Tecmo's Deception: Invitation to Darkness

Tecmo's Deception: Invitation to Darkness
North American cover art
Developer(s)	Tecmo
Publisher(s)	Tecmo
Platform(s)	PlayStation, PlayStation Network
Release date(s)	NA July 25, 1996 JP July 26, 1996 JP November 26, 2008 (PSN)
Genre(s)	Strategy-RPG
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (T)
Media/distribution	1 × CD-ROM

Tecmo's Deception: Invitation to Darkness, usually referred to simply as Deception, is a video game released by Tecmo in 1996 for the original PlayStation. Deception was released as Kokumeikan (刻命館) in Japan, and as Devil's Deception in Europe. The game is the first in the Deception series.

Backstory

Behold: the castle of the damned..

Upon your dying lips, you beg your hopeless plea to an almighty power in order to spare your life... As the Angel of Death descends upon you, a power, an evil power, snatches your life by the clutches of its own demonic hand... You have been saved... But at what price?

Premise and gameplay

Deception is an action game with RPG elements, resembling the FMV genre of games, particularly Sega CD such as Night Trap and Double Switch. The primary object of the series is to dispatch intruders through the positioning and activation of traps. What sets Deception apart from the Digital Pictures' predecessors is that moral judgment comes heavily into play.

The player takes on the role of an unjustly executed man, who pleads to the devil to spare his life at the moment of his demise. The devil (explicitly referred to as 'Satan' in the manual) grants his request, and gives him command over the 'Castle of the Damned'. Soon after taking control of the castle, many visitors soon find themselves drawn to the fortess: some for power, some for salvation, and some for something as simple as shelter.

The player has the option of either destroying the intruders or letting them escape, but both choices carry consequences: for example, the player may choose to either kill their parents, who are out to find a cure for their ailing daughter, or let them escape to inform others of the demonic presence invading the mansion. Additionally, killing intruders is sometimes the only way to proceed and gain more Magic Points (earned by taking the victims' souls) or gold (earned by killing the victims).

Gameplay is carried out by a three-dimensional representation of the character, and traps can then be activated and setup within varied rooms of the castle and then created before each respective level. The story will take various paths depending on the choices the player makes.

you choose who lives... and who dies!

Characters and setting

Satan

Your sole purpose in this game is to ensure the resurrection of this nefarious lord of negativity and to obtain his terrifying power. You must first make an unholy covenant with the Tempter of Souls in order to become the Master of the Castle.

Astarte

Satan's Messenger

She is the right hand of Satan, who spared your life in its dying moments.

Souls

As you seek to revive Satan, you will capture uninvited castle invaders and steal their immortal souls. Upon sacrificing their obtained souls, you must choose to exchange the value of their soul for magic or for money, or you may retain their carcasses for your own diabolical Frankenstein-esque experiments.

Intruders

They may come for many reasons: some to take your place as master of the castle, and yet others seeking to rid their beloved homeland of the insidious forces of darkness. All want you dead, so don't hesitate to send them on a one way trip to the void.

Unrest

A once united kingdom of two differing nations now grows restless. The sword wielding nation of Angelio and the magically powerful nation of Zemekia had peacefully emerged from a war-ridden past, but now that alliance grows fragile.

Yurias

King of Zemekia

Your former brother, who plotted the death of your father and framed you for it. The rake has seized the throne and your fiancé.

Fiana

Princess of Angelio

She is your fiancé who is unwillingly held captive by your former brother.

Ardebaran

Contractor

He is the current Master of the Castle of the Damned. He will be your first enemy test. Defeat him to become new master.

Traps

Filled with ominous powerful might, ancient wisdom of Black Magic, and the signature of all that is evil, they are your maniacal instruments along your dark mission...

Traps include the Spikes of Pain (three spikes stab an invader), the Square of Confinement (a cage falls from the ceiling, caging an invader), a pit trap, and a magic claw that picks up an invader. All traps can be upgraded to something more powerful than the last. For example, the trap called Stomp causes a giant foot to fall from the floor and can be upgraded to the much stronger Poison Toe, and then to Fire Foot, the strongest trap in the game.

The player can also make use of various items and use the cadavers of captured invaders to create monsters.