Dark Fall is a first-personpsychological horror/adventure game, which employs a very simple HUD. At the top of the screen is the "Activity Bar." On the left side of the bar are items which the player has acquired during the game. On the right, are buttons which allow the player tosave their game, quit their game, or load a previously saved game.[6]
The game uses a basic point-and-click interface to move the player around and manipulate the game world, which is presented entirely through static pre-rendered images.[7] As the player moves the cursor around the screen it can change into different styles depending on the situation; neutral cursor (no interaction is possible), an arrow (the player can move in the direction indicated), a finger (indicating an item with which the player can directly interact), a wrench (the player must use an inventory item to initiate interaction), a magnifying glass (an area which can be examined in more detail), backwards arrow (the player can move backwards whilst facing the same direction; i.e. they do not have to turn around).[8]
Much of the gameplay is based around solving puzzles (such as translating an encrypted message, or opening a puzzle box). However, unlike most modern adventure games, Dark Fall does not keep note of any information or clues acquired by the player (for example, notes found by the player are not entered into the inventory, and journal entries read by the player are not recorded in any way). This forces the player to keep track of every clue and detail themselves. If the player wishes to recheck a journal entry, they must find the journal and re-read it.
