Dark Mode (racarter)

Dark Mode is a minimal meditation on the beginnings of the rogue-like / adventure genre, stripped to its absolute essentials: a labyrinth, noun-verb "encounters", and numerical stats. What is the minimum necessary to conjure a sense of adventure?

WAD or Arrows to move. Stuck in a small room? Found everything? Press R to reload.

Inspired by pioneering titles like  Maze War (1973) and Rogue (1980), Dark Mode is an art-game that stages an enigmatic celebration of these early instances, whose economy of expression is their chief characteristic - and, today, is a continuing source of appeal.

Playthrough time will be a few minutes, at most. Find the encounters, and, if seemingly all are found, press "R" to regenerate the maze. Plays with music (credit: "Lost in Space" by Paul Clarvis; Matt Hill; Sonia Slany, via Audio Network).