History VideoGame / D4

''Dark Dreams Don't Die'' (or ''D4'' for short) is an [[EpisodicGame episodic]] AdventureGame created by Creator/AccessGames for the UsefulNotes/XboxOne, and later for PC. It's a SpiritualSuccessor to [[Creator/Swery65 SWERY's]] ''VideoGame/DeadlyPremonition'', and shares some plot elements with it. One "season" has been released.

Now David works as a private detective using the special power he gained that day: to revisit the past using "mementos" of specific people and solve crimes that would otherwise be unsolvable. His target is the mysterious "D", a drug dealer whose product seems linked to hundreds of bizarre and frightening deaths within Boston. With the aid of former partner Forrest Kaysen, David works to track down "D" in the hope of using one of his/her mementos to [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong travel back in time and save Peggy]].

* AmbiguouslyHuman: Roland Walken, like the Giant from ''Twin Peaks'', seems to have stepped right out of UncannyValley. He talks in a very slowed-down CreepyMonotone, and he's so tall that he can't stand upright aboard the plane, something which even the massive Philip Cheney can manage despite having about a foot or more on David. Another thing that adds to Walken's uncanny nature: he barely moves when the player pushes him, like he doesn't even belong in the already bizarre world of the game.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Duncan and Sukey have matching green hair, presumably dyed/a wig, respectively.

* ManInWhite: Roland Walken dresses in an all-white suit and wears a white surgical mask.

* FantasticDrug: "Real Blood", which is stated to act as a super-steroid of sorts. Philip Cheney is a habitual user takes it, in plain sight of everyone, using an inhaler.

* TimeTravel: David Young can "dive" back in time by connecting with special "mementos" connected to the cases he works on. [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane Maybe.]]

* CreepyDoll: Duncan's [[CompanionCube companion]] Sukey the mannequin is a very mild example, almost a subversion were it not for the fact that Duncan ''is'' one of the suspects aboard Flight 117.

* FakeLongevity: The game is basically a point-and-click adventure game, but all in-game actions drain stamina, from using David's [[SherlockScan Vision]] to simply moving around and opening doors. Run out of Stamina and your health will drain -- run out of health and it's game over. You can buy food to replenish your stamina, but only by repeatedly "pushing" objects in your environment to get credits.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Deborah's analysis of Derek Buchanan.

* PopQuiz: These make up some of the Extra Cases. The ones in episodes 1 and 2 deal with the subject of flight and the people and events surrounding them.

* BigEater: To call Forrest Kaysen this is an understatement. The man can stack four pieces of pizza on top of each other and shove them into his face with little to no effort, in between gulping down gigantic bowlfuls of clam chowder. He can even swallow a whole roasted fish and pull out the bones in one smooth motion.

* CliffHanger: [[spoiler:The final scene of Episode 2 has Philip Cheney, AKA DELTA, after having somehow transformed into an [[PsychoElectro electricity-manipulating]] superhuman killer, lunging at David with a cry of "Now, Mr. Young, how can I help you... DIE?!" seconds before "To Be [=ContinueD=]" appears.]]

* CompanionCube: Duncan has Sukey, a mannequin -- but don't tell him that.

* DangerThinIce: The ColdOpen begins with a young Peggy walking out onto a lake, as her father watches from the shore. There's a dead deer frozen in the water, and a [[TemptingFate clearly posted]] [[CantYouReadTheSign warning sign]]. She meanders up to a snowy owl which spooks and flies off, just as the ice begins to crack underneath her feet and her father back on the shorefinally seems to realize [[ParentalNeglect she might be in danger]]. Then the scene cuts away to our first scene with David, so we know that Peggy survived her experience on the lake, only to be murdered in her twenties.

* FakeInteractivity: Technically not, since "pushing" in-game objects gives you credits, but as the game took a lot of flak over the perceived FakeLongevity mechanics (to the point where they were eventually patched to reduce the amount of stamina you lost), they might have been better off simply treating those elements as if they were part of a [[PopUpVideoGames pop-up video game]].

* GentleGiant: Zigzagged with [[FantasticDrug Real Blood]] user Phil Cheney. He's absolutely massive and so strong that the fairly physical David can't so much as budge one of his arms, but he's also a style-conscious flight attendant with an upper-crust English accent. At the same time, there's a definite edge underneath his polite manner from the first time he and David meet -- [[spoiler:actually [[AnachronicOrder the second]], and only a few hours before he reveals his true colors and turns into a hulking Real Blood-powered monster.]]

* TheStinger: [[spoiler:The final post-credits scene has Forrest meeting with Peggy's adoptive father, who has a heavily altered voice.]]

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It certainly seems as if ''something'' paranormal is happening regarding David, Peggy, and Real Blood, but the story is so heightened and strange that it seems like any or even [[AllJustADream all of it]] could simply be the result of David hallucinating as a result of his head wound. At the point when the series ends, there are no answers, only implications. [[spoiler:It certainly looks like Cheney actually transformed, and August Oldmann appeared at exactly the point he needed to in order to save Little Peggy out on the ice.]]

* UndercoverCopReveal: David picks up on several clues that Olivia isn't really a flight attendant, and guesses she's FBI. [[spoiler:She isn't -- but she and Philip are both undercover for the DEA.]]

* AmbiguouslyHuman: Roland Walken, like the Giant from ''Twin Peaks'', seems to have stepped right out of UncannyValley. He talks in a very slowed-down CreepyMonotone, and he's so tall that he can't stand upright aboard the plane, something which even Philip can manage, despite having about a foot or more on David. Another thing that adds to his uncanny nature: Walken also barely even moves when the player pushes him, like he doesn't even belong in the already bizarre world of the game.

* DangerThinIce: The ColdOpen begins with a young Peggy walking out onto a lake, as her father watches from the shore. There's a dead deer frozen in the water, and a [[TemptingFate clearly posted]] [[CantYouReadTheSign warning sign]]. She meanders up to a snowy owl which spooks and flies off, just as the crack underneath her and her father finally seems to realize [[ParentalNeglect she might be in danger]]. Then the scene cuts away to our first scene with David, so we know that Peggy survived her experience on the lake, only to be murdered in her twenties.

* FakeInteractivity: Technically not, since "pushing" in-game objects gives you credits, but since since the game took a lot of flak over the perceived FakeLongevity mechanics (to the point where they were eventually patched to reduce the amount of stamina you lost), they might have been better off simply treating those elements as more of a [[PopUpVideoGames pop-up video game]].
* FakeLongevity: The game is basically a point-and-click adventure game, but all in-game actions drain stamina, from using David's [[SherlockScan Vision]] to simply moving around and opening doors. Run out of Stamina and your health will drain -- run out of health and it's game over. You can buy food to replenish your stamina, but only by repeatedly "pushing" objects in your environment.

* IceCreamKoan:

* IntellectualAnimal: If Amanda is actually just a cat that David is only hallucinating is a woman in a leotard, that perhaps only raises further questions if she is in fact accompanying him on his dives and bringing him food.

* AnimalMotifs: Forrest "Teddy" Kaysen (formerly "The Grizzly") is a big ol' ''teddy'' bear. Antonio "Rabbit" Zapatero has an overactive sex drive. And of course there's a real possibility that Amanda is an actual cat.

** "I'm going to change the past." "Do you think the past can be changed?" "All you can do is accept the past and move on." "[[spoiler:I belong to the past.]]"

* UndercoverCopReveal: David picks up on several clues that Olivia isn't really a flight attendant, and guesses she's FBI. [[spoiler:She isn't -- but she and Philip ''are'' both undercover for the DEA.]]

* AmbiguouslyHuman: Roland Walken, like the Giant from ''Twin Peaks'', seems to have stepped right out of UncannyValley. He talks in a very slowed-down CreepyMonotone, and he's so tall that he can't stand upright aboard the plane, something which even Philip can manage, despite having about a foot or more on David.

** Less prominently, there's "You can't change the past," and its variations.

* DeadPersonConversation: David sees and occasionally speaks with his dead wife, "Little" Peggy.

* DownloadableContent: Numerous collaborative tops based on other games for David to wear, along with some more facial hair options and outfits for other characters, all for free.

* FantasticDrug: "Real Blood", which is stated to act as a super-steroid of sorts. Philip Cheney is a habitual user who ingests it via an inhaler.

* GenreBusting: On the surface it sounds like a boilerplate DefectiveDetective story, but then you add in the TimeTravel, MagicalRealism, and heavy {{slapstick}} elements, and like ''Deadly Premonition'' before it, you'd be hard-pressed to confine it within even just science-fiction/mystery.

* MadDoctor: Roland Walken dresses like a doctor, in a long white coat and surgical mask, but he never acts like one, or indeed, [[AmbiguouslyHuman particularly human]]. He speaks extremely slowly, is constantly holding a knife and fork, and only David can see him -- but only during dives. David is sure he remembers him from somewhere, but just can't place him. [[spoiler:Possibly from while he was in surgery after being shot? It would explain his looming presence, and perhaps surgical tools might look like a knife and fork to a man with a terrible head wound who was fading in and out of consciousness at the time. Walken seems to be trying to help David, albeit in the most cryptic way possible.]]

* SpeaksInShoutOuts: Born-and-bred Bostonian David has a tendency to drop into hockey metaphors. Occasionally he references baseball as well.

** David ''Young''; Little Peggy ''Old''mann.

* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: You can push other people. It's even encouraged, as you gain credits for doing so.

** David ''Young''; Little Pegggy ''Old''mann.

* UndercoverCopReveal: David picks up on several clues that Olivia isn't really a flight attendant, and guesses she's FBI. [[spoiler:She isn't -- she and Philip are both with the DEA.]]

* AmbiguouslyHuman: Roland Walken, like the Giant from ''Twin Peaks'' stepped right out of UncannyValley. He talks in a very slowed-down CreepyMonotone, and he's so tall that he can't stand upright aboard the plane, something which even Philip, who's got about a foot or more on David can manage.

* AnimalMotifs: Forrest "Teddy" Kaysen is a big ol' ''teddy'' bear. Antonio "Rabbit" Zapatero has an overactive sex drive. And of course there's a real possibility that Amanda is an actual cat.

* DefectiveDetective: David himself, played with [[{{Pastiche}} almost but not entirely]] to point of parody. BPD Detective David Young quit the force after a near-death experience and the loss of his wife. Now he can't bring himself to leave the house but gained unique, ambiguously preternatural insights into the cases his ex-partner brings to him.

* TheInformant: Courier "Rabbit" Zapatero turned state's witness, which is why he's being escorted by Marshal Buchanan.

* ThemeNaming: People whose names start with D, of course.

* ActionCommands: During the stunt scenes. Actually very well done and made fun using the Kinect. It helps that you can sit down and still do them accurately.
* AdultChild: Invoked. Passenger Deborah Anderson is introduced wearing a life jacket with the words "Adult/Child" (presumably referring to sizing) clearly visible in frame. She's an obsessive-compulsive, manic, phobic, codependent hypochondriac who constantly repeats odd phrases which a certain Dr. Johnson may or may not have "always" said.
* AndYourRewardIsClothes: Some extra cases and other tasks award you with clothes upon completion.

* LadySwearsALot: Nervous passenger Deborah curses like a sailor in a game where no one else swears at all.

* AdultChild: Invoked. Passenger Deborah Anderson is introduced wearing a life jacket with the words "Adult/Child" (presumably referring to sizing) clearly visible in frame. She's an obsessive-compulsive, phobic, codependent hypochondriac who constantly repeats odd phrases which a certain Dr. Johnson may or may not have said.

* ArcWords: "Look for D."

* CliffHanger: [[spoiler:The final scene of Episode 2 of D4 is Philip Cheney, having somehow transformed into the electricity-manipulating superhuman killer DELTA, lunging at David with a cry of "Now, Mr. Young, how can I help you...DIE?!" seconds before "To Be [=ContinueD=]" appears.]]

* EvilLaugh: The first thing Roland Walken ''says'' to David.

* MadDoctor: Roland Walken dresses like a doctor, in a long white coat and surgical mask, but he never acts like one, or indeed, [[AmbiguouslyHuman particularly human]]. He speaks extremely slowly and only David can see him, and only during dives.
* ManInWhite: Roland Walken dresses in an all-white suit and wears a surgical mask.

** Deborah is another nurse with an odd fixation on a Dr. Johnson. It's probably not Ushah, but who can say when it comes to SWERY?

* ReusedCharacterDesign: Of a sort. Forrest Kaysen appears yet again in one of SWERY's works, though apart from being fat and wearing glasses he doesn't look much like his previous appearances.

* SuperpoweredEvilSide: [[spoiler:Philip Cheney]] is not only secretly [[spoiler:an undercover DEA agent, the same as Olivia]], they're also capable of transforming into a massively muscled superhuman murderer [[spoiler:named DELTA. His use of "Real Blood" helps to suppress his killing urges and maintain his disguise (and somewhat normal figure) as a flight attendant.]]

* TheStinger: [[spoiler: The post-credits scene has Forrest meeting with Peggy's adoptive father, who has a really altered voice.]]

* WorldOfHam: It's Swery, after all. Special recognition to Forrest Kaysen (as usual), remarkably poor flyer Deborah Anderson, and quirky fashion designer Duncan.

-->'''Deborah:''' [[BigWhat Whaaaaat]]??? / As Dr. Johnson always says...!
-->'''Duncan:''' Aaaavaaant gaaaarde!

* GlassEye: Zapatero has one, which (inevitably) gets knocked out during the fight with David.

* MadArtist: Fashion designer Duncan, whose [[TheMuse muse]] Sukey definitely ''isn't'' [[CompanionCube just a mannequin]].

* MythologyGag: David Young (Henning) was the name of the protagonist of ''VideoGame/DeadlyPremonition'' while it was still in development, before it was changed to Francis York Morgan.

* ShoutOut: Given Swery's previous game, references to ''Series/TwinPeaks'' are to be expected.
** The first shot of the intro is of an owl which does not seem to have anything to do with the actual plot.
** Both David Young and Dale Cooper have encounters with a mysterious abnormally tall person only they can see who gives them cryptic advice.
** A man who has suffered total memory loss attempts to track down his wife's killer with the only lead being the initial of the killer's name. Is this a summary of this game or a plot synopsis from the 2000 mystery thriller Memento?

* {{Tuckerization}}: Cafe SWERY 65 appears as a Starbucks-style coffee shop, and the airline of the plane David dives into is Access Flights.

* MadArtist: Fashion designer Duncan, whose [[TheMuse muse]] Sukey definitely ''isn't'' [{CompanionCube just a mannequin]].

* RuggedScar: David has a bullethole in his forehead, though it's usually obscured by his bangs. Derek Buchanan has a [{GoodScarsEvilScars more sinister one]] across his jaw and lower lip.

* SignatureStyle: Forrest Kaysen appears yet again in one of SWERY's works.

* SpeaksInShoutOuts: David has a tendency to drop into hockey metaphors. Occasionally he references other sports as well.

* WorldOfHam: It's Swery, after all. Special recognition to Forrest Kaysen (as usual) and remarkably poor flyer Deborah Anderson.

* CatGirl: Amanda acts the part. She sounds and moves just like a cat.

* SuperpoweredEvilSide: [[spoiler: Philip Cheney is not only secretly a DEA agent, he's also a massively muscled superhuman murderer named DELTA, and he uses the drug "Real Blood" to suppress his killing urges and maintain his disguise (and somewhat normal figure) as a flight attendant.]]

* {{Tuckerization}}: Cafe SWERY 65 appears as a possible dialogue option, and the flight David dives into is Access Flights.

* VirtualPaperDoll: You can dress up multiple characters in different outfits or give David different kinds of facial hair, inluding a [[CrossesTheLineTwice Hitler mustache]].

Following SWERY's departure from Access Games, it is unclear what the fate of the remaining season(s) are, as SWERY does not own the rights and says that Access won't sell them.

* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Neither David or Kaysen find it all that odd that Amanda literally acts like a cat and is always dressed like a Las Vegas cocktail waitress. There's hinted that Amanda may actually be Peggy's cat (also named Amanda) that David can't recognize due to his head injury (the fact that she actually appears as a cat when David dives into the past implies this as well.)

* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Neither David or Kaysen find it all that odd that Amanda literally acts like a cat and is always dressed like a Las Vegas cocktail waitress.

* CutShort: The apparent fate of the series, unless someone else takes charge or SWERY emerges from retirement.

* MythologyGag: David Young was the name of the protagonist of ''VideoGame/DeadlyPremonition'' while it was still in development, before it was changed to Francis York Morgan.

''Dark Dreams Don't Die'' (or ''D4'' for short) is an [[EpisodicGame episodic]] AdventureGame created by Creator/AccessGames for the UsefulNotes/XboxOne, and later for PC. It's a SpiritualSuccessor to SWERY's ''VideoGame/DeadlyPremonition'', and shares some plot elements with it. One "season" has been released.