History VideoGame / DarkNights

Dark Nights is a 2019 visual novel created by Pinlin, made on the [[https://www.renpy.org/ Ren’py engine]]. It is a mystery, [[RomanceGame otome]] [[VisualNovel visual novel]] with horror elements.

Dark Nights was released on the 31st October 2019 and can be [[https://pinlin.itch.io/darknights downloaded here.]]

!! Dark Nights contains examples of:

* AlwaysChaoticEvil: [[spoiler: Rasumi.]]

* AmnesiacHero: Sachiro.

* {{Black and White Morality}}: Chain [[spoiler:sees all supernatural creatures (and humans who side with them) as evil and kills every one of them.]]

* BloodyHandprint: When you see this at the school, you’d better run.

* CastFullOfPrettyBoys: Well, duh!

* CreepyChild: The school ghost.

* DealWithTheDevil: Or in this case, [[spoiler:making a deal with an angel.]]

* FantasyKitchenSink: [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Zombies]], [[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghosts]], [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demons]], [[{{Shinigami}} shinigami]] and [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angels]] are present in the work - and this is not even the whole list. Magic, curses, and time travel exist.

* ForgottenFirstMeeting: When Kurato mentions he met Miyoko before, she doesn’t remember and suspects she [[LaserGuidedAmnesia may have had amnesia]]. [[spoiler:It turns out she didn’t meet Kurato in his human form.]]

* {{Glowing eyes of doom}}: Most of the [[spoiler:zombies and ghosts you encounter]] have these.

* GoshDangItToHeck: HOLY UMBRELLAS!

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: RIP Lioji on Zeikun's normal end.]]

* InhumanHuman: [[spoiler:Junoru and Roya.]]

* InterspeciesRomance: If Miyoko pursues [[spoiler:Junoru or Zeikun.]]

* JustAKid : Many people say this to Miyoko when she tries to get more involved in the murder investigations. On Sachiro’s route, [[spoiler:Chain also says this about Kaichi when Miyoko suspects he kidnapped Sachiro.]]

* {{Light is not good}}: [[spoiler:Though Rasumi is a sweet-looking angel, she becomes the final villain on all the routes and acts purely for her self-interest/amusement.]]

** [[spoiler:'''Roya:''' Welcome to immortality, lil’ bro!]]

* MultipleEndings: As per usual Visual Novel fare.

* OlderThanTheyLook: Sachiro and Kaichi look like children and claim to be older. [[spoiler:Justified since neither of them are at their true form.]]

* {{One Steve Limit}}: Junoru happens to share the same surname as the family that was killed a century ago, and Miyoko brushes this off as a coincidence. [[spoiler:Justified as he is from that same family.]]

* {{Tearjerker}}: Junoru and Zeikun’s normal endings.

* TheBeautifulElite: The elite class in their school are relatively unknown but can be recognised by their fancy uniforms. [[spoiler:Subverted as this is where most of the weird supernatural creatures are.]]

* TheUnfettered: Chain seems pretty ruthless in eliminating [[spoiler:all supernatural creatures]], regardless of how dangerous they seem to be.

* TheWoobie: You've gotta feel sorry for some the boys in this game.

* TrueLovesKiss: [[spoiler:How Miyoko wakes up Sachiro in his romantic end.]]

* YouKilledMyFather: Subverted. [[spoiler:Though Blace and Jace had a hand in his parents’ deaths, Junoru seems to understand they had their own circumstances and doesn’t want revenge.]]
** [[spoiler:Played straight with Roya however, who spent his childhood murdering the people who betrayed their parents.]]

* TheDividual: Jace and Blace are brothers, who look similar (but not indentical) and always work together, but have different personalities: Blace is hot-tempered one and Jace is easy-going one. [[spoiler:Blace guards the Heaven Gates, and Joyce guards the Gates of Hell.]]

* TheDividual: Jace and Blace are brothers, who look similar (but not indentical) and always work together, but have different personalities: Blace is hot-tempered one and Jace is easy-going one. [[spoiler:Blace guards the Heaven Gate, and Joyce guards the Gates of Hell.]]

* TheDividual: Jace and Blace are brothers, who look similar (but not indentical) and always work together, but have different personalities: Blace is hot-tempered and Jace easy-going. [[spoiler:Blace guards the Heaven Gate, and Joyce guards the Gates of Hell.]]

** [[spoiler:Played straight with Roya however, who spent his childhood murdering the people who betrayed their parents.]]

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Blace has blue hair, Sachiro has silver hair and Chain has green hair.

* BigBad: [[spoiler:Rasumi]] ends up being the final villain in most the routes.

** On Sachiro's route, Ikuya and Lioji were heard making very strange sounds in Miyoko's bedroom.

* BigBad: [[spoiler:Rasumi]] ends up being the final villain in all the routes.

* BittersweetEnding: Sachiro’s normal ending, [[spoiler:where Miyoko and Sachiro cannot be together in the end.]] Kurato’s normal ending also has [[spoiler: Miyoko and Kurato working together to defeat the possessed people but Kurato still remains cursed for eternity.]]

* CameBackStrong: Tenshi was [[spoiler:reborn as Kaichi in this era]], though this time [[spoiler:he’s a shinigami.]]

* CulturedBadass: Junoru.

** [[spoiler:Zeikun's grandmother had tainted the reputation of the forest demon such that the townfolk villanise the demon. This causes Zeikun to live away from the townsfolk.]]

** [[spoiler:Kurato literally got cursed because he opened a box given to him by an angel, and this angel refused to remove the curse. He then gets sent back in time as punishment for using Tenshi, his only friend in his class, as a human shield when said angel tries to kill him.]]
** [[spoiler:Tenshi literally got killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. At least he is reborn as Kaichi and a shinigami now.]]

* DependingOnTheWriter: Rasumi’s motivation in every route changes. Miyoko’s personality is also slightly different depending on who she pursues.

* ForgottenFirstMeeting: When Kurato mentions he met Miyoko before, she doesn’t remember and suspects whether she [[LaserGuidedAmnesia may have had amnesia]]. [[spoiler:It turns out she didn’t meet Kurato in his human form.]]

* GoneToTheFuture: [[spoiler:Kurato being whisked to the future without anyway to return.]]

* GoshDangItToHeck!: HOLY UMBRELLAS!

* HaveWeMet: Miyoko to Kurato when he mentions that he had met her before. [[spoiler:Sachiro also has technically met Miyoko before but neither remember this since Sachiro lost his memories and Miyoko [[TemporalParadox hasn’t technically met Sachiro yet.]]]]

* TrueLovesKiss}}: [[spoiler:How Miyoko wakes up Sachiro in his romantic end.]]

** Bright Days, the sequel to a novel called dark nightsDark Nights hints at how the side characters have their own stories as well.

** The novel about the protagonist falling in love with a murderer could hint at how Miyoko may ally herself with people who are partially responsible for the murders and disappearances in Junoru’s route.

Dark Nights is a 2019 visual novel created by Pinlin, made on the Ren’py engine. It is a mystery, otome visual novel with horror elements.

* BeingPersonalIsn’tProfessional: Blace’s philosophy and justification for being prickly with everyone. [[spoiler: Justified since he would have to send these people to their death anyway.]]

* TheWoobie: All the love interests could qualify as this.

You play as Miyoko, a [[AllergicToRoutine bored]] [TooDumbToLive daredevil]] who lives in a town where locals are [mysteriously disappearing and then getting murdered.] [Serial killer] Miyoko chooses to investigate one of the four [mysterious men] [mysterious stranger] that appear around town during this period: The [blunt and dismissive] [Tsundere] Zeikun, [quiet] [gentleman] [Dark and troubled past, single woman seeks good man] Junoru, the [lost little boy] Sachiro [Adorably Precocious Child] and the [care-free and friendly] [Cuckoo cloud lander] Kurato. As Miyoko delves further into her investigation, she realises the [dark secrets the town is hiding] [Town with a dark secret].

Dark Nights was released on the 31st October 2019 and can be {downloaded here}.

* ActionGirl: Miyoko can defend herself from creepy stalkers, assailants and [[spoiler:supernatural spirits]] [Bread, eggs, milk, squick]

* {{Alas, poor villain}}: On Zeikun’s route, though Chain tries to kill Zeikun, he sustains fatal injuries after the fight and requests Miyoko to burn his body as he [ForgottenFallenFrienddoes not want to be remembered]. This is made worse when you realise he had protected her before. Roya’s death on Junoru’s route is also gut-wrenching.

* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Rasumi.

* Ankledrag: Happens to Miyoko on Kurato’s route, but thankfully she doesn’t die.

* {{Anti-Frustration Feature}}: Without the bell sound effect from the right choices, getting the romantic ending would be quite difficult.

* {{Anti-Hero}}: Roya seeks vengeance for everyone who was responsible for their parents’ deaths and still murders people today to quell the zombie infestation. Chain wants to eliminate all supernatural creatures as he believes they are too dangerous. This means he would even kill his friends, relatives or humans who defend them.

* {{Being Personal Isn’t Professional}}: Blace’s philosophy and justification for being prickly with everyone. Justified since he would have to send these people to their death anyway.

* BigBad: Rasumi ends up being the final villain in all the routes.

* BittersweetEnding: Sachiro’s normal ending, where Miyoko and Sachiro cannot be together in the end. Kurato’s normal ending also have Miyoko and Kurato working together to defeat the possessed people but Kurato still remains cursed for eternity.

* {{Black and White Morality}}: Chain sees all supernatural creatures (and humans who side with them) as evil and kills every one of them.

* BridalCarry: Kurato does this to Miyoko on his normal route (so does Roya). And Zeikun does this to Miyoko on his route. Miyoko sure is pampered.

* {{Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl}}: Junoru and Miyoko.

* CameBackStrong: Tenshi was reborn as Kaichi in this era, though this time he’s a shinigami.

* CassandraTruth: Who would believe that ghosts and supernatural creatures are committing these murders? Right?

* {{Chekov’s Gun}}: The bunny that Miyoko keeps running into in the beginning of Zeikun’s route. It ends up protecting her in multiple instances.

* CuriosityKilledTheCat: Referenced by Kurato on his route when Miyokop follows him to Roya’s house. Roya took advantage of the situation to hold her hostage.

* DamselInDistress: Miyoko ends up taken as hostage in many instances by zombies, afterlife guardians.

* DarkIsNotBad: Zeikun’s route shows that demons get a bad rep for things that happened in the past. Junoru, although a zombie, does not want to harm anyone.

* DealWithTheDevil: Or in this case, making a deal with an angel.

* EasilyForgiven: Miyoko seems pretty chill about Roya committing all these murders on Junoru and Kurato’s route.

* {{Extreme Close-Up}}: Hope you get a good night’s sleep after that close-up of the face stealer on Sachiro’s bad end 2.

* ForTheGreaterGood: Multiple people want Junoru dead on his route as they believe it would end the murders.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The book the protagonist reads end up foreshadowing a later plot point. The novel about the protagonist falling in love with a murderer could hint at how Miyoko may ally herself with people who are partially responsible for the murders and disappearances in Junoru’s route.

* ForgottenFirstMeeting: When Kurato mentions he met Miyoko before, she doesn’t remember and suspects whether she [LaserGuidedAmnesia may have had amnesia]. It turns out she didn’t meet Kurato in his human form.

* GhostStory: The story of the school ghost and the forest demon. They all end up being true.

* {{Glowing eyes of doom}}: Most of the zombies and ghosts you encounter have these.

* GoneToTheFuture: Kurato being whisked to the future without anyway to return.

* GoodAllAlong: Junoru and Roya who are responsible for the disappearances/murders end up being well-intentioned people who also want to stop the rampage. Though some ways more immoral than others.

* GrassIsGreener: Sachiro wishes to become a human though Kaichi tries to dissuade him, saying human life isn’t that great compared to spirit life.

* GuardianEntity: Sachiro, who kills evil spirits.

* GuideDangIt!: Good luck getting through the chase scene in Zeikun’s route on your first try.

* {{Have we met?}}: Miyoko to Kurato when he mentions that he had met her before. Sachiro also has technically met Miyoko before but neither remember this since Sachiro lost his memories and Miyoko [hasn’t technically met Sachiro yet.] [Time paradox]

* HeroicSacrifice: Miyoko does this when Chain attempts to murder a mourning Junoru. Junoru also ends up doing this in his normal ending. Kurato does this in his animal form to save Miyoko on Zeikun’s route.

* {{High-class glass}}: Roya wore a monocle when he was a child.

* IdenticalStranger: Miyoko finds an article on Kurato with his childhood photo attached to it, but brushes it off as being an identical stranger since this article was dated a century ago. They are actually the same person.

* {{InhumanHuman}}: Junoru and Roya.

* InterspeciesRomance: If Miyoko pursues Junoru or Zeikun.

* JustAKid : Many people say this to Miyoko when she tries to get more involved in the murder investigations. On Sachiro’s route, Chain also says this about Kaichi when Miyoko suspects he kidnapped Sachiro.

* JustInTime: Miyoko is often saved from danger at the nick of time by her private guard, her love interest or [some other random event] [Chekov’s gun]

* {{Light is not good}}: Though Rasumi is a sweet-looking angel, she becomes the final villain on all the routes and acts purely for her self-interest/amusement.

* LivingForeverIsAwesome: Roya seems to take the whole being-turned-into-zombies thing pretty well. “Welcome to immortality, lil’ bro!”

* {{May-December Romance}}: Subverted with Sachiro. He ends up looking his real age when he regains his memories.

* NotWhatItLooksLike: On Junoru’s route, Miyoko confides in Ikea about her crush (she hasn’t revealed who they are yet) and later that night Ikuya walks in on Blace and Miyoko having a serious conversation in her bedroom. Hilarity ensues.

* {{Old-School Chivalry}}: When Junoru takes Miyoko to their school ball, he comes in a carriage drawn by two deers.

* OlderThanTheyLook: Sachiro and Kaichi look like children and claim to be older. Justifies since neither of them are at their true form. Junoru, Roya, Jace, Blace and Rasumi also fall under this.

* {{One Steve Limit}}: Junoru happens to share the same surname as the family that was killed a century ago, and Miyoko brushes this off as a coincidence. Justified as he is from that same family.

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: Junoru and Roya are different from the common zombies as they have some superpowers as well (Junoru has telekinesis and heals insanely fast and Roya has super strength). In fact, they have a whole hierarchy of zombies from [brainless ones], [parasitic], to [inhuman humans].

* PoliceAreUseless: As the body-count increases, the police — sans Chain — don’t really do much.

* {{Red Oni, Blue Oni}}: Inverted with Blace and Jace. Blace is dressed in blue but is the hot-tempered one and Jace is dressed in red and is the easy-going one.

* {{ReincarnationFriendship}}: Subverted. Though Kaichi and Kurato are in the same generation again, Kaichi hates him and wants revenge.

* {{Shut-up kiss}}: Junoru to Miyoko in his romantic ending.

* {{Strong Girl, Smart Guy}}: Miyoko and Zeikun, though downplayed since Zeikun is pretty strong too.

* StrongerThanTheyLook: Though Miyoko is pretty small she can pack a punch. Roya also has insane strength.

* TheBeautifulElite: The elite class in their school are relatively unknown but can be recognised by their fancy uniforms. Subverted as this is where most of the weird supernatural creatures are.

* TheUnfettered: Chain seems pretty ruthless in eliminating all supernatural creatures, regardless of how dangerous they seem to be.

* TimeTravelEpisode: Chapter 3 of Sachiro’s route where Miyoko gets sent to the past.

* TokenHuman: Miyoko surrounded by the cast of pretty boys who are all supernatural creatures.

* TooDumbToLive: Zig-zagged with Miyoko. Miyoko can find the cure for zombieism and beat up zombies with an umbrella on some routes, but follows mysterious strangers, walks into haunted houses unarmed and walks around the streets late at night even though there are murderers lurking.

* TownWithADarkSecret: There are many urban legends such as forest demons, temple guardians and ghosts. And they’re all true.

* TrappedInThePast: Miyoko gets whisked to the past in Sachiro’s route.

* {{True Love’s Kiss}}: How Miyoko wakes up Sachiro in his romantic end.

* VengeanceFeelsEmpty: Kaichi gives this as an excuse to spare Kurato on his route if Kurato runs into him at the school.

* VideoGameCrueltyPoint: Why would you kick a ghost child? Looks what it’s gonna do to you now!

* WallPinOfLove: Miyoko does this to Kurato twice on his route. Subverted when she does this to Kaichi on Zeikun’s route, as she’s just testing his strength.

* {{What have I Become?}}: Sachiro realises he becomes less and less human after killing more spirits, such that he cannot even enter the temple anymore.

* YouKilledMyFather: Subverted. Though Blace and Jace had a hand in his parents’ deaths, Junoru seems to understand they had their own circumstances and doesn’t want revenge. Played straight with Roya however, who spent his childhood murdering the people who betrayed their parents.