Dominion of Darkness - free simulator of the Dark Lord/Lady

[Adeptus]

"Dominion of Darkness” is a strategy/RPG text-based game in which the player takes on the role of a Sauron-style Lord of Darkness with the goal of conquering the world. He will carry out his plans by making various decisions. He will build his army and send it into battles, weave intrigues and deceptions, create secret spy networks and sectarian cults, recruit agents and commanders, corrupt representatives of Free Peoples and sow discord among them, collect magical artifacts and perform sinister plots. Note – one game takes about 1 hour, but the premise is that the game can be approached several times, each time making different decisions, getting different results and discovering something new.
Note - one game takes about 1 hour, but the assumption is that you can play the game several times, each time making different decisions, getting different results and discovering something new. One "gameplay" shows only a small part of the whole.

I'm still developing the game, adding new plot and mechanics elements. They will probably continue to develop it for a long time. Nevertheless, the current version is very playable. It is available for free here: https://adeptus7.itch.io/dominion

If you are hesitant to play the game, I invite you to watch the reviews:
Indie Sampler (video):

[BOKC] BlancoKix (video):

For the next update I am thinking among others, about extending the Chosen One subplot. What do You think about it now? Is it too easy to deal with? Too difficult? What elements would you want to see in it?
And do you have any other proposals for the next update? Do you think some other element should be extended? Or do you have idea for a totally new feature You want to see in the game?

PS. When You see something which looks like a bug, please send printscreen of the whole scene (stats at the bottom included), it will help me find me the bug. And if You are interested in testing new versions, please contact me.

 

[Adeptus]

I want to share with You new review of the Dominion of Darkness. It was published in the Choice Beat, Visual Novel and Interactive Fiction zine: https://choicebeat.wordpress.com/2025/02/21/choicebeat-13/ Review of my game You can read on the page 30.
Another news - I am preparing to launch new version of the game. Its focus will be on economy (You will gain new possibilities to influence economy of Your enemies and it will influence their situtation in more important ways) and this pesky Chosen One who sometimes interferes with Your glorious plans of world domination/destruction. If You want to participate in testing, please write me on [email protected].

 

[Fye]

Would be great if you can add dark mode

 

[daniellwtf]

How long is the game right now? edit: nvm, i'm blind.

 

[Fye]

Played the game,it was nice (I lost, should've seen the self fulfilling prophecy coming)
Maybe you should add the option to do a ritual in the main page (I had enough energy to heal myself but I didn't get the option to do a ritual resulting in missing out some events)
Is there any artifact that increase the preparation time before the war?(Like regression, time travel....)

 

[Adeptus]

Played the game,it was nice (I lost, should've seen the self fulfilling prophecy coming)
Maybe you should add the option to do a ritual in the main page (I had enough energy to heal myself but I didn't get the option to do a ritual resulting in missing out some events)
Is there any artifact that increase the preparation time before the war?(Like regression, time travel....)

Thanks for playing! I am not sure what fo You mean about the ritual, could You explain something more?
There is option for time travel in the late, although it is available in special conditions (one of them is playing as a Tempter) and leads to the previous war (mentioned in the intro).


One gameplay lasts about 1 hour, but game is supposed to be played more than once.

 

[Fye]

Thanks for playing! I am not sure what fo You mean about the ritual, could You explain something more?
There is option for time travel in the late, although it is available in special conditions (one of them is playing as a Tempter) and leads to the previous war (mentioned in the intro).


One gameplay lasts about 1 hour, but game is supposed to be played more than once.

I meant the option to do magical stuff (heal or summon undead/demon) whenever you want/as long as there's magic energy to use
And have you thought about adding a simple trading system, as in if you have the necessary influence with a kingdom you can buy magic stones or artifacts/ the higher the influence the more stuff you can buy.
Also I'm replaying the game, figured I got an early bad ending

I Really like this type of game especially an overlord version of it looking forward to future updates (but first I gotta finish this one)
Edit:I achieved my first victory, a influential tempter

 

[Adeptus]

I meant the option to do magical stuff (heal or summon undead/demon) whenever you want/as long as there's magic energy to use
And have you thought about adding a simple trading system, as in if you have the necessary influence with a kingdom you can buy magic stones or artifacts/ the higher the influence the more stuff you can buy.
Also I'm replaying the game, figured I got an early bad ending

I Really like this type of game especially an overlord version of it looking forward to future updates (but first I gotta finish this one)
Edit:I achieved my first victory, a influential tempter

Thank You very much for playing! If You see anything which looks like a bug, please, send me a printscreen with it (including stats at the bottom - it helps in finding cause of the bug).

Thank You very much for Your suggestions, I will think about it in the future updates.

 

[Adeptus]

And now it is the time for the big update, focusing primarily on the endgame. Players focused on direct conquest will have new ways to find new battlefields - portals to crazy, Lovecraftian worlds, discovering new lands, and a magical slumber to wait for the rebirth of old enemies/the emergence of new ones (and seeing how the world changes in their absence). For players more interested in the less brutal side of world domination, the options for managing the territories of our empire will be expanded. Will you allow orcs to overrun Dark Elf cities? Will schools focus on training engineers for the army and economy, or on brainwashing them into blind obedience? Furthermore, I’m expanding the Dark Lord’s interactions with other characters, including available romances. Of course, new content requires testing, and since, as usual, it’s highly non-linear and dependent on player decisions (plus random generation), I can’t test every combination myself.

That’s why I’m seeking the help of testers. All you need to do is play once—one playthrough lasts about 1.5 hours (as I mentioned, the game is highly non-linear and is meant to be played multiple times, each time revealing a different story) and send me a short report (specifically, indicating if you’ve spotted any obvious bugs).

Game, as always, is available free here: https://adeptus7.itch.io/dominion No need for dowload or registration.

And another news - one of the players made a fan song inspired by the game:

 

[Adeptus]

And update is ready, You can play it without need for download or register here: https://adeptus7.itch.io/dominion

Another news - Here is hand-drawn fanart of the game, by LowestfromHeaven (thank You!).

He used it in his video:

And here is his Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vendivininvici?igsh=ZWdrbmFydTl5aGZt