The Stifling Dark

Categories: Deduction, Horror

Mechanics: Deduction, Hidden Movement, Line of Sight, Memory, Negotiation, Pick-up and Deliver, Point to Point Movement, Team-Based Game, Trading, Variable Player Powers

Players: 2–5

Ages: 14+

Playtime: 60–120 Min

The Stifling Dark is a one-vs-many hidden-movement horror board game for 2-5 players. In this game, one player takes on the role of the adversary, whose goal is to prevent the other players, the investigators, from escaping through various unique actions.

Investigators move around the board using their base movement speed and can sprint to move faster while managing their stamina. They can pick up and use items, lock and unlock doors, and use flashlights to locate the adversary. The adversary, on the other hand, moves secretly around the board, aiming to stop the investigators from escaping.

Players can choose from various investigators, each with their own special abilities, while the adversary has multiple attacks and abilities that affect gameplay. Investigators must decide whether to work together for mutual protection or split up to reach the exit more quickly. The game concludes when either all investigators escape, leading to an investigator victory, or the adversary achieves their win condition, which varies by adversary.