History Videogame / DarkTales

* BlessedWithSuck: The Usher twins in ''House of Usher'' have a bizarre connection which causes them to feel one another's pain - if something physically happens to one, it will happen to the other too. They are also incapable of leaving Paris, as their curse ties them to their mansion.

** Pluto, the titular ''Black Cat'', returns in ''House of Usher''. There's also a statue of a dog that, when given life, resembles a Newfoundland like Arthur in ''The Gold Bug''.
* CreatorCameo: In the cemetery of ''House of Usher'', there's a statue of Edgar Allan Poe that comes to life and quotes a line from ''The Raven''.

* DistressBall: Usually averted, but Dupin occasionally picks this up, such as when he's [[spoiler:tied up]] in the climax of ''Gold Bug'' and [[spoiler:shot in the chest]] in the bonus chapter of ''Masque of the Red Death.'' He picks it up ''twice'' in ''House of Usher'', once during the main game and once in the bonus chapter.

* ExactWords: ERS Games stated that Dupin would have his shirt removed in the collector's edition of ''Masque of the Red Death''. What they did not say was that this would happen when [[spoiler: he gets shot in the chest by Jacques Morro. Fortunately, the bullet didn't reach his heart and the shirt is only removed up to the left arm and chest.]]
* FallingChandelierOfDoom: In the bonus chapter of ''House of Usher''.

* FeaturelessProtagonist: The player character is never seen, has no dialogue wheel, and is only ever addressed as "[[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep detective]]" (or, by Dupin, as "my friend"). Some comments in ''Murders in the Rue Morgue'' indicate that the player character is male, but the developers elected to take a more gender-neutral approach to the rest of the series.

** ''The Gold Bug'' is arguably lighter than the other ''Dark Tales''. Justified in that it's based on a mystery rather than one of Poe's horror stories.

* TranquilFury: Dupin, during his DistressBall moments in ''House of Usher''. It's not unjustified, although to hear him ranting because being tied up ''broke his favorite walking stick'' is pretty funny.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Rather literally, in ''House of Usher'', when you use your trained mouse to distract the cat. Quite possibly we don't really want to know.

* AnachronismStew: The games take place during the mid-19th century. But you find toy pandas in ''Masque of the Red Death''; pandas were not yet known in Europe at that time. In ''House of Usher'', you encounter a modern drum set and helium balloons, and the player character makes a few references to Sherlock Holmes - who debuted in ''A Study in Scarlet'', published in 1887 (and thus at least ten years or more after the game's events).

* BigFancyHouse: The settings for both ''The Black Cat'' and ''House of Usher''. Mayor Prospero's residence is shown to be this in ''Masque of the Red Death''. Dupin also lives in a rather stately home, as seen in ''Murders in the Rue Morgue''. The eponymous ''House of Usher'' was probably this originally, but by the time of the game is apparently on the verge of collapse; the bonus chapter shows a few other houses in the nearby village which fit the trope too.

* BonusFeatureFailure: In ''House of Usher'', the FirstPersonSnapshooter activity from ''Masque'' is brought back. However, whereas in ''Masque'' it served a useful function (forming an interactive map enabling fast travel, as noted below), it's almost completely useless in ''Usher''; it does nothing except create a photo album in the player character's personal study. Many players complained about this in the forums.

** The diary in ''Murders in the Rue Morgue'' notes that Dupin is fond of ciphers and puzzles, so it wouldn't be completely out of character for his house to have the puzzles you are required to solve in the beginning. It's still amusing that he uses them as a test for your character, however.

* TemporalParadox: Implied by one puzzle in ''House of Usher'', although it appears to have no negative effect on the heroes; they don't even seem to notice that something's weird. The puzzle requires you to arrange five of Poe's stories according to the years in which they were published. One of the stories in question is ''The Fall of the House of Usher'', '''which is supposed to be happening at that very moment.'''

** May be flipped in ''House of Usher'', where Dupin still provides exposition, but your first diary entry calls you "My assistant and I". However, this could very well be the trope played entirely straight; since (unlike in previous games) the diary never mentions him by name, it's entirely possible that ''Dupin'' is writing the diary this time.

* ContinuityNod: The player character's office in ''Masque of Red Death'' has a wall of plaques, four of them dedicated to the previous games of the series.

* FirstPersonSnapshooter: Utilized in ''Masque of the Red Death''; one of the achievements you can unlock in the collector's edition is to take photographs of every scene you encounter. It also has a useful function, in that you can jump directly to a scene you've photographed by opening the map portion of your diary and clicking on the picture. This returns in ''House of Usher'', although you have a traditional map instead; the photography serves no gameplay function beyond creating the album in your personal study.

** In ''House of Usher'', this trope is utilized extensively, most notably in the separate mini-game where you must collect coins found inside dollhouses throughout the scenes.

* LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition: Each game is available in a VanillaEdition and also one of these, which include bonus gameplay, screensavers, and other additional content. Starting with ''The Black Cat'', the bonus gameplay is a continuation of the main story, revealing additional details.

** May be flipped in ''House of User'', where Dupin still provides exposition, but your first diary entry calls you "My assistant and I". However, this could very well be the trope played entirely straight; since (unlike in previous games) the diary never mentions him by name, it's entirely possible that ''Dupin'' is writing the diary this time.

* TemporalParadox: Implied by one puzzle in ''House of Usher'', although it appears to have no negative affect on the heroes; they don't even seem to notice that something's weird. The puzzle requires you to arrange five of Poe's stories according to the years in which they were published. One of the stories in question is ''The Fall of the House of Usher'', '''which is supposed to be happening at that very moment.'''

** Dupin gets on this in ''Masque of Red Death'', when he mentions how "those damn vines" snapped his favorite cane when he was captured.

* AdaptationExpansion: The first two games follow the ending of their original stories. The third and fifth games have their own stories, because of the nature of the original material; ''The Premature Burial'' was mostly a parody of BuriedAlive stories, and ''Masque of the Red Death'' only had two named characters. The fourth game still has William [=LeGrand=] and the subject of searching for the Gold Bug, but there is now a mysterious masked man trying to kill [=LeGrand=], and the African slave was replaced with a Newfoundland dog named Arthur. The sixth game takes the original story of ''The Fall of the House of Usher'' and adds a supernatural background.
* AdaptationalVillainy: In the short story ''Masque of the Red Death'', Prospero was a man who held a masquerade ball for guests while trying to avoid the Red Death. In the game, he's a MayorPain whom the villagers despise. Inverted with the Red Death himself, as in the story he took the form of a plague that killed everyone, but is now a man wearing a red mask, killing the corrupt officials of the town, who seems to be a hero to the villagers.

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: In ''Masque of the Red Death'', [[spoiler:Jacques Morro]] has a sweet little daughter who loves him very much. [[spoiler: It makes him being the BiggerBad in the bonus chapter all the more jarring.]]

* OutOfCharacterIsSeriousBusiness: Dupin is always calm throughout most situations. Even after [[spoiler: being shot]] in the bonus chapter of ''Masque of Red Death'', he's still patient and gentlemanly to the core. But twice in ''House of Usher'' (once in the main game, once in the bonus), he becomes trapped and you must rescue him. In both instances he is quite clearly angry, which - contrasted with his suave gentility in the previous games - is rather jarring.
* OverlyLongTitle: The first, fifth and sixth games stand out in this manner. Somewhat justified, as these are the names of Poe's original stories.

* FirstPersonSnapshooter: Utilized in ''Masque of the Red Death''; one of the achievements you can unlock in the collector's edition is to take photographs of every scene you encounter. It also has a useful function, in that you can jump directly to a scene you've photographed by opening the map portion of your diary and clicking on the picture.
** This returns in ''House of Usher'', although you have a traditional map instead.

* FallingChandelierOfDoom: In the bonus chapter of ''House of Usher''.

* HundredPercentCompletion: Starting with ''Masque of the Red Death'', the games offer various achievements to be unlocked which are a way of measuring this.
* AdaptationExpansion: The first two games follow the ending of their original stories. The third and fifth games have their own stories, because of the nature of the original material; ''The Premature Burial'' was mostly a parody of BuriedAlive stories, and ''Masque of the Red Death'' only had two named characters. The fourth game still has William [=LeGrand=] and the subject of searching for the Gold Bug, but there is now a mysterious masked man trying to kill [=LeGrand=], and the African slave was replaced with a Newfoundland dog named Arthur.

* BiggerBad: You'll only learn about them if you play the bonus chapters of the collector's editions, but three of the games have TheManBehindTheMan pulling the strings in one way or another.

* BigFancyHouse: The settings for both ''The Black Cat'' and ''House of Usher''. Mayor Prospero's residence is shown to be this in ''Masque of the Red Death''. Dupin also lives in a rather stately home, as seen in ''Murders in the Rue Morgue''.

* BraggingRightsAward[=/=]CosmeticAward: What your personal office in ''Masque'' eventually becomes filled with as you unlock the various achievements. ''House of Usher'' expands on this.

* BuriedAlive: As hinted by the title, the underlying story of ''The Premature Burial''.

* DistressBall: Usually averted, but Dupin occasionally picks this up, such as when he's [[spoiler:tied up]] in the climax of ''Gold Bug'' and [[spoiler:shot in the chest]] in the bonus chapter of ''Masque of the Red Death.''
* DoomMagnet: Dr. Morris's observations on the Usher twins and their curse suggests that they could be considered this. [[spoiler: The bonus chapter explains that a cursed stone that their ancestor, Henry Usher, found was the source of all of the trouble.]]

* HiddenObjectGame: Most of the puzzles, especially in the early games, are of this type. The later games in the series have a wider variety of puzzles, but still plenty of hidden object scenes.

* InGameNovel: Not exactly, but close. The collector's editions of ''Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Black Cat,'' and ''The Premature Burial'' will allow you to save copies of Poe's original stories to your hard drive. The first two games require you to complete the bonus chapter before this can be done; ''Burial'' allows it from the get-go.

-->'''Diary Entry:''' And by ''we'', I'm certain that he's most likely referring to ''me''.

* LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition: Each game is available in a VanillaEdition and also one of these, which include bonus gameplay, screensavers, and other additional content.

* OutOfCharacterIsSeriousBusiness: Dupin is always calm throughout most situations. Even after [[spoiler: being shot]] in the bonus chapter of ''Masque of Red Death'', he's still patient and gentlemanly to the core. So to see him become truly pissed off when [[spoiler:Estelle almost kills him with the falling chandelier]] in the bonus chapter of ''House of Usher'' is quite jarring, and clearly indicates that ''he means business''.

* PandaingToTheAudience: In ''Masque of the Red Death'', the player character finds two panda toys as part of a painting...in early 19th century France.
* PetInterface: Arthurm the Newfoundland in ''The Gold Bug'', and a surprisingly smart dog at that. Examples include using a hat as a makeshift nest for chicks, and figuring out that the detectives can use fireflies as a light source for a lantern.

* SuddenlyVoiced: All of the dialogue in the first two games appears only written onscreen. Starting in ''The Premature Burial'', however, the characters have voice acting and improved animation.

* TranquilFury: Dupin in the bonus chapter of ''House of Usher''. Justified since [[spoiler: Estelle tries to kill him by dropping a chandelier]]. He is ''pissed''.

** Flipped in ''House of User''; Dupin still plays exposition, but your diary refers to "My assistant and I...". Most likely this is an inside joke on the part of the player character.
* WeatherDissonance: Seen in ''Murders in the Rue Morgue''. It's pouring rain throughout the entire game... and a luminescent full moon is visible in the sky at the same time.

* The sixth game, ''[[http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/26299/dark-tales-edgar-allan-poes-house-usher-ce/index.html The Fall of the House of Usher]]'', Dupin receives a letter from one Dr. Morris regarding the curse of the Usher twins Roderick and Madeleine and their esteemed manor. But a familiar black cat with a single red eye seems to be guiding the Detective and his assistant into something more.

* AnachronismStew: There's toy pandas in ''Masque of the Red Death'', which is set in the mid-1800's.
** In ''The House of Usher'' there's a modern drum set and helium balloons and the player character mentions Sherlock Holmes a few times. All of this came about a century later.

* The sixth game, ''The House of Usher'', Dupin received a letter from one Dr. Morris regarding the curse of the Usher twins Roderick and Madeleine and their esteemed manor. While a familiar black cat with a single red eyes seems to be guiding the Detective and his assistant into something more.

* OutOfCharacterIsSeriousBusiness: Dupin is always calm throughout most situations even after [[spoiler: getting shot as show in ''Masque of Red Death's'' bonus chapter.]] Thus him being pissed off at [[spoiler: nearly being killed by Estelle in ''House of Usher's''s bonus chapter via falling chandelier]] is a sign that he means ''business''.
* OverlyLongTitle: All of them, but the first, fifth and sixth games stand out.

* PetInterface: Arthurm the Newfoundland in ''The Gold Bug'', and a surprisingly smart dog at that. Examples include using a hat as a makeshift nest for chickes, and figuring out that the detectives can use fireflies as a light source for a lantern.

* SolveTheSoupCans: Many of the puzzles which aren't hidden object scenes are of this type, especially with regards to unlocking doors and otherwise removing barriers; it's simply not something you'd encounter in RealLife.

** And the diary in ''Murders in the Rue Morgue'' notes that Dupin is fond of ciphers and puzzles, so it wouldn't be completely out of character for his house to have the puzzles you are required to solve in the beginning.

* TranquilFury: Dupin in the bonus chapter of ''House of Usher''. Justified seeing as [[spoiler: Estelle tried to kill him by dropping a chandelier]]. He is ''pissed''.

** Flipped in ''House of User'', while Dupin still plays exposition, the diary states "My assistant and I".

* DoomMagnet: Dr. Morris's observations on the Usher twins and their curse suggests that they could be considered this.

* AnachronismStew: There's toy pandas in ''Masque of the Red Death'' and a bat balloon in ''The House of Usher''. The time period these games take place is presumably the early 1800s. The player character also makes quips about Sherlock Holmes, but Holmes wasn't conceived until the 1890s.

* AnachronismStew: There's toy pandas in ''Masque of the Red Death'' and a bat balloon in ''The House of Usher''. The time period these games take place is presumably the early 1800s.

* A sixth game has been announced, based on ''The House of Usher''. Dupin receives a letter from one Dr. Morris regarding the curse of the Usher twins Roderick and Madeleine and their esteemed manor. WordOfGod says that Pluto, the titular ghostly ''Black Cat'', is slated to make a return appearance in this game. The game will be released on March 13th, 2014; a video playthrough of the beta version can be viewed [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD3RNfMEtOA here]].

* A sixth game has been announced, based on ''The House of Usher''. Dupin receives a letter from one Dr. Morris regarding the curse of the Usher twins Roderick and Madeleine and their esteemed manor. WordOfGod says that Pluto, the titular ghostly ''Black Cat'', is slated to make a return appearance in this game. The game will be released sometime in 2014; a video playthrough of the beta version can be viewed [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD3RNfMEtOA here]].

* HeroicDog: Arthur in ''The Gold Bug,'' who is used to sniff out clues and is smarter than most dogs, given that he uses a hat to help carry a chick or sets an empty lantern near a patch of fireflies as a light source. The player also finds a dachshund to use as an inventory item in ''Masque of The Red Death''.

* [[spoiler:DeadAllAlong: Sarah and Pluto in ''The Black Cat''.]]

* BiggerBad: You'll only learn about them if you play the bonus chapters of the collector's editions, but three of the five games have TheManBehindTheMan pulling the strings in one way or another.

** In ''The Premature Burial'', [[spoiler:the cemetery's grounds-keeper is revealed to be the one who persuaded Renelle Fore to murder his wives.]]

* BigFancyHouse: The settings for both ''The Black Cat'' and ''Fall of the House of Usher''. Mayor Prospero's residence is shown to be this in ''Masque of the Red Death''. Dupin also lives in a rather stately home, as seen in ''Murders in the Rue Morgue''.

** Somewhat subverted for ''House of Usher.'' In the opening animation, Dupin is rendered in three-dimensional CG, but his appearance in the actual gameplay reverts to that of previous installments in the series. However, he has gone back to being the mostly non-moving figure he was in the original game, as opposed to the other games where his mouth moves while he talks.
* AscendedExtra: Dupin, who only appeared in three of Poe's stories (''Murders in the Rue Morgue'' was his debut), has been in all five cases so far.

* BlessedWithSuck: The Usher twins in ''House of Usher'' feel pain of the other and can't leave Paris as their curse draws them back to their mansion.

** In ''House of Usher'', there's a black cat with a glowing red eye just like Pluto in ''The Black Cat''. Whether or not it ''is'' Pluto is yet to be seen. There's also a statue of a dog that, when given life, resembles a Newfoundland like Arthur in ''The Gold Bug''.

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: In ''Masque of the Red Death'', Jacques Morro has a sweet little daughter who loves him very much. [[spoiler: It makes him being the BiggerBad in the bonus chapter all the more jarring.]]
* ExactWords: ERS Games stated that Dupin will have his shirt removed in the collector's edition of ''Masque of the Red Death''. What they did not say was that this would happen when [[spoiler: he gets shot in the chest by Jacques Morro. Fortunately, it didn't reach his heart and the shirt is only removed up to the left arm and chest.]]
* FauxDeath: In ''The Premature Burial'', you learn that Victorine suffered from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalepsy catalepsy]], a medical condition which causes the sufferer to enter a rigor mortis-like state easily mistaken for death (at least in Poe's time). [[spoiler:Her husband's previous wives had the same thing. It's the specific reason he married them.]]

** The Gold Bug is arguably lighter than the other Dark Tale games. Justified in that it's based on a mystery rather than one of Poe's horror stories.

* ProductionForeshadowing: In ''The Gold Bug'', the sound effects for hints and one of the music scores are both from the ''Maestro'' series that the company produces. The game published after ''The Gold Bug'' was the third Maestro game, ''Music From the Void''.

* SealedGoodInACan: In ''House of Usher'', the player unleashes a benevolent spirit called "The Reborn One", who is able to give life to statues.

* ShoutOut: In ''House of Usher'', Roderick quotes a line from Poe's The Haunted Palace. Fitting, considering the circumstances.

* A sixth game has been announced, based on ''The House of Usher''. Dupin receives a letter from one Dr. Morris regarding the curse of the Usher twins Roderick and Madeleine and their esteemed manor. WordOfGod says that Pluto, the titular ghostly ''Black Cat'', is slated to make a return appearance in this game. The game will be released sometime in 2014; a trailer can be viewed [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD3RNfMEtOA here]].

** The CG model for Dupin in ''House of Usher'' is vastly different than the one in ''Masque of the Red Death''.

* A sixth game has been announced, based on ''The House of Usher''. Dupin receives a letter from one Dr. Morris regarding the curse of the Usher twins Rodericl and Madeleine and their esteemed manor. WordOfGod says that Pluto, the titular ghostly ''Black Cat'', is slated to make a return appearance in this game. The game will be released sometime in 2014; a trailer can be viewed [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD3RNfMEtOA here]].

* A sixth game has been announced, based on ''The House of Usher''. Dupin receives a letter from one Dr. Morris regarding the curse of the Usher twins Roderic and Madeline and their esteemed manor. WordOfGod says that Pluto, the titular ghostly ''Black Cat'', is slated to make a return appearance in this game.

* AdaptationalVillainy: In the short story ''Masque of the Red Death'', Prospero was a man who held a masquerade ball for guests while trying to avoid the Red Death. In the game, he's a MayorPain whom the villagers despise. Inverted with the Red Death himself, as in the story he took the form of a plague that killed everyone, but is now a man wearing a red mask, killing the corrupt officials of the town and seems to be a hero to the villagers.