Temple of Endless Night

[i][u][b]Temple of Endless Night[/b][/u][/i] is an interactive novel written by [i][u][b]Dariel Ivalyen[/b][/u][/i]. You play as a young person from Ancient Egypt who is asked to go to a mysterious temple that no one seems to know about. Once there, supernatural things start happening and you find yourself trapped inside. Play as male, female or nonbinary. Pick your sexuality, skills and diety. Very early on in the [i][u][b]story,[/b][/u][/i] you are told to make a choice that feels very weighted. The text stresses that you have only one chance to pick what you want to do. This wouldn't be entirely abnormal, especially if it were offered to you at a later point. The problem here is that it's thrown at you with next to no information about the world, the character involved in sed decision or the general situation of things. It felt a bit like popping out a baby and demanding they pick their future profession right there. Does this choice actually matter? Yeah, kinda. It unlocks/blocks you from an entire route, that you wouldn't know about otherwise. A far more vague version of this happens shortly after. Picking one "wrong" answer will lock you out of another route without warning. "She chuckles at that but manages not to roll her eyes. It's rather impressive." It truly is impressive, given the number of times I've had to read about people rolling their eyes. I'm honestly surprised that no one's eyeball detached and fell out by this point in the story. There are other ways to describe facial movements, after all. The repetitiveness of this action had me sighing internally quite often. I'm confident that is not what an author hopes to achieve while writing their novel. Variety is the spice of life, and this was far from the only offending issue. "This is weird.". "That is weird." Everything is weird. Occasionally something would be unusual, but mostly, it's just weird. It felt so out of place to use that particular word so often in a novel about ancient Egypt. Everyone in this story also loved to look at things with narrowed eyes. I'm not being pedantic here either. If they need to squint that often, perhaps someone should hurry up and invent some form of glasses for the poor masses. Despite[b][i] playing as a calm, kind and caring person[/i][/b] who isn't very religious, my character decided to go [b][i]full bloodbath mode, [u]on her own[/u][/i][/b] (aka, I didn't get a choice in how she responded), after seeing a holy room destroyed. This felt very out of character and went against how I had been building her personality until now. "You narrow your eyes. "There's no point in telling them anything. I don't think we should even be showing them the right way. They deserve to die for what they've done."." This [b][i]wasn't the first incident like this either.[/i][/b] I decided to overlook the previous incident because it wasn't nearly as dramatic, that and I understand an author can't possibly cater to every single personality type. Nevertheless, when such a drastic shift like this occurs, it pulls me out of my character and leaves me a bit disheartened. All that time I had spent sculpting her up to this point, was disregarded and made my choices feel invalidated. She also developed the very annoying habit of asking question after question without waiting for the other person to answer. This is such a pet peeve for me and continued to decrease my overall enjoyment. "I was worried you'd want to do something drastic, but I'm glad to hear that's not the case." says the person who wanted to do something drastic twenty minutes ago... A lot of the[i][b] terminologies, descriptions and characters' actions[/b][/i] are too modern: such as everyone flirting on their first encounter with each other (I already pointed out the "weird" use of words). I know this is a fantasy version of ancient Egypt but you can't take just a certain era, use it for its already established deities and higher archy, but have everyone act as if it were modern times. It would have felt so much more solid if the author had taken the time to properly make their own setting and gods/goddesses. "Alright, captain," you jest." "overkill" Call him Pharaoh throughout the game then sudden my character calls him "king". [b]"Perhaps your decisions aren't as important as you might think. Perhaps bigger, higher forces are influencing what's happening around here."[/b] It certainly feels that way, yes. The pacing is terrible. The ending is anti-climatic. The more I read, the more questions I have about what's going on. Some of the ways the [i][b]MC reacts[/b][/i] to things that happen to her are ridiculous. At one point, she is nearly possessed and after surviving, she decides there's nothing to do and goes back to sleep. Seriously? 'I nearly had my body stolen from my control but screw it, I'm gonna have a nap'. She doesn't even consider seeking help. The worst part about this? Definitely, the following page where it says the LI is sleeping in the bed. So what, he was there all night and didn't hear her screaming in agony? And I thought I was a heavy sleeper. Not even like she needed to leave the room to seek help it seems... I suddenly feel the urge to join everyone else in this novel and roll my eyes. [b][u]I was chastised for a decision my character made all on her own.[/u][/b] I'd probably understand it more if it came after I made a bad choice, but I did not. There wasn't an option for me to do anything. She just does something stupid, and the game reads as if it's blaming me. Not an overly enjoyable experience. "(LI) stretches his back and yawns. You're not sure whether you find it more annoying or adorable." Do I have to have a strong opinion one way or another on something so mundane? [b]So far, after every route, I'm still left wondering "so why did that happen?".[/b] There has been at least one occurrence per route that ended up feeling random and pointless. It didn't impact the story at all, it just happened and was never touched on again. I wouldn't have classed it as a small, pointless event either. Early on in the game, I was asked if I would like to have [u][i][b]romance[/b][/i][/u] in the story. I picked yes. After that, I was asked if I was interested in just romance, or romantic and sexual activities. I picked the latter. I was then expecting some description of adult content. There was none. It wasn't even a fade-to-black scene like a lot of novels have. It wasn't even implied anything sexual happened, only that you kiss and several hours suddenly go by. Is kissing classed as sexual now? Can it not be romantic? I'm unsure what the author was aiming for here, but I was left rather disappointed. [i][u][b]The demo/first two chapters were more polished than the rest of the book.[/b][/u][/i] After this point, I noticed grammatical errors, typos and even a missing capital letter at the start of a sentence. I believe most auto-correct features fix that latter so I didn't know what to think of that one. You might have noticed how [i][u][b]I haven't mentioned any of the LIs in detail[/b][/u][/i]. The reason for that is [i][u][b]they are all bland.[/b][/u][/i] Seriously. It didn't matter who I picked (the good guy, the villain), they all acted mostly the same. No strong personality traits define them and their motives. Nothing. [u][i][b]Overall,[/b][/i][/u] what grabbed my attention in its demo form left me disappointed in its full version. I believe it could have been engrossing and a wild ride but in its current state, would need a huge overhaul. [h1][quote]𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33853800/]𝐎𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐤𝐚𝐢'𝐬 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞[/url] 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐑𝐏𝐆 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬[/quote][/h1]

A very enjoyable story, that will keep you entertained for its duration. While not one of the longest stories I have read, it certainly covers everything in a way that leaves you feeling content at the end. I also love the fact that the author included a means of "not dying" for those of us who occasionally manage to do that! lol While i ended up not needing it, the thoughtfulness was truely appreciated =) Also i really enjoyed and appreciated the time and care that was put into the LIs, making them a part of the story instead of just adding them to check off a required story element. I've only played through once as of this review, but the LI I chose felt realistic, both in terms of his role within the story and his interest in me. All in All I gave this a solid 10 at the end when asked, and a thumbs up here as well. I imagine anyone who enjoys reading CYOAs will find this one worth their time.

A fun ancient-Egypt-meets-Lovecraft adventure. I too appreciated the offer of a "get out of death free" amulet, since I'm not fond of death mechanics in games without save systems; I'm not a big fan of sanity meters either, but they're sort of a given in the eldritch horror genre which this game touches on. The Greek mercenary was a fantastic LI and I really enjoyed how much I was able to sculpt the personality, beliefs and goals of my MC. Very nice work all around.

Хорошо написано, играть интересно, чеки оправданы, но... слишком коротко. Обрывается как будто на полуслове. Будь тут ещё пару глав, было бы идеально. Отдельно хочется отметить довольно свежий сеттинг - кажется, это первая игра в подобном жанре, вдохновленная древним Египтом. Да, фентезийно, но не набившее оскомину псевдосредневековье.

“Temple of Endless Night” is a short interactive novel with an intriguing premise and a story that held my attention years ago, but my one-line review did not do it justice, so here I am giving it a once-over. The one thing that truly frustrated me when I first read the game was how the narrative moves quickly enough that relationships and character dynamics sometimes feel underdeveloped, creating moments where emotional beats arrive before the groundwork has been laid or even considered. In a genre that thrives on immersion and connection, that kind of pacing can make interactions feel abrupt or unearned. That said, the writing itself is engaging, and I never once considered putting it down before finishing. The setting has a strong sense of atmosphere. The choices offer a reasonable amount of agency for a story of this length, and the central mystery is compelling enough to carry the experience. It’s the kind of game that feels like it could have been excellent with more room to breathe, more time with the characters, more space for tension to build, more opportunities for the world to unfold. And wanting more of something because you liked it is rarely a bad thing. As it stands, it’s a worthwhile read if you enjoy short-form interactive fiction and don’t mind a story that moves faster than its emotional arcs can fully support. I’m keeping my original 6/10, reflecting a solid but rushed experience. (6/10)

Embark on a journey to a magical Egyptian era (literally magical in this case) where you find yourself venturing into the unknown... well, a temple... an obscure temple with a caravan route. Five minutes in, you begin to suspect something fishy is going on. Within ten more minutes, it's apparent that the author harbors some Lovecraftian interests, which is quite fascinating. Few games of this type attempt to weave a narrative of mystery and horror, and it’s not an easy feat. However, here comes the downside: the sanity system. Although it seems like a good idea, I've read that others had issues with it, which I personally didn't experience. Nonetheless, I felt bombarded with too many queries about my feelings, influencing my gameplay. Could it be improved? Certainly. The game is enjoyable because of its unique theme, the convoluted story that exceeds expectations, and its distinctiveness. Once immersed, you can often predict the direction of the narrative, sometimes accurately and sometimes not. So, would I buy it again if I could go back in time? Yes. Do I wish the sanity system were different? Absolutely. The game/book is packed with innovative ideas. Some aspects could be better fleshed out, but overall, it stands out in a genre that is challenging to write for, especially in games. I recommend giving it a try if you're a fan of cosmic horror.

Im giving a downvote not because of any open flaw, but because the game gave me two impressions: generic and boring. There are enough choices and consequenzes, but not one of the characters left a lasting impression, the plot just kind of went along and failed to engage me (it also failed to create tension or at least a horror ambiente, wich could have worked) and in the end i was kind of wondering if that was all. Probebly good as your first choice of games game, not so good if you have allready experience.

一个魔幻埃及背景下的故事，主角可以扮演歌手、学者、雇佣兵、炼金术士等角色，探索一个古代神庙背后的秘密。 总体上感觉不错，读起来也比较顺畅，故事情节容易理解，有些内容需要走不同路线多次通关才能知晓。 个人感觉有一些缺点，就是当我们的mc扮演不同职业或者走不同角色的浪漫路线时，他们的内容比较雷同，更多时候只是换了换名词和名字，和不同角色的互动完全可以更细化一些，或者更深入刻画一下角色，现在给我的感觉就是基本上只是换了名字，受到不同神明庇护的情况下也是如此。 如果你希望不用花太多时间感受一个充满异域风情的完整故事，那这款互动小说是一个不错的选择。 以上。 我的英语很烂，下面是翻译软件翻译的评论。 My English is very poor, below is the translation software translation of the comments. A magical Egypt under the background of the story, you can play as a singer, a scholar, a mercenaries, an alchemist and so on, to explore the secret behind an ancient temple. Overall feeling is good and smoothly, the story is easy to understand, some content need to take different routes and take some times of playthroughs. The individual feels has some shortcomings, is that when our MC plays as different occupations or goes different roles and romantic way, their content is the same, just changed the nouns and the names, and the interaction of different roles can be more detailed, completely or further depict the characters, now give me the feeling is just basically changed the name, by different gods asylum is almost the same way. If you want to need not spend too much time to feel a full story full of different region amorous feelings, that this kind of interaction fiction is a good choice.

Oh no I died :<