Video Game / Dark City Series

aka: Dark City

The Dark City series is a hidden object games series developed by 4 Friends Games (later renamed Friendly Fox) and distributed by Big Fish Games.

This game series begins with an unnamed private detective who is summoned to real life European cities to solve seemingly supernatural problems. From Dark City: Paris, the main protagonist role is given to Agatha, an ally introduced in Dark City: Budapest.

The games in the series

• Dark City: London - the first game in the series takes place in London, England. The City is about to celebrate the opening of the world's largest clock, until a headless ghost appears, threatening to destroy London and murder hundreds at the opening ceremony. You play as a detective who must investigate the dark alleys and gather clues to hunt down the killer and unlock the deadly secrets hidden inside the clock tower.
• Dark City: Munich - the second game in the series takes place in Munich, Germany. It's Oktoberfest and the festivities are being spoiled by a series of violent attacks. The witnesses claim that werewolves are responsible, but that can’t be true, can it?
• Dark City: Vienna - the third game in the series takes place in Vienna, Austria. You play a detective who is summoned to investigate a masked assailant wreaking havoc on a theater in Vienna. You quickly discover that this is no ordinary criminal but a dangerous phantom who promises swift justice for past wrongs!
• Dark City: Dublin - the fourth game in the series takes place in Dublin, Ireland. It's almost St. Patrick's Day, but a string of mysterious robberies threatens to ruin Dublin's celebration! Witnesses claim that the perpetrator is no mere mortal but a mischievous leprechaun.
• Dark City: Budapest - the fifth game in the series takes place in Budapest, Hungary. A series of nighttime attacks have shown suspicious evidence that vampires have returned to prowl the city streets. But as you and your new friend and partner, Agatha, quickly discover, something doesn't add up. Do vampires roam the streets and alleys of Budapest at night, or is someone hiding something even more sinister?
• Dark City:Paris - the sixth game in the series takes place in Paris, France. Someone’s using ghosts to terrorize Parisians, and recent scientific advancements only seem to make them stronger. With both the Expo and the city itself on the line, can Agatha uncover who’s behind the dangerous attacks and stop them before it’s too late?
• Dark City: International Intrigue - the seventh game in the series takes place in New York (America), Paris (France) and London (England). When renowned detective Agatha arrives in New York to investigate a series of mysterious fires, she discovers the destructive flames are just the beginning. Soon, stone gargoyles are coming to life in Paris and animals are attacking people on the streets of London. Who could be responsible for all these mysterious happenings across three of the biggest cities in the world?
• Dark City: Kyiv - the eighth game in the series that takes place in Kyiv, Ukraine. Agatha's investigation into suspected spiritualist fraud becomes complicated when something unnatural happens before her eyes. Her search for clues points to existence of supernatural inhabitants and someone - or something - wants them out of the way. She'll have to figure out who to trust and untangle this mystery.

Not to be confused with the film of the same name.

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"Welcome to Dark City: Tropes."

Tropes present throughout the series

• Always Night: Given that the game series is called "Dark City", it's no surprise that the setting is at twilight/night.
• Ambiguous Time Period: Although not fully confirmed, the game series appears to be set in the late 19th century. Evidence for this include references to "the Queen" attending the clock opening ceremony in London (as in Queen Victoria, who reigned over England from 1837 to 1901) and the appearance in Budapest of an early model car.
• Sherlock Scan: How the detective - and later Agatha - search for clues in crime scenes and the people they encounter.

London

• Shoe Shine, Mister?: When the Detective needs witness information about Engineer Halls' death, a local pickpocket named Snitch offers a shoeshine in exchange for what he knows. This turns out to be a ruse as Snitch ties the Detective's shoelaces to a pipe and steals his briefcase.

Munich

• Animal Motifs: Each of the residents have distinct beast forms befitting their character.
• Masquerade: The Detective discovers there is a society of shapeshifters called 'half-humans' hiding among regular humans.
• Oktoberfest: The events of Munich take place during the Oktoberfest.
• The Owl-Knowing One: According to the gypsy fortune-teller, half-owls like herself have the ability to see into the future.
• Parental Abandonment: Hansel and Gretel's father passed away, and their stepmother kicked them out of the house because she was jealous of them.
• Public Domain Character: Hansel and Gretel
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Herr Schulz. He not only accepts help from the Detective, but he also trusts the Detective to ensure their secret as half-humans is kept safe.
• Spider-Sense: Half-cats, like the Detective's caddie driver Vince, have the ability to sense danger.
• To Unmasque the World: After discovering the existence of half-humans, Doctor Richter captured a select few and planned to unveil them at the Oktoberfest festivals. His plan was foiled by the Detective.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Brunhilda only meant to protect half-human children after losing hers to hunters. The problem is that it involved tainting sweets and kidnapping them.

Vienna

• Blackmail: Turns out Katherina was blackmailed by Herr Steiner because she suspected he killed Sofia prior to the game.
• Crusading Widow: Gregory lost Sofia, his fiancée, because of Herr Steiner's malicious sabotage. He dons the persona of the Phantom to pursue revenge.
• Falling Chandelier of Doom: Triggered when Katherina makes her appearance against the Phantom's warnings.
• Frame-Up: Adele was nearly framed for poisoning her husband Johann, but the detective finds the real culprit, Wolfgang, and clears her name.
• Obstructive Bureaucrat: Herr Steiner, to the point where he caused Sofia's death because she rejected his advances on her.
• Poison Is Evil: Wolfgang switched out a wine bottle with a bottle of poisoned wine to attempt to kill Johann.
• The Prima Donna: Katherina, who makes outrageous demands such as kicking out anyone who might outshine her or removing anyone who speaks against her.
• The Resenter: Wolfgang was jealous of Johann's rising success as a composer and tried to kill him.
• Same Plot Sequel: The plot is almost identical to the one used in London - a character with a special talent (in this case a talent for stage magic) is seeking revenge disguised as justice for the death of a loved one by pretending to be a ghost.

Dublin

• Easily Forgiven: Miss O'Farrell is forgiven by the people of Dublin for what the mayor had done to threaten her and the children in her care.
• Mischief-Making Monkey: The Detective encounters a monkey called Duncan who likes to dress up in funny costumes and steal things - apparently the locals are used to it and his owner, Gareth Foley, always put the stolen property in a display case to be reclaimed.
• Orphanage of Love: Miss O'Farrell takes care of the orphans like her own children in her orphanage.
• St. Patrick's Day Episode: The events of Dublin take place on St Patrick's Day.

Budapest

• The Atoner: In the bonus chapter, Lazlo makes amends with Agatha by helping her in her investigation into Adam Frankenstein's whereabouts after the events in the main story.
• Big Brother Worship: Agatha respects her brother so dearly that she seeks the detective's help to find him.
• Famous Ancestor: Laszlo is reported to be a direct descendent of Abraham van Helsing.
• Hero of Another Story: Agatha takes center stage as the protagonist of the bonus chapter.
• Jurisdiction Friction: The detective experiences obstruction from Laszlo while trying to investigate the strange activities in Budapest.

Paris

• Clear Their Name: Agatha's goal is to help Nikola Tesla clear his name and expose an imposter.
• Historical Domain Character: Nikola Tesla

International Intrigue

• Hero of Another Story: Liz Brooks, who helped Agatha in New York, takes on her own investigation in the bonus chapter.
• Historical Domain Character: Harry Houdini
• Reused Character Design: Dr. Jekyll's design is exactly the same as Dr. Richter's from Munich.
• Taking the Heat: Dr. Jekyll took the blame for the death of a victim at the hands of his son, Hyde Junior, ten years ago.

Kyiv

• Endless Winter: Agatha finds out that Viy, should she be released from her magical prison, would unleash a disaster caused by an unending winter.
• Kirk Summation: When the women manipulated into Hanna's plot surround Agatha, she deduces what brought them into Hanna's circle and uses the knowledge to warn them about Hanna's true intentions, understanding how tough it is being a woman, and they can make society better by fighting for their rights without hurting anyone.

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