| “ | Break those boards and let's get this party started! | ” |
– Bierce starting the level. | ||
"Monkey Business" is the first level in the game, Dark Deception. It is the only level in Chapter 1. This level takes place in an initially inviting establishment, but soon becomes a rather unsettling and nightmarish hotel where bellboy Murder Monkeys guard the soul shards throughout the halls. This is the first level to show boss enemies, the Chef Monkeys.
Dark Deception[]
Introduction[]
| “ | What a charming little hotel... Bring back any memories? | ” |
– Bierce asking the player. | ||
The level begins in the lobby of the hotel in front of the entrance where various elements of a regular hotel are found around the area, as well as a portrait of a soul shard, an unsettling cutout of a monkey bellboy that appears to be welcoming the player, a welcome sign that mentions murder in an ominous way and a service bell on the reception desk that summons a cutout after being rung several times and the portal emblem of the level is also found on the floor of the area.
Proceeding down the hallway will present another cutout, which jumpscares the player by collapsing just as they approach it. Heading right leads to a wide hallway with a row of elevators. The elevator at the end of the hallway will open as the player is proceeding, revealing a Murder Monkey in it, which appears to be unaware of the player's presence. When the player moves closer, the monkey leaps in surprise before the elevator doors close. After waiting for a little while, the elevator returns to take the player to an upper level of the hotel.
When exiting the elevator, the player will see the ring altar, along with two boarded-up entrances. Bierce then instructs the player to collect all 289 soul shards (389 for S rank in later additions) in the area in order to deactivate the barrier protecting it. She then offers them a tablet, which displays every shard's location on the map, displays the number of shards left to collect and points towards their next objective, saying that it was left behind by the last guest that disappointed her. This tablet will be kept for the remainder of the game and will adapt to all levels it is brought to.
Bierce will warn the player about the monkeys before instructing them to break the boards and collect the shards. After traveling enough distance from the altar, the chase will begin.
Act I[]
| “ | "You've gathered half of the shards. I'm impressed. I would've though you'd have been shredded by now... | ” |
– Bierce, after collecting half of the required shards. | ||
The hunt for shards starts off quietly to offer the player a head start, but the chase soon begins as the music starts playing. Soon enough, the player will begin to hear footsteps coming from the Murder Monkeys, who are now beginning to pursue them. Three (originally four) Murder Monkeys will then chase after the player as they are hunting for all the soul shards, and despite being slower than the player, their large numbers will allow them to corner the player or catch them around a corner if they are not careful enough. Therefore, it is important to group them together. There are various doors around the area; some lead to secrets, some reveal harmless monkeys, others cannot be interacted with. There are also distinct corners around the area that are sometimes risky to explore, due to the likelihood of being cornered, as well as a kitchen.
Act II[]
| “ | You've gathered all of the soul shards. The ring piece is now exposed, and the monsters will go into a frenzy. Get to the ring piece before Mr. Monkey finds you! | ” |
– Bierce, after collecting all of the required shards. | ||
Once the player has collected all the shards, the ring barrier will deactivate and they must return to the Ring Altar to obtain the ring piece. As they return to the altar, the Murder Monkeys goes into a frenzy where their eyes turn red, affecting their lighting and putting them into a rampage as they shriek across the hotel. They despawn and instead three Chef Monkeys appear from the kitchen. One chases the player while the other two guard the ring piece. When they spot the player they will leave their respective posts and chase after them, leaving the ring altar open for the player to get the ring piece.
Once the ring piece is collected, the player must return to the elevator, where Malak becomes aware that the player is there. Bierce then instructs the player to hurry back to the portal, and the elevator doors close just as a Murder Monkey dashes for them.
Final Act[]
| “ | Hrghh... Who dares?! | ” |
– Malak, after the ring piece is obtained. | ||
When they return to the lobby, the Murder Monkeys' screams can still be heard, and as the player is exiting the elevator lobby, every other elevator door opens to reveal the Murder Monkeys, who chase the player altogether. Malak can also be heard shouting that the player cannot escape, one Murder Monkey also pops up from the reception to prevent the player from escaping, but they end up reaching the portal before they get caught.
Secrets[]
- Ringing the service bell 10 times at the reception desk will cause a cutout to pop up from behind the desk, earning the achievement, "Service, Please!"
- Opening some doors in the hotel will reveal some Murder Monkeys where they will just stare at the protagonist and they will not try to kill them.
- There are two secret rooms in this level:
- Secret 1 is to the west of the Ring Altar
- Secret 2 to the south and also has a secret note from E talking about the origins of the Murder Monkeys and that they ditched the tablet.
- Murder Monkeys will have a hard time entering the secret rooms, but there is a slight chance that they'll succeed. The Player may also get trapped inside this room due to the Murder Monkeys blocking the entrance. Both of these rooms will have files in them, which will unlock new content from the Art Gallery. Primarily 4 artworks of the Murder Monkeys.
- The player will be awarded a soundtrack upon finishing the level.
- In Monkey Business, breaking a board which leaves into a small dead-end near secret room A reveals a wall graffiti reading "Evans was here".
- You can also click on that graffiti, and doing that replaces the main track of the level to the track from the 2014 demo version of DD,
S-rank[]
To obtain an S-rank, the player must achieve all of the criteria listed below.
- Time: Less than 10 minutes (+40)
- Soul Shards: 289 (+0)
- Bonus Shards: 1 (+10)
- Secrets: 2 (+10)
- Lives Lost: 0 (+20)
- Shard Streak: 250 (+20)
- Total Shards obtainable: 389
An S-rank must be achieved to obtain an excerpt of Bierce's Diary.
Achievements[]
| Picture | Name | Description |
|
Shard Enthusiast | Get a streak of 100 shards in Monkey Business. |
|
Eagle Eyes | Found a secret in Monkey Business. |
|
Not Monkeying Around | Don't die for 2 mins in Monkey Business. |
|
Service, Please! | Rang the service bell 10 times. |
|
Monkey King | Earn an S Rank in Monkey Business. |
Known Bugs[]
- There are some textures which don't align correctly.
- It's possible to get stuck inside the elevator door.
- If you use teleport to get past the boards, the Monkeys will not spawn.
- The Monkeys will sometimes swarm you inside one of the secret rooms, making it inescapable without dying.
- Primal Fear doesn't stun Monkeys if you use it while they're close to you.
- You can be killed through the walls of the secret rooms.
- You can get stuck in one of the secret rooms.
- There are two spots where 2 shards are placed inside each other.
- Sometimes Monkeys can struggle to turn around.
- If you die during the escape sequence, a Chef Monkey and the others will spawn before you get chance to leave the elevator.
- If you manage to get past the monkey horde at the end, you can go inside the elevators and out of bounds.
- Frenzy Murder Monkeys do not have kill animations.
- The falling monkey cutout at the start will somehow stand itself back up at the end of the level.
Monsters & Mortals[]
The multiplayer variation of the map removes the ring barrier room, kitchen and secret rooms, but still retains most of the original layout the map is a shrunken version of the original game's layout. The map features banana peels as traps to stun players who walk into them and the Chef Monkeys as bosses to chase after players.
Stats[]
| Shards | Minute | |
|---|---|---|
| Wave 1 | 300 | 2.30 |
| Wave 2 | 250 | 2 |
| Wave 3 | 250 | 1.30 |
| Wave 4 | 200 | 1 |
| Wave 5 | 200 | 1 |
| Total | 1200 | 8 |
| Required | 600 | < 8 |
| Shards | Minute | |
|---|---|---|
| Wave 1 | 400 | 2 |
| Wave 2 | 400 | 1 |
| Wave 3 | 400 | 1 |
| Wave 4 | 400 | 1 |
| Wave 5 | 400 | 1 |
| Total | 2000 | 6 |
| Shards | Minute | |
|---|---|---|
| Wave 1 | 500 | 4 |
| Wave 2 | 400 | 2.30 |
| Wave 3 | 300 | 1.30 |
| Wave 4 | 300 | 1 |
| Wave 5 | 200 | 0.35 |
| Total | 1700 | 9.35 > |
Soundtrack[]
- Main Article: Dark Deception: Chapters 1-3 (Original Soundtrack)
Trivia[]
- It is the only level available to play in Chapter 1.
- The name is based on a popular phrase.
- The name is also used for the music track that plays throughout the level.
- The level originally consisted of 4 monkeys. However, in the 1.1.2 update, the developers said they have improved the monkey's A.I., therefore deeming winning with 4 of them virtually impossible, resulting in the reduction of one monkey.
- As of chapter 3's release, if the player attempts to stun the Murder Monkeys with Primal Fear in the final act, they will not be affected. Additionally, all Monkeys that jumpscare the player but do not affect them are revealed as enemies while using the Telepathy power.
- Monkey Business is currently the first and only level to not have alliteration in the title.
- So far, Monkey Business and Stranger Sewers are the only levels that does not have an outdoor area.
- Chef Monkeys weren't originally in the game until Dark Deception Enhanced.
- This now makes the banana peels as a hazard exclusive to Monsters & Mortals.
- Doug's girlfriend during the flashback scene says "I don't want any monkey business in some hotel." alluding to this level.
- The 2014 Version. 'Hotel' Was really known & popular for some youtubers to play. (Examples are like: Markiplier, yamimash, etc.)
- In the 2015 alpha, the Monkeys and Malak's Phantom were originally supposed to come out of the elevators before you, but considering the fact there were more portals open, how he would have escaped is currently unknown.
- To date, "Monkey Business" is the only level in Dark Deception that does not feature any death traps.
- This level is one of the two levels in which Malak is never seen directly, the other being Torment Therapy.
- This, however, is the only level in which Malak's name is never directly spoken, with him only being formally introduced after the level's completion.
- This, however, is the only level in which Malak's name is never directly spoken, with him only being formally introduced after the level's completion.
[]
