Master of Darkness is a platform game, very similar to
Castlevania. The plot has the player entering the role of a
Ouija board-playing
psychologist named Dr. Ferdinand Social. He is looking to defeat
Count Dracula, who is behind a
series of killings in
London that have been attributed to
Jack the Ripper. However, Jack the Ripper is indeed responsible, for he is
using the victim's bodies and fresh blood for sacrificial offerings – as part of a
dark ritual being performed by
Count Massen to
resurrect Dracula. Also taking some part in the murders and the dark ritual is a mysterious
Psychic Girl, who is possessed by an evil Skull Spirit. The game requires the player to battle their way through five rounds, which are divided into three lengthy stages. The rounds consists of the
Thames River,
House of Wax, a
Cemetery that leads to Count Massen's
Castle, a
laboratory within Massen's Castle, and finally being
teleported to a
dungeon-like
Labyrinth within
Castle Dracula, which resides in a
forest of
Transylvania. At the end of each round is a boss, a person with connection to the murders and
dark ritual who must be defeated. The bosses are
Jack the Ripper, a Psychic Girl possessed by a Skull Spirit,
Count Massen, performer of the rituals, and finally Dracula himself. Enemies the player must battle include
zombies, sharply-dressed gun-toting hooligans, bats, dogs, wolves,
poltergeists possessing various decorations, skeleton knights, magical sword-wielding
wizards, owls, and ghost
maidens. To defeat the enemies, players can utilize several primary and secondary weapons. Primary weapons are close combat weapons which includes knives,
walking canes,
rapiers and axes, that differ in range and efficiency. Secondary weapons are long-range weapons, which consists of
pistols,
bombs, and
boomerangs – with limited ammunition. The player can only possess one type of primary and secondary weapon. Picking up a new weapon means it automatically replaces the previous weapon in the player's inventory. ==Reception==