| “ | I'm coming to collect what is owed, and I'm bringing your worst nightmares with me. You and the mortal are both going to pay... with interest. | ” |
– Malak | ||
Malak, also known as Lord Malak, is a malevolent and powerful demon and the main antagonist of Dark Deception. He is the ruler of each of the game's nightmares and a recurring threat in levels from Chapter 2 onward. Malak is the eleventh boss enemy in Dark Deception.
Appearance[]
Door[]
In Bierce's Ballroom, Malak appears as a large, beady, bloodshot eye on a red doorway with golden patterns.
Humanoid[]
In his humanoid form, Malak very closely resembles a human of a slim, tall build. He is always dressed formally, wearing a black business tuxedo with a red tie, slim black undershirt, long striped trousers, and polished shoes. His hands both have three sharp claws for fingers, with black skin. His head resembles a typical demon, with red skin, hollowed-out eyes, jagged teeth, pointed ears, and curved horns.
Phantom[]
In his phantom form, Malak wears a sizeable black cloak with torn edges and long sleeves. His lower body is also absent, ending at his overcoat. He now possesses more dark and jagged skin, glowing orange eyes and mouth, and slim, cone-shaped horns. His hands also now have four fingers instead of three.
Personality[]
| “ | A demon's power is contained inside it: the creature of infinite cruelty that you just met. Malak. | ” |
– Bierce's brief description of Malak. | ||
Malak is a somewhat enigmatic figure with a personal vendetta against Doug Houser and has a negative relationship with Bierce. He mainly wants to stop Doug from helping Bierce, which he knows could weaken his power by losing the souls he has trapped in the realms. He also advises Doug to stop helping and trusting Bierce, implying that she has different motives. However, despite this, he seems to care little for Doug's well-being, as he doesn't hesitate to hunt him down when he steals a ring piece. Additionally, he claims to take great pleasure in watching him suffer.
Abilities[]
Malak's powers stem from an enchanted ring known as The Riddle of Heaven, which could bestow dark magic to its users. As a method of safeguarding it, Malak fragmented the ring into nine pieces, each piece being guarded in separate realms by his servants.
Throughout time, hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals sought to obtain the ring pieces, most appointed by Bierce after her soul was forfeited, but none prevailed. The nightmares and phobias of each victim inspired the appearances of each realm and the servants guarding them.
Shape-shift[]
First seen in Elementary Evil, Malak can transform into a humanoid figure and later a ghastly phantom while in pursuit of Doug. This displays his power to morph into other beings by will.
Levitation[]
It is unknown whether Malak can fly, but when he spawns in most levels, he chases Doug in his Phantom form while floating in midair instead of on foot, showing his power to levitate.
Teleportation[]
Malak displays this ability at every level, allowing him to vanish and travel to specific points of interest instantly. Currently, this ability is only used for story purposes, as he never utilizes it in active pursuit.
Cloning[]
As seen in a cutscene, Malak can copy or clone himself. It looks like he can only clone himself with a Portal. A glitch also allows them to duplicate Malak in his Phantom form.
Mind Invasion[]
As seen in Mascot Mayhem's ending, Malak can intrude into a human's mind by forcefully reading and replaying the most profound memories of the victim. Malak used this ability to find Doug's worst inner nightmare and turn it against him to drive him to despair.
Power over Souls[]
Malak would forge soul shards out of the remnants of each victim, trapping their spirits in his realms. These shards would then serve as keys to the barrier guarding each ring piece. Some granted their users temporary abilities, such as stunning and enemy-revealing abilities.
Immortality[]
As a powerful demon, it can be assumed that Malak possesses immortality.
Divinity (possibly)[]
Unlike other monsters in the nightmares, Malak seems to be a superior being compared to them, with some of them even addressing his superiority over them (for instance, Agatha calling him "Daddy," the Reaper Nurses calling him "Lord Malak," JJG calling him "Boss," and the Doom Ducky killing Doug for him). It is also demonstrated by his ability to control the Nightmares and to invoke them on his command, just like after the ending to Mascot Mayhem when he did it in Bierce's Ballroom.
Perhaps because of his demonic attributes, Malak is also completely immune to the reveal and stun effects of special shards within the nightmares, which are, on the other hand, significantly effective against regular enemies. He is also immune to the stunning effects of Primal Fear but can still be revealed by Telepathy.
During the Mascot Mayhem cutscene, Malak is also shown to have resisted and easily brushed off an insurmountable amount of pain and damage inflicted by Bierce and the ring piece.
Dark Deception[]
Chapter 1: No Way Back[]
Malak is first alerted to Doug's presence after he claims the first ring piece in Monkey Business. While he doesn't physically appear, he can be heard growling in irritation. Bierce warns Doug that Malak is aware of his intrusion and urges him to leave. He is then heard taunting Doug as the Murder Monkeys pursue him back to the portal.
After Doug escapes with the ring piece, the eye in the doorway to Bierce's Ballroom activates, serving as a medium for him to speak with Bierce and Doug. He rants about Bierce's persistence and threatens Doug not to work with her. Malak's demands fall on deaf ears, however. Bierce explains to Doug that the ring, known as The Riddle of Heaven, contains Malak's powers and that when fully assembled, she can use it to grant Doug's wish.
From this point onward, Malak will spy on Bierce and Doug through the eye, engaging in their conversations and taunting Doug if he approaches him after each chapter.
Chapter 2: Into Madness[]
As Doug enters new levels, he will encounter various obstacles Malak places in the entrance hallways, the first of which is a set of red barriers. Bierce uses the powers of the ring pieces Doug acquired to grant him a new ability, Speed Boost, which he then uses to dispel the barriers and enter Elementary Evil. Bierce continues to grant him new abilities after each level until after Mascot Mayhem.
From Elementary Evil onward, Malak will pursue Doug in his phantom form at the climax of each level (except Torment Therapy), usually after collecting the final soul shard or the ring piece. Malak will constantly levitate towards Doug, never once stopping. He is always aware of his location, meaning Doug must constantly move to evade him. When Malak is close by, he will make a distinct breathing noise. Unlike other enemies, Malak is immune to stun shards, reveal shards, and Primal Fear. Telepathy, however, is still effective against him. While Malak can synergize with most other enemies throughout the levels, he demonstrates no unique abilities, making him more of a trivial threat.
Malak's first physical appearance is in the Zone 2 entrance of The School, gazing down at Doug as he walks along the balcony. He then cackles and disappears at the other end.
Malak begins to chase Doug after Agatha warns him after collecting the second ring piece. He transforms into his phantom form and chases Doug throughout the school (along with Agatha if Doug stumbles into one of her fake portals). He disappears once Doug enters the auditorium.
In Deadly Decadence, Malak is first seen watching over Doug on a balcony upon entering the Manor. Similar to the previous level, Malak will then laugh and disappear.
After collecting all the soul shards, Malak will spawn in the manor's lobby and pursue Doug through the corridors. After collecting the ring piece, all enemies in the manor will disappear, including Malak.
Upon returning to the central courtyard, Malak will appear alongside a horde of Gold Watchers, chasing Doug as he races back to the portal. Upon returning to the entrance, Malak will appear again alongside a blockade of Gold Watchers in front of the portal.
Upon returning to Bierce's Ballroom, Malak offers another warning to Doug, insisting that he will suffer consequences if they bring Bierce all of the ring pieces. Bierce sarcastically objects to this by reminding him of his ruthless and vindictive persona and how his reputation made him untrustworthy.
Chapter 3: Retribution[]
After collecting the last soul shard in Stranger Sewers, Malak appears nearby and chases Doug until he obtains the ring piece in the sanctum.
Once the ring piece is collected, Malak confronts Doug in his humanoid form, commending his resilience and tenacity. He then states that he also has a "loyal pet" and opens a giant gate behind him, revealing Doom Ducky. He then taunts Bierce, who is watching through Doug's eyes and leaves Doug to contend with the creature.
After Doug escapes the chamber and returns to the portal, Malak calls out in a baleful manner shortly before Doom Ducky crashes through the wall and pursues him through the corridors.
Once Doug returns to Bierce's ballroom, Malak expresses his frustration toward Doug and responds to Bierce's criticism by mentioning the last person who trusted her, the previous owner of Doug's tablet. Displeased, Bierce merely turns around and sighs.
After collecting the last soul shard in Crazy Carnevil, Malak appears and chases Doug through the funhouse, disappearing as soon as he reaches the ring altar tent.
When Doug attempts to leave the carousel region, Malak confronts him again, promising a burdensome experience. Malak then summons the four Goliath Clowns and mockingly asks him to keep them laughing while he dies.
After Doug defeats the Goliath Clowns, a distraught Malak declares he will make his suffering eternal. Malak pursues him once again until Doug reaches the portal.
After returning to Bierce's ballroom, Malak launches into another tirade against Bierce and Doug, promising to bring upon Doug's worst nightmares and invade Bierce's pocket dimension to reclaim his ring pieces.
Chapter 4: Mortal Ramifications[]
While Malak doesn't appear in Torment Therapy, he does speak through his eye in the post-level cutscene in the ballroom. He explains that he was busy and that powerful forces are now in motion. He also mentions that he will not be distracted by any more "business" ever again.
Malak returns in Mascot Mayhem, attempting to stop Doug from pressing the reset switch in the production factory after collecting all of the shards in Zone 3. He reappears after the Joy Joy Gang is crushed by piston hydraulics. Activating the Joy Kill project initiative, he sends the newly formed Joy Kill to stop Doug. Upon escaping, Malak chases after Doug one last time, bringing the Joy Joy army with him. Joy Kill stops Doug successfully, and Malak proceeds to enter their mind, bringing back nightmarish memories from Doug's past to place a seal on him. Doug is thrown right out of the nightmare by Hangry after this.
After marking Doug's mind, Malak successfully enters the ballroom and fights with Bierce while summoning Agatha and the previous monsters. While he manages to take back the seven ring pieces from the Altar, one remains in Bierce's possession through bonding. Bierce banishes the monsters back into the portal, but Doug is forcefully taken with Malak into Bearly Buried.
Malak greets Doug as he awakens in front of a cabin. He explains the truth behind Bierce's intentions and how she bonded with the first ring piece she took from him. Malak then settles Doug's matters to Mama Bear, who has her children drag him into the cabin. Later, Malak makes Mama Bear aware of Doug's actions in the attic due to the marking allowing him to see through his vision. Malak consistently stalks and torments Doug as he tries to recollect all the ring pieces, shouting at him when he uses his abilities. Malak's seal on Doug breaks with the help of the mysterious orb guiding him.
Monsters & Mortals[]
 "Are you not aware that she offers only lies?" This article contains information on a subject that isn't considered canon in Dark Deception franchise.
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Malak appears as both a Power class monster and a portal box hazard in Monsters & Mortals.
Playable Character[]
Malak has the 2nd most health out of all monsters and deals the most damage, but suffers from long attack cooldown and slow movement speed. To make up for his slow movement speed, it is best to use the "Speed Boost" item from the Portal Boxes whenever possible, as well as "Primal Fear," "Speed Drain," and "Banana Peel" to slow down his opponents for a quick and deadly kill. Due to his already high damage output, he has little need for the "Frenzy Mode" item. This makes Malak great at killing players. Malak will attack with his sharp claws (light attack) and demon magic (heavy attack).
His ultimate ability, "Eye of Suffering," when used, will make Malak pull out an eye and shoot a red laser at enemies. It will do 40 damage every 0.1 seconds for 5 seconds. It is best to use this against healthy enemies as this will shred their HP and kill them in at least 1 second. Players have to aim perfectly, however. Otherwise, the attack will miss and can even be wasted if not ready. It's best to wait a second before using it so your foe will use their item so you know whether to use it or save it until it wears off, such as "Invincibility."
| Team | Monsters |
| Class | Power |
| Health | 360 |
| Speed | Slow |
| Light Attack Damage | 40 |
| Heavy Attack Damage | 80 |
| Ultimate Ability |  Eye of Suffering
|
| UA Description | Malak shoots a heavy damage energy beam out of his summoned Malak eye. The energy beam lasts 5 secs and does constant heavy damage. |
| UA Duration | 5 seconds |
| UA Damage | 40 (approx. every 0.1 seconds) 2,000 (approximate maximum potential damage) |
Skins[]
| Image | Name | Rarity | Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Showstopper |  Common
|
In the Showstopper skin, Malak's outfit is replaced by a white shirt, a black tie, and a black and white suit with white buttons. References Beetlejuice. |
 |
Golden God |  Rare |
In the Golden God skin, Malak's entire body is coated with gold except for his horns, shirt, palms, and shoes. |
 |
Pumpkin King | Rare |
Halloween Collection
In the Pumpkin King's skin, Malak's skin is Orange. He has a missing nose like a decorated pumpkin, a black tie, and a white shirt, and his suit is now Orange and covered in black pumpkins. |
Malak Phantom[]
| “ | You're my puppet now, mortal. | ” |
– Malak Phantom, end of each shard wave in Soul Collection. | ||
Malak Phantom is a hostile non-playable character in Monsters & Mortals. Unlike in Dark Deception, Phantom Malak exists independently of Malak's humanoid form.
Phantom Malak can be summoned in any mode if a player receives his respective item from a portal box. Once summoned, Phantom Malak will quickly pursue and attack any nearby player for 45 seconds. He will even attack the player who summoned him if they get in his way. Like all bosses, Phantom Malak is immune to all damage and is unaffected by most portal box items. He deals 50 damage per hit and can outrun every character except Speed types.
In the Soul Collection mode, Malak will be summoned at the end of each wave, quickly pursuing the player with the least amount of soul shards. Upon reaching them, Phantom Malak instantly kills them, transforming them into a Murder Monkey before disappearing. If the targeted player tries to escape him, he will speed up, making them die regardless of how fast or far they are from him.
| Team | N/A |
| Health | Unkillable |
| Speed | Fast (Item) Fast (>) (Soul Collection) |
| Sole Attack Damage | 50 (Item) Instant Death (Soul Collection) |
Relationships[]
 "Complete the ring, and you can use Malak's power to fulfill your darkest desires...or so the legend goes." This page is a stub!(?) You can help the Dark Deception wiki by adding more information to it!
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Bierce[]
Malak has bargained with individuals who contacted him for an unknown amount of time, offering them any gift they sought in exchange for their soul after an amount of time or death. A human sacrifice was also required, as well as an incantation.
In the early twentieth century, a woman named Helen Bierce was told stories of Malak's exchanges by a man named Victor. While initially disbelieved by his stories, Bierce was eventually convinced over a few months. Desperate for fame and recognition in the film industry, she began a summoning ritual, first by kidnapping a young girl and slitting her throat as a sacrifice. After successfully uttering the incantation, Bierce called out to Malak, to which he replied. Malak listened to her plea and offered her the wish she desired in exchange for her soul.
Although Bierce's soul was forfeited, she had no intention of fulfilling her promise to Malak. After seven years and one day passed, Malak attempted to claim Bierce's soul per their agreement. However, the latter had managed to obtain the Riddle of Heaven and attempted to defeat Malak with his power. Malak was more than prepared for Bierce's betrayal and personally shattered the ring into individual pieces. Unfortunately for him, however, one of the ring pieces formed a bond with Bierce's soul, enabling her to be concealed inside a dimension that has been out of Malak's reach for over a century. Thanks to Bierce's treachery, Malak was forced to safeguard the remaining ring pieces and place them in his realm of Nightmares, where his minions would guard each piece.
Doug Houser[]
Doug Houser, an individual seeking redemption for his sinful past, became the first participant to have successfully obtained Malak's ring pieces under Bierce's command, allowing him to receive a new power each time. As the power of the ring pieces was responsible for sustaining each nightmare, each time Doug would escape, the entire realm would collapse before him, further enraging Malak.
Malak would confront Doug physically within his nightmares, transforming into a phantom in an attempt to kill him after obtaining each realm's soul shards. To prevent him from escaping, he resorted to unleashing more powerful servants to hunt him down, including his loyal pet. Despite this, Doug manages to strategically defeat or escape them, much to his chagrin.
Elise Houser[]
Malak first encounters Elise after she escapes Lucky the Rabbit and Hangry the Pig in the castle moat. Despite her stealing his relic and intruding upon his realms, Malak spares her and offers her a deal instead. He cryptically instructs her to use the relic to "seek me out when you are ready" before leaving her. As he left, an excruciating pain entered her head as the words "Don't you have someone to kill?" repeated incessantly in her mind. Elise refuses to consider his deal out of mistrust and confusion.
Given Malak's sinister nature and growing animosity toward Doug, it is clear that he is merely using Elise for his own gain, likely trying to reawaken her memories and resentment toward her husband.
Agatha[]
Since Agatha calls Malak "Daddy," it is theorized that they may have a father-daughter relationship. However, it's also possible that Agatha calls him that because she's his servant, like all the other monsters. That said, Malak views Agatha as more of a valuable pawn than a possible daughter.
Reaper Nurses[]
The Nurses are unwaveringly loyal to Malak, referring to him as "Lord Malak" and readily disposing of anyone far beneath their priorities, including Doug and Bierce.
Malak is not present at the Hospital during Doug's infiltration, having been occupied with other matters. He does not acknowledge the harm he caused his minions or the destruction of their realm and instead vents his anger at Doug for continuing to seize his ring pieces. Whether this is out of exhaustion or an attempt to reason with him is unclear.
Joy Joy Gang[]
Out of all of the Joy Joy Gang members, Lucky appears to be the most devoted to Malak, referring to him as "bossman" and following his orders without question. Hangry is more reluctant to return Doug to Bierce's Ballroom when instructed, complaining that he reneged on an agreement to let him eat the mortal. While Penny's opinion of Malak is never explored, it can be assumed she demonstrates a loyalty similar to that of Lucky.
When Malak brings Doug to Mama Bear in an injured state, he explains that "Lucky and the Gang got a little carried away," appearing not to demonstrate any ill or frustration toward them.
Mama Bear[]
Mama Bear is Malak's executioner and one of his most devoted followers. He entrusts her with the execution of Doug Houser and the protection of his stolen ring pieces. He appears to have an amiable relationship with her, allowing her and her Trigger Teddies to play with their new victim.
Family Tree[]
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Trivia[]
- Christopher Corey Smith, Malak's voice actor, also voices the Gold Watchers, Clown Gremlins, and Goliath Clowns.
- Originally, Malak was meant to have a slit eye when on the door. This can be seen in the 2015 Alpha demo, though his eye doesn't move to look at Doug.
- In Glowstick Entertainment's first Devlog, Malak can be seen chasing Doug through a burning Ballroom, leading some to speculate that he might be the final boss after beating all the levels.
- Although this might've been an earlier version of the cutscene that happens in between Mascot Mayhem and Bearly Buried.
- As Malak is implied to be a demon, it suggests the realm that houses Bierce's Ballroom is in some form of purgatory, and Malak's power cannot harm the ones within, as Bierce explains after "Monkey Business. However, since Malak can move freely, shape-shift, and perform various abilities like teleportation while in the nightmares, one may assume those nightmares are indeed a part of hell, in which Malak can fully unleash his demonic capabilities.
- Malak's favorite music is heavy metal.
- If Malak were to have a brand name, it would just have his name in it.
- Malak has added certain minions to his army by killing his rivals and taking their minions.
- Assuming that Malak also has misogynistic souls among his army, they would appear much different from the Reaper Nurses.
- Malak has been around long before Bierce's time.
- He is also aware of the movies Bierce plays in, but he likely hasn't watched them personally.
- Malak views Agatha as more of a valuable pawn than a possible daughter.
- Malak will use his Eye of Suffering in Chapter 5, although it will be much different from how it is used in Monsters & Mortals.
- Chapter 5 will explain the reason why Malak was busy and couldn't deal with Doug in Chapter 4.
- Malak will bring up the deal he tried to make with Doug in Bearly Buried in chapter 5.
- Malak may represent Daemonophobia (fear of demons). One may assume that he may even represent Satan.
- However, as Malak is not a subject of Doug's nightmares, this is probably false.
- The latter is more likely to be true, considering how he claims in Bearly Buried that heaven and hell do not exist and that he collects the souls of mortals.
- His name means "angel" in Arabic (مَلْأَك, romanized as Mal'ak, IPA: /mal.ʔak/), perhaps hinting that he´s not the true antagonist.
- It could also allude to him being a fallen angel, thus explaining his demonic persona.
- Malak is also somewhat of a different spelling for Moloch, the Canaanite god for child sacrifice, which may also allude to some details from the story of Dark Deception.
- It may have been changed to include "mal," which is Latin, meaning "bad" or "evil."
- In the second level of the alpha version, there is a poster that reads "Lord Ereshkigal sees all" and a picture of a demon. This likely indicates that Malak's original name was Ereshkigal.
- In the 7th Q&A video, Vince confirmed that Malak's original name was Ereshkigal.
- Ereshkigal was the Goddess of the Underworld in Sumerian mythology.
- In the 7th Q&A video, Vince confirmed that Malak's original name was Ereshkigal.
- Malak is currently the only enemy whose speed is unaffected by difficulty modes.
- The only other enemy to not have their speed change is the Clown Car (but their behavior changes).
- So far, Malak, Murder Monkeys, Gold Watchers, Clown Cars, and Mama Bear are the only enemies in Dark Deception who are constantly aware of Doug's location.
- It is confirmed that Malak will be in the Dark Deception crossover games.
- Malak's eye decoration in Crazy Carnevil is of his Door Form from the alpha, not the current version.
- In Alpha, Malak was supposed to be able to go through walls in his phantom form,
- Also, him chasing the player causes a combination of black, purple, and red smoke to follow him. This detail was scrapped from the current version.
- As confirmed by Vince Livings in the fourth Q&A video, his biggest inspiration for creating Malak was G-Man from the Half-Life franchise.
- Malak, Lucky the Rabbit (Zone 1-only), and Penny the Chicken are the only enemies in Dark Deception who can fly.
- Glowstick Entertainment posted a new teaser of Malak standing with fire in the background, complete with the quote: "Some men just want to watch the world burn."
- The quote is a reference to The Dark Knight film, from the scene where Alfred Pennyworth tries to explain evil and anarchy and describes what kind of person the Joker is.
- Vince revealed in the twenty-third Q&A that Malak has a boss fight.
- For the boss fight, his voice was confirmed to change slightly.
Voicelines[]
Malak is voiced by Christopher Corey Smith.
- Main Article: Malak/Voicelines
Gallery[]
In-game[]
Dark Deception[]
Monsters & Mortals[]
Super Dark Deception[]
Artwork[]
Models[]
.png "Malak Phantom (Alpha).png (6.19 MB)")
.png "Door Malak (Alpha).png (6.08 MB)")
.png "Malak (MnM).png (8.72 MB)")
Miscellaneous[]
.jpg "Chapter 5 Cover (DLC).jpg (72 KB)")
Concept Arts
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