher throws three of its axes at the lock in order to open it. As soon as the gate is unlocked, the protagonist makes a run back to the portal. As he gets near the portal, 5 more Gold Watchers appear with Malak and another Titan Watcher behind throwing axes at him. Doug then does a roundabout and dives in the portal from the back, escaping successfully despite the combined effort of the three evils.
Outro[]
Upon returning once again, Bierce comments again on the protagonist's success, stating that she's impressed by them making this far, albeit it being unexpected. Malak rebukes the protagonist for siding with Bierce, saying her gain will be their end. Bierce sarcastically replies on how Doug should trust him as a bloodthirsty demon, and Malak grunts in annoyance.
The chapter ends as Bierce opens up the fourth portal, showing a Dread Ducky's face on it, and as the player enters it, a silhouette of a Dread Ducky appears floating, with unnatural duck quacks echoing in the background. The Dread Ducky then suddenly turns towards the camera, but is cut off as the screen cuts to black. Chapter 2 ends here.
Trivia[]
- This chapter begins the two-level-per-chapter tradition that will appear in Chapter 3 as well, while Chapters 4 and 5 will have three levels per chapter.
- This chapter is the first to introduce various mechanics, including powers, new barriers, level entrance obstacles, and the presence of Malak within the levels.
- The chapter's title is named after a song used in the 2014 demo with the same name.
- Chapter 2 is the first chapter where every enemy has a voice actor.
- Before the enhanced version, there were no boss fights featured in the levels.
Gallery[]
Note: the images below are outdated and show the old version of the game (before the changes of Dark Deception Enhanced).
Miscellaneous[]
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