DarkPark: Stay In The Dark

At time of writing Stay In The Dark is in its last month of operation, with every remaining slot sold out, and no chance of further extension – so either you’ve already played it or you’ve missed your chance. It’s a game to describe with superlatives: at 2.5 hours long it’s the longest game I’ve played outside Athens, and it takes place in the largest set I’ve seen anywhere.

The location is in a rundown district in Vlaardingen, not at either of DarkPark’s normal venues. We arrived and wandered around in confusion for a little while until our host found us, in character, and led us to the building that we were supposedly here to inspect as potential buyers. The game occupies that entire building (and it’s not a small building), but in a sense the surrounding area also forms part of the set, with all the neighbouring buildings apparently empty and awaiting redevelopment.

Stay In The Dark is barely an escape room. There are maybe half a dozen puzzles to solve, and they’re not particularly complex. Rather, it’s an immersive and interactive experience between you, the actor, and the setting.

It’s certainly a horror game, though (as so often) the scariest section is early on, when you’re entering the vast dark space with little idea what to expect. Once you understand the rules of engagement, it becomes less terrifying and more of a physical challenge or game. The key principle is that you’re probably safe as long as you’re quiet and hidden in darkness. Naturally, to move forward you may need to venture through lit areas and do things which are unavoidably noisy. Still, the background audio provides cues – when it suddenly switches up a beat, danger may be near.

You move forwards through distinct phases, discovering more about the narrative as you go, with an increasingly impressive sequence of locations and set-piece moments, culminating in the final action-based challenge to defeat your antagonist. Our actor was superb in the various aspects of his role. Though perhaps almost too effective in places – the game premise incentivises you to hide in a corner and wait for the danger to pass, as the default reaction, and any time spent quietly hiding isn’t likely to be the highlight of the experience.

One part puzzles, one part fear gauntlet, one part hide and seek and one part interactive theatre, Stay In The Dark adds up to a wildly dramatic experience which is unlikely to be quite like anything you’ve played elsewhere, and managed to instil both dread and awe. That won’t cheer you up if you missed it; but all the more reason to catch DarkPark’s next big production.