In the decaying Victorian manor of Blackthorn Manor, you inherit not just property, but a legacy of twisted power dynamics. As the disgraced heir, you’re forced to cohabitate with estranged relatives and enigmatic staff, all bound by a cryptic pact that festers beneath the estate’s gilded facade. When a charismatic outsider arrives under the guise of renovating the manor, his influence seeps into every corridor, warping loyalties and awakening dormant desires. Your choices determine whether the house remains a sanctuary or becomes a stage for performative decadence—where family portraits watch judgmentally as shadows rewrite the rules of kinship.
Gameplay Mechanics
Corruption Echo System – Every interaction generates "Echoes" that subtly alter NPC behavior; ignored warnings let dissent fester, while aggressive interventions accelerate hidden agendas.
Architectural Manipulation – Rearrange rooms to control social dynamics: Place a parlor near the guest quarters to eavesdrop via air vents, but risk destabilizing structural integrity.
Veiled Power Struggle – Engage in parlour games and coded conversations where losing a debate might advance your long-term goals by lulling rivals into complacency.
Defining Features
Gothic Metamorphosis – The manor’s aesthetics evolve from austere elegance to baroque grotesquery, with chandeliers dripping wax-like flesh and tapestries depicting altered family histories.
Dual Narrative Layers – Discover "censored" subplots through found objects (doctored letters, locked diaries) that contradict real-time events, forcing reassessment of loyalties.
Ambient Voyeurism – Security cameras and hidden passages allow passive observation, but prolonged spying risks NPCs adapting to your habits and laying traps.
Strategic Insights
Cultivate Controlled Decay – Allow minor betrayals to occur unprompted; these "sacrifices" unlock secret rooms stocked with blackmail material for late-game leverage.
Decipher Heraldry – Family crests hidden in stained glass and silverware hint at ancestral sins—exploit these to gaslight unstable relatives into revealing weaknesses.
Balance Masks – Maintain at least two conflicting personas (dutiful heir/cynical reformer) to keep NPCs guessing and prevent unified opposition.
