’The Dark Monastery’ is a detective game. The player assumes the role of Adso of Melk, a young Franciscan, who, along with his master William of Baskerville, arrives at a Benedictine abbey somewhere in northern Italy to participate in a debate about poverty in the Church. However, upon arrival, it turns out that one of the brothers has died under mysterious circumstances. The abbot asks the heroes to solve the mystery…
Want to find the murderer and save the remaining residents of the abbey? Click here to play!
The player’s task is to find the right combination {murderer, murder weapon, crime scene} based on the clues gathered, through deduction.
The player must provide an answer before the time of the Inquisition’s arrival. After this time, the game is interrupted by an end screen that prevents further gameplay. The quicker and with fewer clues the correct answer is given, the higher the player’s score will be.
To guess the combination, the player can talk to the monks encountered. During the conversation, they may get a hint about the person, the weapon, or the crime scene. Each conversation 'costs’ a certain number of points, which will be deducted from the player’s final score. For each of the three categories, a maximum of three clues can be obtained, with each subsequent clue in a category being more detailed than the previous one (but also taking more points than a lower-level clue).
The order of the monks visited is important. Asking for a clue from a brother outside of the randomly generated order at the beginning of the game will redirect the player to the correct person.
If the player believes they know the answer, they can make accusation. To do this, they must return to William of Baskerville. However, caution is advised – an incorrect answer will cost a large number of points!
| Key | Action |
| W | Move forward |
| S | Move backward |
| A | Move left |
| D | Move right |
| R | Repeat last sentence |
| Ruch myszą | Look around |
| Lewy przycisk myszy | Select items in inventory; Activate buttons |
| Shift | Toggle running |
| L | Toggle lamp |
| F | Perform action (depending on the content displayed on the screen) |
| M | Show/Hide current level map |
| I | Show/Hide inventory preview |
| C | Show/Hide collected clues list |
| H | Show/Hide controls |
Upon starting the game, a welcome screen appears containing a brief introduction presented in the form of an open book 'The Name of the Rose.’ The introduction pages are navigated by clicking the left mouse button anywhere in the game window. A hint about the introduction is also in the bottom right corner of the window. After completing the introduction, the gameplay begins.
The clock shows the time remaining until the Inquisition’s arrival. The player has 24 hours to solve the mystery, with one hour in the game lasting 90 seconds in reality, translating to a maximum gameplay time of 36 minutes.
Depending on the remaining time, the clock changes its color:
– From 24 to 13 hours left – the clock is green
– From 12 to 4 hours left – the clock is yellow
– Less than 4 hours left – the clock is red, and an additional message appears for the player to hurry.
The map shows the player’s current position on the current level, marked with a green dot and updated in real-time – it is possible to move around the building with the map open. Only rooms are marked on the map, while the positions of monks and items are omitted – the player must discover their locations themselves. When moving between levels of the building, the map updates to the current level.
During the game, the player can collect suspected tools and crime scenes and suspicious persons. These items, after interaction, are in the inventory, presented as square thumbnails. At any time, the player can highlight one item from each category, e.g., to mark their suspicions. The selection is made by clicking the left mouse button on the thumbnail (the mouse pointer is unlocked when the inventory is open). The inventory can be closed again by pressing the dedicated key or clicking the 'CLOSE’ button.
A special variation of the inventory is the making accusation screen. It can only be activated by interacting with Master William. The inventory background then changes to red, and an additional button, 'MAKE ACCUSATION,’ appears, which is used to provide the answer. The response consists of the currently highlighted items in the inventory.
At any time, the player can review all the clues obtained during conversations with the monks. A maximum of three clues can be obtained from each category. The name of the monk from whom the clue was obtained is also included with each clue.
At any time, the player can view the controls in case he needs an information of what keys/mouse actions can be used.
There are several types of information windows in the game. Each has a different purpose and, to distinguish it from the others, has a different appearance and location.
Displayed at the top of the screen. The text is displayed in white. The visibility time of the information bar is 3 seconds. It is used as feedback for the player, e.g., as confirmation of activating the running mode or adding something to the inventory.
The dialogue content is displayed at the bottom of the screen in yellow. This bar appears during conversations with the monks. The name of the person speaking is displayed on the left side of the message. Due to the length of the texts presented in the bar, its display time is as long as 10 seconds. If the player does not manage to read the sentence, they can always remind it with a dedicated key.
This is a smaller bar displayed in the middle of the screen. The text presented is in green. This is where the name of the item or person with whom interaction is possible is displayed.
Another small bar in the middle of the screen accompanying the name. It displays in white text the key and the assigned action that will be performed on the current person, item, or room.
Name and action are not displayed if the map, inventory, or control table is shown on the screen at that time.
The game ends with the display of the end screen. To play again, refresh the page in the browser. The appearance of the game-ending screen depends on the game’s outcome. If the player gives the correct answer, a screen displaying the number of points obtained is shown.
If the game time expires, it ends in a loss, and a screen informing of the defeat is displayed.
Clicking anywhere on the end screens displays the end credits. Clicking on the name of an object (e.g., a model or texture) in a new tab opens the page from which the object originates. In the case of clicking on the author’s name, their homepage is opened.
We thank all the wonderful people who contributed to the creation of the game!