Veil of Darkness

There are so few blank spots left on the modern map that an experienced traveler is no longer in danger of encountering the unknown and finding himself in a hopeless situation, especially if this traveler is not only experienced, but also not lacking in courage and composure. But sometimes surprises await us where, as it seems, they should not be at all. An ordinary flight over the misty mountains somewhere in the Romanian outback turned into a disaster for the hero of Veil of Darkness - his plane unexpectedly crashed straight into a small valley, reliably hidden from prying eyes by impenetrable monoliths of rocks. The pilot, however, was clearly born in a shirt - he was quickly found and the small number of inhabitants of a nearby village, which had been isolated from the rest of the world for so long, came out and technical progress had long forgotten the way there. Very soon our researcher finds himself drawn into a long series of events predicted in an ancient prophecy, takes on the role of defender of the oppressed, fights curses and mystical creatures of black magic and finds out through whose fault his life took such a sharp turn... But all this is for you We still have to experience it personally, but for now it’s better to delve into the technical side of what is happening.

Like other Event Horizon creations, Veil of Darkness pleases the eye primarily with its user-friendly interface, which, coupled with the unforgettable isometry, allows you to quickly get used to the controls and focus entirely on the gameplay. So, our hero needs to get out of the ill-fated valley and return to the benefits of civilization. As it soon turns out, standing in his way is the owner of the local land - a certain Kairn, who drank a lot of the blood of the poor fellows who were locked up in this godforsaken corner. To deal with the insidious tyrant, you need to use the help of those who still retain their common sense and delve into the essence of the events taking place in the area. And to do this, you will have to do what the player usually does in adventure games of all kinds - a thorough inspection of the territory, filling his pockets with all the things that come to hand, solving elegant riddles and, most importantly, conversations. Residents of a couple of surrounding villages are happy to help you, but many of them also have their own sins, the unpleasant consequences of which the hero will have to face more than once. We should not forget that we have to look at the events of Veil of Darkness from a somewhat unusual angle - the world here seems to be the embodiment of some kind of fairy tale, and this fairy tale is by no means one of those good stories that are told to children at night. A werewolf hiding under the guise of a simple man, the dead who escaped the captivity of their graves, strange diseases and no less strange medicines - this is just the beginning of a long list of troubles that do not lag behind the hero of the game one step at a time.

However, extracting information from local residents and comparing the stories heard is surprisingly easy and pleasant, and the merit of this largely belongs to the proprietary dialogue system, which Event Horizon did not fail to include in the game. During conversations, the hero notices the most important words spoken by his interlocutors, and subsequently these words can become a topic for questioning of other characters. Moreover, you are free to enter topics yourself, directly from the keyboard, and trying to communicate with the necessary characters is no less enjoyable than the long-tired standard choice of obvious answer options.

You will also have to devote a significant amount of time to collecting and working with objects. Sometimes you need to combine things yourself, in other cases you need to look for entire sets of them, so that later you can use the help of local residents who will not fail to make something useful from what they find. Keep in mind that no one will work for a “thank you,” and get ready to extract the silver that is valued here by all possible means. And in case you suddenly encounter a pack of hungry wolves in the wilderness, it’s a good idea to have at least some kind of weapon with you. Moreover, wolves are the most harmless creatures that you are destined to encounter...

It's hard to find any flaws in Veil of Darkness. The game is extremely friendly with the audience, the graphic style here is very pleasing to the eye, somewhat sad melodies and periodically rustling and howling sounds coming from somewhere in the forest successfully emphasize the mystical, wary atmosphere. Those who remember with horror the endless searches for small items in early quests will have another pleasant discovery - the opportunity to double the size of all the things that can be picked up. Small animated inserts accompany all the important actions of the main character and other characters, allowing you to examine in detail what exactly is happening on the screen. Veil of Darkness is perfect for everyone who likes to push back the veils of well-guarded mysteries and secrets, and will not disappoint those players who would like to briefly plunge into an adventure full of mysticism. And don’t let Kairn’s machinations prevent you from dispelling the cover of darkness over the Transylvanian valley lost somewhere!