The Dark Tales have a small Continuity Snarl created by the fact that some of the games have no dated information. For a long time, it was assumed that they were released in chronological order; however, later games in the series contain dates which indicate that this is not the case. This, therefore, is an attempt to figure out the order in which the events in the games happen. Unmarked spoilers ahead.
Just for Fun, the publication dates of the original Poe works have also been included.
Unknown
- The events of Ligeia and its bonus chapter are impossible to pin into the timeline. There is absolutely no dated information found in either. The only thing we know for sure is that the bonus chapter takes place at least ten years before the time of the main game, because Ligeia is a child during the bonus chapter and a young woman at the time of her death six months before the main game. The closest thing we have to a clue about the timing is the fact that Judge Phoenix owns a car in the bonus chapter, which suggests it takes place in the latter half of the 19th century; however, the car in question uses (as the main page notes) a key ignition which wasn't available until 1949, which means that it's really not a useful clue. (Publication of the original work was September 18, 1838.)
Before 1900 BC
- The ancient Sumerians (who existed c. 4500-1900 BC) develop the Heart of the Void, a device coveted by the Raven Society during the main game of The Raven.
Before 476 AD/CE
- The Raven Society is founded. One of the collectibles in The Raven indicates that the Raven Society was directly involved in the fall of the Roman Empire, which occurred in that year.
Circa 900-1000
- At the beginning of the tenth century, King Charles the Simple of France gives land in northern France to the Viking invaders to persuade them to stop invading. Over the subsequent hundred years, the Vikings settle this land and it becomes known as Northmannia
(later Normandy). Henry Usher, the great ancestor of the Usher line, is shown in the bonus chapter of House of Usher to be dressed in garb contemporary to these Viking settlers, suggesting that this is the time and place in which he finds the enchanted stone and establishes his village.
1533
- The community of Goldstone/Goldtownnote is founded by a Knight of the Teutonic Order nicknamed "Crow," according to one of the achievements in Lenore. Within a few years, one of his friends establishes the nearby community of Coldstone.
Early to mid 1700s
- The Crows League is founded in Goldstone/Goldtown. The approximate date is given by the spirit of the League's founder, who interacts with the player character in Lenore; the game takes place in the 1880s, and he tells the player that he founded the group "more than a century ago."
March 23, 1785
- Madame Estel Roget is born, according to her file at the notary's office in The Mystery of Marie Roget.
August 5, 1787
- Monsieur LeBlanc, the theater owner, is born, according to his file at the notary's office.
1795
- Felix Ledler, the murder suspect in The Tell-Tale Heart, is born. According to his file in the morgue, he is 56 at the time of the game.
1805
- A flood completely submerges the city of Goldstone/Goldtown, according to one of the achievements in Lenore. When the waters recede, it reveals the existence of a hitherto-unknown cave system beneath the town theater.
1814
- Louise Dubois, second wife of Renelle Fore (of Premature Burial), is born, according to the birth year on her tomb.
September 26, 1815
- Gaius Bosse, the villain of Marie Roget, is born, according to his file at the notary's office.
February 16, 1819
- Jacques Lumin is born, according to his file at the notary's office. According to Dupin, he and Jacques were friends at university, which would suggest that they are close in age; Dupin himself must have been born within a few years of this date.
June 6, 1820
- Marie Roget is born, according to her file at the notary's office.
1822
- Victorine Lafourcade, third wife of Renelle Fore, is born. The record of cataleptic women in the pharmacist's office gives her age as 22 at the same time that Louise's is 30, meaning that she is eight years younger.
1824
- Laura Michel, first wife of Renelle Fore, is born. The record of cataleptic women in the pharmacist's office gives her age as 20 at the same time that Louise's is 30, meaning that she is ten years younger.
Before September 1836
- C. Auguste Dupin enters the criminal investigation profession. He specifically notes that the murder investigation in the bonus chapter of Tell-Tale Heart is his first homicide case.
September 1, 1836
- Victoria Ledler, wife of mogul Felix Ledler, and their young daughter Maria are brutally murdered; Felix is accused of the crime. This is the murder depicted in the bonus chapter of The Tell-Tale Heart, which is explicitly stated to have happened fifteen years before the main game. Victoria and Maria's files in the morgue give the exact date of their deaths.
1836-1837
- The Crows League is responsible for at least three murders during this time, according to Alan Guillinger's records in Lenore. Jim Rhynes was killed May 11, 1836; Dr. Mark Fox was killed June 8, 1837; and Judge Joseph White was killed July 10, 1837.
Before 1839
- Dupin makes the acquaintance of Anna Fleurs, who becomes his friend/assistant. The bonus chapter of Morella confirms that she is the player character in The Raven, so their relationship is established prior to the events of that game.
Late 1838 or early 1839
- Alan Dillinger dies. Dupin notes, in The Raven, that Alan has been dead for six months at the time of the investigation, but it's unclear at what time of year the investigation takes place.
1839
- The main game of The Raven takes place. This is confirmed by the bonus chapter of Morella, in which a newspaper article is found talking about Dupin and Anna's recent success in foiling the activities of "the Raven community." note (Publication of the original poem was January 28, 1845.)
- The bonus chapter of Morella takes place not long afterward. Dated documents in the main game provide a confirmed year for those events, and the bonus chapter is stated to have happened two years earlier.
Spring or summer 1841
- The main game of Morella takes place. Mark's most recent notes about the house, which the detectives find early in the game, are dated March 1841, and the investigation takes place within a few months of this. (Publication of the original story was April 1835.)
Before March 1845
- Dupin is named a Chevalier in the Légion d'Honneur. The diary in Rue Morgue notes that he already holds this rank by the time of that game.
March 1845
- The events of Murders in the Rue Morgue take place. Dupin makes the acquaintance of a (male) player character who is not Anna. In one of the cells in the gendarmerie, the player finds a message tube which, when opened, is revealed to contain the eyewitness report of Monsieur Odenheimer, the restauranteur; the report is dated March 22, 1845. (Publication of the original story was April 1841.)
August 1845
- The events of The Black Cat and its bonus chapter take place. The in-game diary's first entry notes that the events of the previous game happened "recently," suggesting it was within the past few months. Later, the detectives find a code to open the leather safe, and the diary specifically notes that the code is a date - 1845.7.23 (July 23, 1845 as Americans write it). Given the fact that nearly everything in the house has been deliberately engineered to conceal evidence of the murder, this is very likely the date on which it was actually committed; since it's mentioned in the game that the victim has been missing for two weeks, that would put the investigation in early August. (Publication of the original story was August 19, 1843.)
Between 1846 and 1851
- The events of The Premature Burial and its bonus chapter take place. The diary in this game, unlike its predecessor, makes no mention of previous cases; the only attempt at dating anything in the game is on the tomb of Louise Fore, which is incomplete. The engraving above the door is dated 1814-184X, with the last digit of the death year damaged because of the bas relief piece hidden there. This confirms that she died no earlier than 1840, and no later than 1849. However, a record found in the pharmacist's office indicates that she was still unmarried at the age of 30, which would have been her age in 1844, so that narrows down her death year a bit farther since she was married when she died. The cemetery caretaker tells the detectives that he remembers her being buried a few years before the events of the game; this indicates that she has been dead for at least two years at the time of the investigation, suggesting that it can be taking place no earlier than 1846. (Publication of the original story was July 31, 1844.)
- The events of The Gold Bug and its bonus chapter take place. The game gives no dating, but as noted below, Masque confirms that Gold Bug happens before it does. (Publication of the original story was 1843.)
- The events of The Masque of the Red Death and its bonus chapter take place. The certificates in the player character's office confirm that the first four games have already happened, and the bonus chapter of The Raven (see below) confirms that it happens sometime after Masque. (Publication of the original story was May 1842.)
- The events of The Fall of the House of Usher and its bonus chapter take place. Nothing in the game concretely determines its place in the timeline; however, in Tell-Tale Heart, there are notebooks on the player's desk which refer to the cases outlined in Black Cat, Gold Bug, and House of Usher, meaning that all of those games definitely take place before Heart. (Publication of the original story was September 1839.)
- The events of The Mystery of Marie Roget and its bonus chapter take place. The game itself does not give the date; however, this is the game in which Dupin gives the player character their "Dark Tales Agency" badge, which returns in the next game. We can further extrapolate an approximate date in the mid to late 1840s based on the fact that Marie Roget has a confirmed birth year of 1820, as noted above, and she is a young adult woman at the time of the game. (Publication of the original story was in 1842.)
1847-1848
- Wilhelm von Berlifitzing and Frederica von Metzengerstein meet at a masquerade at her aunt's house in 1847, according to Frederica's diary. Wilhelm breaks off his betrothal to Yasmin, daughter of Count Arnstein, in order to marry Frederica, but then dies in a fire at his family estate.
- The events of Metzengerstein take place in 1848, within a few months of Wilhelm's death. Newspaper and diary dates confirm the year. The bonus chapter happens afterward; it's not specified how much time has passed, but it appears to be less than a year. (The original story was published in January 1832.)
After 1848
- If Nightfall is to be considered part of the series continuity and not ignored as non-canonical, it can take place no earlier than 1848. One of the quests, which involves rescuing a scientist and his son who have been kidnapped by foreign agents, makes reference to the President of France; the first French President was Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, who was elected in 1848.
September 1851
- The main game of The Tell-Tale Heart takes place. The events happen over a few days, all in the first week of this month. (Publication of the original story was January 1843.)
Between 1851 and 1890
- The bonus chapter of The Raven takes place. Nothing in the chapter gives a concrete date, but the player must analyze data to determine whether the body in the morgue is that of Dupin. One of the pieces of evidence used to confirm that it's not him is the lack of a scar on his chest from when he was shot by Jacques Morro in Lumineaux, meaning that the bonus chapter of The Raven must happen after the events of the bonus chapter of Masque.
- Entries in a diary found at the sawmill are variously dated July 15th, August 1st, August 12th, and September 9th. The investigation takes place shortly after the last diary entry, which puts the bonus chapter in mid-September, but the year is unspecified. However, a record book belonging to the Raven Society gives Professor Sharp's age as 38; presuming him to be close in age to his good friend Dupin, that would suggest that the bonus chapter takes place in the late 1850s. This is further implied by a letter from Professor Sharp to his other good friend Edward Dawson, which mentions that they ran into each other at a world technology exhibition in Paris - almost certainly the Paris World's Fair of 1855.
- Dupin finds the evidence which sends Gregory the Hypnotist to prison for using his famous hypnotism skills for criminal activity. This is mentioned on Gregory's character card in The Pit and the Pendulum, which notes that he was convicted ten years prior to the events of the game, although the game has no definite date as mentioned below.
- Simon Loyalle is promoted to the rank of Commissioner. He marries Valentina, the mortician introduced in Tell-Tale Heart, and they move from Gurtos to Dover. They are shown to be residing there in Speaking With the Dead. Likely both are retired, given how much time elapses between the two games.
- The events of The Pit and the Pendulum and its bonus chapter take place. There is no attempt at dating the events of the game, nor does it contain any references to any other games, so it's almost impossible to pin into the timeline. (Publication of the original story was 1842.) However, one of the characters encountered in the game is Jim the banker, who returns in Speaking With the Dead; he and Dupin give no indication that they know one another when they meet in Pendulum, which suggests that Pendulum takes place prior to the second murder trial of Brian Marsh; see below.
Circa 1870 (or 1875)
- Thomas and Mary Brown, owners of the Old Smuggler Tavern seen at the beginning of Lenore, are murdered by members of the Crows League. The approximate date can be guessed from their family album, found inside the tavern; the final photograph is of their daughter Lenore on her eighth birthday. She's roughly 18 years old at the time of the game, which takes place ten years later.
Between 1878 and 1890
- The events of The Oval Portrait and its bonus chapter take place. Like with Pendulum, there is no attempt at dating the events of the game and it contains no references to any other games. However, Chief Constable George (the police official who assists the detectives in Portrait) is another one of the jurors in Speaking With the Dead; he and Dupin show no sign of knowing each other prior to their first in-game meeting in Portrait, suggesting that Portrait takes place before Speaking. Furthermore, Dupin is shown in the bonus chapter to be speaking with the Chief Constable on a telephone. Telephones were not available in France until 1878, when the country's first telephone network was installed in Paris for the occasion of the Exposition Universelle.
October 25, 1880 (or 1885)
- The events of Lenore take place; the precise month and day are given on the letter from Mayor Guillinger at the beginning of the game. The bonus chapter of the game states that it takes place ten years after the main game; but since documents found in the bonus chapter are variously dated as 1890 and 1895, it's unclear exactly when this is. See below for details. (Publication of the original poem was 1843.)
Before 1890
- The bonus chapter of Speaking With the Dead takes place. The game confirms that the events of the chapter occurred three years before the main game. However, this is a different murder trial than the one referenced in the main game, as revealed by the ending; Brian Marsh was tried for two different murders, and this is the first one.
- The second trial in which Brian Marsh is accused of murder takes place sometime during the three years between the bonus chapter and the main game; this time he is convicted, and executed shortly afterward.
- The events of the main game of Speaking With the Dead take place. No specific year is given; however, one of the jurors captured by the Big Bad is Mayor Thomas Guillinger, from Lenore. The bonus chapter of Lenore confirms that he passes away sometime during the ten years between the main game and the bonus, and since he's alive in Speaking With the Dead, that game has to take place prior to his death. Their first meeting in Lenore makes it very clear that the mayor and Dupin are not familiar with one another at all, so the implication is that Speaking happens after Lenore.note
Late 1880s or early 1890s
- The events of Devil in the Belfry take place. No date is given in the game, but the detectives are brought into the case because Simon Loyalle has gone missing, and he is explicitly identified as their old friend. Simon is a returning character from both Heart and Speaking, and as he dies in Belfry, it must happen after both of those games. Oddly, Belfry gives him a lower rank than he had in Speaking. (Publication of the original story was 1839.)
1890 or 1895
- The events of the bonus chapter of Lenore take place. According to Alan Guillinger's diary, he returns to Goldstone/Goldtown on July 5, 1895, which would set the events of the chapter sometime in the next week or so. However, the letter in the banker's mailbox instructs him to turn over all documentation concerning his property no later than October 12, 1890. It's unclear which of these is the correct year.
1899
- The events of The Bells take place. A newspaper article found early in the investigation talks about the recent death of Beatrice Carpenter, allegedly the result of a ghost sighting. Not long after this article is found, the detectives visit Beatrice's grave, which gives her a confirmed death year of 1899. (Publication of the original poem was in December 1844.)
- The events of the bonus chapter of The Bells take place. We're not sure how much time has elapsed since the end of the main game, but we know that it takes place afterward because Albert McClain is still a patient in the psychiatric hospital.
