Dark Woods III: The Plague Returns

Dark Woods III: The Plague Returns
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Developer(s)	Dark Heart Games
Publisher(s)	Fantendo
Platform(s)	Nintendo 3DS Wii U
Genre(s)	Adventure Horror Puzzle
Series	Dark Woods
Predecessor	Dark Woods II: New Woods
Mode(s)	Single player

Dark Woods III: The Plague Returns is a horror action-adventure game developed by Dark Heart Games and published by Fantendo for both the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. It is the third installment of the Dark Woods series and takes place two years after Dark Woods II and an unknown time after Hollow Remnants.

Gameplay

Like it's previous installments Dark Woods III keeps the main gameplay elements. It is an open world area where the player is free to roam and explore different parts of the woods. Four characters are playable in the game and you may choose two when entering a level and can't change the party during that level. You however can switch between the two selected characters. When doing co-op mode both of the characters can be controlled. In some instances the you can't choose the party members and the game it for you instead. All characters have their own unique gameplay elements that the player can use in their advantage.

Because of their long absence from the Dark Woods they have lost nearly all of their abilities and thus are weak in the beginning. All the weapons also have been reset to their default form in the second game. There however are more upgrades available then the previous version, that can be obtained by completing certain tasks. Sometimes an upgrade can be rewarded after defeating a boss and sometimes the upgrade is hidden somewhere in the Dark Woods.

The leveling systems also returns, rewarding the characters with more health, energy, speed, slots and/or new abilities when leveling up. Support abilities also return from the previous game and have a set level in which they upgrade. The abilities are listed in a little menu which is displayed in the bottom right corner of the screen. In this list are, by default, the support abilities. The player has remaining slots to sort in their other abilities.

Like the previous game this installment once again features Deity Masks. They stay the same as the previous game only this time around three new ones are added for Ligeia. There also is another Mask hidden in the game that can be used by all, but a secret boss needs to be defeated beforehand.

Controls

Weapons & Abilities

• Hein
• Lily
• Rai
• Ligeia

Weapons

Whip

• Barbed Wire
• Maleficent Thorn (has the chance to give the opponent a poison or a sleep effect)
• Dragon Scale (leaves a burning effect and immediately attacks after a parry)
• Morning Star

Scythe

• Skeleton Scythe
• Blood Slicer (more blood is drawn from opponents to heal yourself)
• Ghoul Reaper (boosts the damage depending on the amount of combo's performed)
• Operating Surgeon
• Majestic Unicorn
• Aries Sign
• Franken Scythe

Tail

• Scale Tail
• Reef Tail (increases the grab and throw power on land)
• Shark Tail (increases the swimming speed in the water)

Abilities

Nocturnal Energy

• Nocturnal Disc: Hein creates a disc in his hands that he can throw in any wishes direction. It has good range but lacks damage.
  • Nocturnal Buzz Saw: An upgraded version of the disc that does a lot more damage and adds a staggering effect.
• Nocturnal Explosion: Hein holds his hand in front of him and a sphere of nocturnal energy appears and explodes when complete.
• Nocturnal Flower: Hein plants a nocturnal flower on the ground which explodes when an enemy touches it.
• Nocturnal Sphere: Hein twirls around and creates a sphere around him out of nocturnal energy which deflects projectiles, but has slow start-up time and consumes a much energy.
• Nocturnal Levitation: Hein twirls upwards surrounded with nocturnal energy and can immediately levitate afterwards.
• Nocturnal Wisp: Hein launches a small projectile that floats in the air for some time but then expands to a black hole that sucks all the enemies near it, but won't suck them in completely.
• Nocturnal Pentagram: Hein summons five orbs of nocturnal energy around him in a pentagram and they will home to nearby enemies.
• Nocturnal Reaper: Hein summons the Grim Reaper of Dark Woods, a skeleton wearing a cape made out of nocturnal energy and wields a nocturnal scythe. It will attack for Hein until all his energy is gone. He can be drawn back early as well.

Whip & Scythe

• Combo+: Extends the combo by one.
• Whiplash: an alternate finisher for the whip that makes you rapidly slash with the whip.
• Binding Slash: bind the enemy with the whip and throw them away.
• Defensive Whip: swirl the whip around you with telekinesis for a short time for protection.
• Scythe Raid: let's you throw your scythe.
• Spinning Scythe: rapidly spin around with the scythe, can be moved while spinning.
• Earthquake: slam with the scythe into the ground cracking the ground and sending surrounding enemies into the air.
• Salto Scythe: you will make a salto upwards with the scythe hanging out.
• Salto Scythe (air): you will spin forwards in the air.
• Slice-m-up: performs a combo of several slashes with the scythe while you have to press the right buttons to continue.

Support Abilities

Gills

• Level 1: Allows you to breathe underwater for one minute.
• Level 2: Time limit is expanded to 5 minutes.
• Level 3: There is no time limit.

Levitation

• Level 1: Allows you to slowly hover in the air while descending.
• Level 2: Let's you glide through the air on average speed while descending.
• Level 3: Glide speed has increased and you're able to fly upwards as well.

Masks

Grim Mask

Hein wears a mask that resembles the Grim Reaper and automatically also wears a black cloak that resembles the one of the Grim Reaper. The mask upgrades your Scythe to the next level. If you already have the Ghoul Scythe then it will upgrade to the Dimensional Scythe which has all the abilities of the previous scythes plus it will create a dimensional rift every time is slices that pulls enemies in.

Ek Chuaj Mask

Hein wears a mask that resembles Ek Chuaj, one of the Gods of the Mayans. He reveals a giant empty bag which he can fill with lots of enemies until the bag is full. While he carries the bag he can stab through the bag with a spear that also comes with the mask. However the long you wait with attacking the stronger the finishing move will be when the mask time is over. When facing a boss only the boss can be caught in the bag and no additional enemies. A boss can't be caught in the bag when there are already enemies inside of it as well.

Hades Mask

Hein wears a mask that resembles Hades, one of the Twelve Olympians from Greek mythology, or rather the helmet he wears. When wearing this mask Hein can summon the Gates of Hell. Hein is able to choose between three deities to summon from Hell. The first one is Cerberus who he can ride and inflict damage with, the second one are the Fates who will support Hein by using their dark magic. The last one is Hydra who is used as an ultimate defense, as Hein sits on it although it can't move. Once a head is cut it will multiply with 2 until there are 7 heads total. After that the defense will weaken.

Weapons

Staff

• Crescent Staff
• Dream Catcher (has additional sleeping effect and more effective against the undead)
• Wicca Staff (halves healing rate and increases energy recovery speed)
• Royal Scepter
• Holy Executioner
• Bo Peep Sheep
• Fountain of Youth
• Virgio Sign

Abilities

Lunar Energy

• Warp Crescents: Lily throws a lunar energy projectile in the shape of a crescent forwards.
• Healing Wave: Lily restores a little bit of damage.
• Celestial Fireworks: Lily creates sparks around her that blows enemies around her away.
• Heavenly Light: Lily summons a light from above on her that covers a huge area and rapidly damages anyone in range with very small damage.
• Lunar Blast: Lily can charge up a ball of lunar energy that she then shoots forwards.
• Lunar Binding: Lily shoots out a string of lunar energy that attached to an opponent that then can be thrown away.
• Light Pillar: Lily summons a glowing spot on the ground that she can move around and then a pillar of light barges up inflicting massive damage.
• Teleport: Lily teleports forwards in a dashing motion.
• Mine Field: Lily summons mines of light around herself that explode on impact with an enemy.
• Astral Projection: Lily leaves a projection of herself behind to take damage for her.
• Moon Blizzard: Lily shoots a chunk of ice that will freeze the opponent.
• Icicle Light: Lily summons icicles above her head and sends it into several directions around her to the ground.
• Lunar Petal: Lily takes residence in a petal of light and restores energy.
• Lunar Laser: Lily shoots a line over the ground followed by a laser that goes over that line.
• Astral Moon: Lily summons an astral projection of the moon and throws it down on the ground creating a huge explosion.
• Luna: Lily calls upon the Moon Spirit Luna who will fight for Lily. She will stay there until all of Lily's energy is empty. When Luna leaves she will shine brightly causing massive damage to any enemy on screen.

Support Abilities

Healing

• Level 1: Consumes all energy to heal yourself.
• Level 2: Consumes 50% energy to heal yourself.
• Level 3: Consume 25% energy to heal yourself.

Luminous Sight

• Level 1: Lights up the area around you to navigate in darker places.
• Level 2: Extends the reach of the light around you.
• Level 3: Blinds enemies who come step into the light's range.

Masks

Brahma Mask

Lily wears a mask that resembles the God Brahma, a Hindu God. Her skin gets a blue aura around it and she grows four extra arms in addition to the two she already has. The extra arms allow her to fight up close, as opposed to her long-range combat style. She can endlessly continue combo's and trap opponents in it. Her speed is enchanted so the opponent will be easier to trap and harder to get out of. When throwing crescents they will be thrown at 360 degree and basically every other projectile will do so as well.

Buddha Mask

Lily wears a mask that resembles the deity Buddha, the main entity worshiped in Buddhism. Unlike all the other masks this mask doesn't have any psychical attacks. When wearing it holy light will shine down on Lily. This light will constantly heal her and makes it almost impossible for her to die. The side-effect, she has not many abilities left.

Skadi Mask

Lily wears a mask that resembles Skadi, a Norse Goddess. The mask will grant her incredible ice powers. All of her moves are altered to have an ice effect to it. Some projectiles have become icicles, others have been turn into blizzard storms. For example also her Lunar staff has been turned into an icicle staff. However her standard healing magic has disappeared and now will just cause a freezing effect to the enemies.

Weapons

Teeth

• Dental White
• Metallic Plate (increases defense when found in a pinch)
• Golden Thug (make enemies drop more munny, hp and energy orbs)
• Vampire Bite
• Brace Yourself

Claws

• Slayer Claws
• Fabulous Polish (allows you to continue combo's without hitting something)
• Double Scratch (makes it unable to be knocked down)
• Iron Wolf
• Crushing Bones
• Black Death

Abilities

Lightning

• Lightning Surge: Rai dashes forwards while a circle of lightning surrounds him.
• Lightning Strike: Lightning strikes down on the nearest opponent(s).
• Thunder Claw: Rai slashes with a thunder enchanted claw.
• Electric Terrain: The area around Rai is electrified for a short time.
• Electro Growl: Rai growls and stuns close opponents.

Psychical Attacks

• Combo+: Extends the combo by one.
• Combo++: Extends the combo by two.
• Claw Lunge: lunge forwards to the nearest opponent.
• Crunch: bits the opponent and keep crunching on them for as long as they don't break free.
• X-Claw: Rai slashes in an X-shape pushing opponents back.
• Sharp Spin: Rai spins around while running hurting nearby opponents.
• Salto Slicer: Rai jumps in the air and makes a salto damaging anyone who he hits with his claws.
• Claw-X-Tend: slashes forwards with an enlarged claw.
• Bite & Throw: lunges at the opponents and bites them and immediately throws them away.
• Quick Finish: bite the opponents in the chest and rapidly slash in its face.

Support Abilities

Quick Step

• Level 1: Allows you to run much faster for a short time.
• Level 2: Extends the running time.
• Level 3: Limitless running time.

Rage Mode

• Level 1: Boosts your strength for a certain period of time.
• Level 2: Adds fire effect to the Rage Mode.
• Level 3: Extend the time and change into blue fire.

Masks

Raijin Mask

Rai wears the Raijin mask which resembles Raijin's pet dog Raiju. Raijin is one of the deities in Japanese folklore. Rai gets engulfed with lightning which protects him from attacks, he still will receive damages only half of the damage inflicted damages the opponent as well. All of his attacks have been slightly altered. The lightning attacks have a much greater effect and the other attacks have a lightning effect to them.

Anubis Mask

Rai wears the Anubis mask one of the religious figures in Egyptian religion. While Rai wears this mask he gets a brand new ability which allows him to trap his opponent in bandages and tie them up as mummies which limits their movements temporarily. Rai can inflict damage on them that way. Rai can also choose to build up the Nyx Meter (by attacking opponents without tying them up) and gain the coffin to trap strong opponents in (even bosses).

Nuwa Mask

Rai wears the Nuwa mask which is based on a deity in the Chinese religion. When wearing the Nuwa mask Rai actually gains the ability to fly. Rai hovers above the ground instead of walking on all four he can ascend and descend by using the camera button and move forward. He is able to create tornado's out of nothing as well to trap and damage opponents.

Weapons

Tentacles

• Octopus' Tentacle
• Shocking Eel
• Bruising Shark
• Hammerhead Bang
• Mermaid Tale
• Jealous Jelly
• Crabby Pincer

Abilities

• Bubblebeam: sends out a steam of water spheres that do minor damage, but can be fired repeatedly.
• Water Wave: sends out a wall of water forwards.
• Water Whip: perform a quick slash with a whip made of water.
• Dive: swim underwater with limitless time.
• Water Pillar: forms a column of water around herself which blasts her upwards.
• Bubble: conceal herself in a protective bubble.
• Water Stream: conjures a manipulable stream of water that can be directed at the opponent, deceases in power when not used as attack for a certain time.
• Tentaqua: conjures eight tentacles of water around her that slash nearby opponents.
• Turtle Ride: conjures a water turtle that can be used as mount.
• Sneaking Ray: conjures a water ray which is launched over the ground at high speed and deals good damage.
• Snail Saliva: a water snail is conjured and attached itself to Ligeia and heals her over time. When receiving too much damage the snail is knocked off.
• Shrimp Nibs: a small water shrimp is conjured which attached itself to the opponent and rapidly inflicts little damage.
• Sea Horse: conjures a sea horse which continuously sprays water in the placed direction.
• Puffer Bomb: conjures an inflated puffer which then can be send forwards while rapidly filling up with water and exploding at its limit.
• Dolphin Jump: conjures three water dolphins that jump out of the ground three times while going forwards damaging anyone in their way.
• Swan Lake: conjures a large puddle of water which traps opponents in it.
• Whaliberation: conjures a giant whale of water and drops it on the area causing immense damage and cover a large area.
• Aquatic Kraken: Ligeia conjures a giant kraken made of water that attacks the stage with its tentacles until all of Ligeia's energy is depleted, but can be dispelled earlier as well.

Support Abilities

Invisibility

• Level 1: can turn invisible for a short time but can't do anything.
• Level 2: can move while invisible.
• Level 3: can attack while invisible.

Transforming

• Level 1: can turn into a cuttlefish for a short time.
• Level 2: medium amount of time.
• Level 3: long time.

Masks

Cthulhu Mask

Ligeia wears the Cthulhu mask, en entity coming from a poem by H. P. Lovecraft and is the leader of a cult. When wearing the Cthulhu mask Ligeia grows immensely in size and is able to inflict much more damage over wider area. However in this transformation she will equip the Cthulhu Tentacles which basically have the same properties as the Octopus' tentacles with a power boost of course.

Cupid Mask

Ligeia wears the Cupid mask which is based on one of the Roman gods, Cupid, son of Venus and God of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. When wearing the mask Ligeia can shoot golden arrows from a majestic bow. The arrows can either cause the opponents have an aversion to flee when they are much stronger, or instantly kill them when weaker.

Abnoba Mask

Ligeia wears the Abnoba mask who is a Gaulish goddess who was worshipped in the Black Forest and surrounding areas and said to be the Goddess of trees and rivers. While wearing the mask Ligeia gains additional nature powers. Her deck fills itself with water and nature abilities of which some include to spawn huge trees, trap opponents in vegetation and shoot forth a cloud of razor leafs.

Plot

It has been two years since the last time Hein and the others managed to escape the Dark Woods. However an unknown force requests them to save the Dark Woods and return it to its full glory. Hein, Lily, Rai and Ligeia venture back into the Dark Woods to discover the meaning of all this.

Chapters

Section is under construction and only contains keywords atm

• Entering the Woods
• Sliming Around
• Memories of the Past
• Deep in the Sea
• Mountain Climbers
• Cavern Escape
• Infiltrating the Carnival
• Fortress Journey
• Swamp Mystery
• Fortress Secrets
• Carnival Phantasm
• The Last Sanctuary
• Home
• ''The Bride''
• ''The Last Page''

After a good two years after their adventure in the Dark Woods ended, Hein, Lily, Rai and Ligeia were hanging out in the park. A dark entity called out to Hein, requesting him to follow him, out of curiosity he did so. The rest followed him and before they knew it they had arrived in the Dark Woods, wearing their outfits that they were most familiar with in that dimension. They were confused as to where they are as it looked quite different than the first time.

The dark entity was also gone, so the four decided to just roam the area for a little bit. They arrived at a small cottage that they decided was a good place to rest. They went inside and speculated about what was going on, and if Lamia might be the cause of this. After some time they leave the cottage again and see a little girl standing outside, so they approach her. But they quickly notice she has no good intentions and back away from her. They engage in combat but manage to defeat her.

After the final strike the little girl swells up and explodes releasing all kind of special enemies, called the Mental Disorders, from her body. A voice says they will need to take down those enemies at some point. They see it is Slime, this time in a humanoid body. He continues by saying to follow him to the Snail Village.

They head towards the Snail Village while protecting Slime from the enemies that are in the way. Slime tells that ever since they left the condition of the Dark Woods worsened. He also explained why he looked more humanoid now, as it was duo to his age and he now was the chief of the Snail Village. They arrive at the Snail Village which appears to be under attack.

They fight of the hoard of enemies and secure the village again. The Punk Slug passes by and knocks out Hein, stealing his scythe in the process. While Hein is passed out Rai and Ligeia go out to retrieve the scythe. They find the hide out of Punk Slug and battle him. They succeed in defeating him and bring him to a last stance.

Rai demands that he tells what this is all about, at that moment Hein and Lily also join them again. Punk Slug says he needed to obtain the blood of Hein for Ashley, the ruler of the Dark Woods. They ask who Ashley is, and Punk Slug is surprised that they don't know. He explains that she is the daughter of Lamia who ruled the Dark Woods before her passing. And that with Ashley as leader they finally have someone strong, and that he soon will be one of the elites here.

Hein grabs his scythe and severs Punk Slug's head from his slimy body. Hein says that they know a new threat is now present in the Dark Woods which brings all the good people here in trouble. He is determined to take Ashley down no matter what.

The group thanks Slime for guiding them, Slime then insists that he tags along with them for the time being, and leaves the village in charge of the Hermit Snail. Lily suggests that they look for the circus tent, as it should be around here somewhere.

The group searches through the thick woods for the circus tent which they eventually find in an open spot in the forest. The condition of the circus tent was horrible, it faded in color, had several holes in it, and was collapsed at one side. Nonetheless they entered it to make it their safe haven.

Once inside however they saw a figure standing who bore a resemblance to Hein... only more dead and with black hair instead of brown. He didn't speak, he just grunted. He then revealed a gear/magnet like Claymore. He then grunted Hein's name and rushed at them. They engaged in combat but in the end the group managed to get the upper hand of him. Stein used his magnet to repel them and quickly fled the scene.

Ligeia questioned what he was and why he looked so much like Hein... but had abilities similar to Rai. In response Rai shook his head, and said he wished that he could remember more from his time as the Blue Beast, as the answer probably lies in that period of time. The group fix the tent up a little bit, Lily casts a protection spell around the area to make this their safe haven.

Hein then notices that there is a huge carnival in the distance. The group decide to approach it but see that a conch is needed to enter the carnival in the first place. Slime says that such things can be found in the Luminous Lake. The group agrees to go to the Luminous Lake next.

They arrived at the docks of the luminous lake, which had barely changed from the previous times, mainly because it simply was a lake. The docks however weren't in such a good state. They entered the water and headed towards the reef area where the conch should be. However when they got close to it a demonic anglerfish swum by and swallowed the conch. Heading into the deeper part of the lake afterwards.

The group followed the anglerfish, following it by keeping a close eye on the light emerging from its angler. Eventually he landed in an underwater Colosseum with lots of glowing fish and vegetation to lighten up the place. The anglerfish went to sleep so it was the perfect opportunity to attack it. They engaged battle with the fish by waking it up. After an intense battle with the sea creature it spit out the conch but unfortunately fell into the hands of a black-clothed teenager.

He smiled and said that if they want to get the conch they should meet with them at the peak of the mountain. He dissolved in the water and was gone. Hein sighed and commented that he never expected this to be easy. Rai said they could easily pull through, and with that they left the luminous lake.

The group made their way to the foot of the mountain, it was a high and though climb they could see. As they progressed it kept getting colder and colder as snow slowly began to cover the terrain they were walking on. After taking a safe route through a cave they arrived near the peak of the mountain, which was completely covered with snow. They continued and met with the teen and a little girl at the top.

Lily asked who they were and if they are working for Ashley. The male teen laughed and complied. He introduced himself as Mors, and the little girl as Atra. He explained that they were the will and essence of Nostradamus respectively. Atra said that they work for Ashley to reunite with Nostradamus once again. Mors then said to her that she shouldn't tell too much, which irritated her.

Hein said that he now knows they are beings that need to be defeated and engages combat with them. Mors puts the conch down outside of the battlefield. The fight results in Atra releasing a too big attack that breaks the ground. Mors quickly sprouts his wings, grabs Atra, and flies away wishing them good luck on finding the conch down there. The four plunge down into the mountain and land somewhere in a cave that they didn't pass through on their way up. Their mission now; find the conch and escape.

The group decides to stick together on their mission as it was like a maze in the caverns and easy to loose each other. Their first objective was finding the conch which probably fell all the way down into the deeper caverns, closer to the ground.

As they searched for the conch they constantly are stalked by a poltergeist that roams the caverns. Constantly they have to beat it to progress, but encountering it does hint that they are heading into the right direction. Eventually they manage to find the conch and have to make their escape.

The poltergeist appears once again, this time in a more stronger form and chases them through the corridors of the cavern. The exit was in sight, light was at the end of the path, but the poltergeist blocked their exit by teleporting them into a pocket dimension. They fight the poltergeist and are freed from his pocket dimension. Making their way out of the cave they see they are at the foot of the mountain again. Now they finally can infiltrate the carnival. Hein however makes the suggestion to split up. He likes to inspect the fortress from previous time, as he suspects more is going on there. Rai says he will join them, and that the girls will handle the carnival. They all agree with the plan and split up.

Lily and Ligeia formed a team together and took the conch with them to the carnival. They managed to open the gate but once inside were swarmed with a horde of enemies. They managed to fight them off and explored the carnival. There were lots of rides and attractions to explore, but none of them seemed to be functioning properly, and were filled with enemies.

The girls arrived at a large stage with a Disney castle-like building behind it only much smaller in size and decorated with LEDs. The entered the stage standing in front of the castle but suddenly Rosie and Posie emerged from the ground. Lily questioned if they were the real Rosie and Posie. The girls explained that they were given humanoid form by their master and now are serving the master's child. And with that reason they didn't let them pass.

The four engage in battle resulting in Lily and Ligeia being thrown away by Rosie and Posie's new ability Nursery Rhyme. Lily and Ligeia are send far away through the air and land in a big tree.

Hein and Rai make their way to the fortress, the one where they fought Plague Master the last time they were in the Dark Woods. The fortress seemed to have retained most of its looks, although being more cracked and dirty. They wanted to open the door, but saw it was blocked by a new addition to the fortress. There was a drawbridge acting as door with a pond between the entrance and the land.

The boys quickly noticed that the drawbridge was connected to a machine, they followed the track of the chains and arrived at a windmill not far away from the fortress, but neither from the abandoned village. They headed inside and saw a way to lower the drawbridge. Unfortunately for them the door closed behind them and were locked in by Stein. The zombie kept grunting Hein's name and suddenly rushed at him. They engaged combat with Stein which resulted in Stein's head falling off his body, followed by his arms, torso etc.

Hein wondered why he was being stalked by the zombie, but Rai said to forget about that. Rai lowered the drawbridge so the two could enter the fortress.

Lily and Ligeia lower themselves from the tree down to the ground and see that they found themselves in the swamp. It looked pretty much like it did the previous times, only with a lot more vegetation. They venture through the swamp trying to find the nymph village. Eventually they arrive there where they are greeted by Jane.

The swamp nymph tells the girls that duo to Ashley they haven't been holding up... at all. Out of everyone in the village only a few are left because the others have been swallowed by the Swamp-Thing. The village chief joins the conversation and says he would reward them if they could locate and defeat the Swamp-Thing. The girls accept the quest saying they have the time for it after a bit of discussing.

Searching for the Swamp-Thing brings them to the muddy plains where the Swamp-Thing just swallowed a creature. Lily said there might be nymphs inside his body so they should act quick. The girls fight and defeat the Swamp-Thing freeing a few alive swamp nymphs but most of the others are dead and shrimped.

Along with the nymph group they head back to the village, having to protect them from incoming enemies. The village chief and Jane thank them greatly and reward them with new items. Jane says that she will always be at the village (which happens to be at the entrance of the swamp) should they need any cheap potions and elixirs. The girls head back to the base to wait for the boys.

Hein & Rai: enter fortress, encounter Atra & Mors, fight them, split up. Hein follows Mors to rooftop, Rai fights unlocked Atra, both get defeated and sucked back by Nostra

four meet up and enter carnival, encounter Rosie & Posie guarding Ashley, fight the two, both get degraded and summoned by Nostra, continue to fight Ashley, bring her to brink of death

go to the church, fight and defeat resurrected Nostra who gets saved by Ashley, group is teleported back to human world

group continues regular lives, Nostra and Ashley try to make Dark Woods nicer by sealing deal with Enemy, (secret ending: Threat comes and says Dark Woods will be hers)

secret boss in fortress, unfreeze and fight, freezes again

secret boss after collecting 8 pages, defeat and see dark essence slip away

Characters

Main Characters Hein, the Grim Kid Lily, the Deformed Diva Rai, the Blue Beast Ligeia, the Morbid Mermaid Slime the slug

Main Antagonists Plague Master Ashley Rosie Posie Atra Mors Stein

Other Characters Jane, the swamp nymph Hermit Snail Wise Old Frog Ektaz Bride (secret boss) Slender Man (secret boss)

Enemies

Regular

Enemy	Description
Creeper	A creature created from the shadows, the Dark Woods is filled with these. Watch out for their sharp claws as they can come from anywhere.
Lurker	Some sort of a big brother to the Creepers, a Lurker is a tall and more malicious creature. It seems like Creepers find trust in Lurkers, although they often come out later during a fight.
Diver	When going underwater I noticed that the shadow creatures from above also adjusted themselves to the waters. They still have their menacing claws, but in addition to that can even swim.
Unicornius	On first sight a majestic animal, until you find out that it is seeking blood. It is very fast and can pierce you at high speed, dodging skills are needed to defeat this horse.
Harpy	One thing I didn't think would show up were flying demonic creatures. They wear a little armor and are equipped with bow and arrow while they roam the skies with their tiny wings.
Satyrium	A spawn from Hell, the creature literally emerges from a demonic portal and starts attacking you by using its dark horns which also can shoot dark falmes.
Blood Bat	Small, yet dangerous creatures. They often are sleeping in trees or caves but awaken when smelling blood. They lunge at you at high speed and drain your blood!
Treek	This things loves to jumpscare. It is a tree-like creature that hides itself between real trees and attacks when you're passing. They have reckless attacks and can be quite hard to even hit.
Blue Phoenix	Usually I think of red flame birds when thinking of a Phoenix, but this one is blue, the flames of the Underworld. They can leave a burning effect once they attack you with their blue flames.
Tarantulax	Quick and deadly these are. They walk on all eight legs to quickly advance to you and inject you with their deadly poison. They also shoot webs that entrap you. Luckily their weak spot is indicated with a large 'X' on their back.
Dragonflux	One of the larger flying creatures here. They seem to be made out of wires, which are uncommon in the Dark Woods. They can electrify themselves and damage you or shoot down a lightning blast.
Terrapigs	These gross pink creatures can dig their way into the ground and quickly advance to you with a headbutt from underground. They may also sneeze rocks at you, so be careful.
Chimera	A most peculiar creature with three heads, one of a lion, one of a goat and one of a snake. This thing is dangerous as it has three kinds of attacks. The lion growls sonic blasts, the goat breathes fire and the snake shoots acid. In addition it has wings to slightly hover above the ground. Such a drag.
Minotaur	One of the strongest creatures I encounters, and one of the more humanoid. It seems to be a half-human, half-bull that wields a giant axe to attack you with. It is rather slow in attacking but its movements are fast, so watch out.
Bandersnatch	This big and reckless animal can deal massive damage with its crunches, scratches and headbutts. However have you tried riding on its back, it is very effective.
Jubjub	At first they seemed like harmless creatures, until I got close and frightened them. They unleash sonic screams which gives a high-pitched noise in your ears.
Night Wolf	More fearsome creatures than the Lurkers, they always reside in dark places to not be spotted. The only way to see them is by following their purple glowing eyes. Luckily they appear weak, hence why they are such sneaky creatures.
Seaweed	I don't know whether this is just my imagination, but the seaweed underwater seems to try and get a hold of me so I can't continue...
Shackle	Swimming in the water are big shark-like creatures decorated with heavy chains that they use for attacking you. They can rapidly attack you, despite it not dealing too much damage.
Hammerhead	A brother of the Shackle is the Hammerhead who has a head shaped like a hammer. They are somewhat slower but their slams are deadly.
Foil	The third one of the group sports a giant foil-like horn at its top. It rushes at you underwater to pierce right through. Dodging is important this time around.
Grim Haunter	Hein is not the only reaper around as there are skeletons dressed in black cloaks with a simple scythe roaming around ready for a fight.
Plague Remnant	I saw the orbs flying around over the fields, try to keep your distance from these as they will poison you big time. Projectile and long range attacks are adviced for this one.
Rockin'	Poorly disguised as rocks with moss on them these golem-like creatures quickly awaken to attack you. They are strong and can control the earth around them, creating earthshocks etc.
Mummoid	Coffins are lying around through the woods which seem to be inhabited by the evil spirit of the mummy inside. The coffin is hard to break but when you do the mummy is rendered powerless and easy to kill. However watch out for the laser from the coffin when it is still in one piece.

Mental Disorders

There are 16 mental disorders in the game which act as special enemies that only can be found in one area. Defeating all these enemies will be rewarded with the Surgeon Scythe. Three of them also drop a slendering page while others drop a new weapon.

Enemy	Description
Anorexia Narvosa	This creature can inflict much pain on the player's internal system. When the battle starts Anorexia will slip through the body of the player and put a curse on them. A number appears above their heads that when it hits zero causes instant death. The tactic is to defeat Anorexia within the time limit which can prove to be difficult as it can attack with its tentecles and is constantly flying through the area. The best way is to use projectiles as Anorexia only attacks when getting close. Anorexia is found in the Luminous Lagoon somewhere in the Coral Field. Upon defeat it drops the Mermaid Tale for Ligeia.
Anxiety*	Carries a clock around that can displays the worst feat of everyone, what that may never come. Anxiety is a small creature that can attach itself to the player and summons their worst fear. Each fear is different for the 4 different players, so a wise decision has to be made. Hein battles a nightmare version of Pan, who previously appeared in Hollow Remnants, Lily fights two headless adults (which are assumed to be her parents), Rai fights an infected flying embryo and Ligeia her previous Siren form. There is no real strategy to these enemies. Anxiety resides somewhere around the circus tent, and can only be encountered at random. He has to be fought 4 times with a different character in order to obtain the page, after the page is obtained he won't spawn anymore.
Avoident Personality	When encountered they won't do anything unless you hurt them, as the prefer to avoid the player. But when attacked it will fly at high speed across the area and good timing is needed to strike it. The player needs to strike it five times in order for it to kill it before it disappears (although it will respawn later again). Avoidant Personality will appear in the caverns of the mountains after defeating the Poltergeist. Upon defeat it drops the Dragon Scale whip for Hein.
Bipolar	A creature that can use two elements at random. It can shoot icicles at the player but also can use a flamethrower. When or how the move is executed is always at random, making them unpredictable enemies. The way to defeat this enemy is by using either Hein and Ligeia. Hein can use a fire attack to melt the icy head and Ligeia can use any water attack to extinguish the fiery tail. Both have to be gone for it to drop on the ground so it can be executed. Bipolar can be found flying around the barn between the windmill and the demolished village. Upon defeat it drops a Max Party Heal.
Body Dysmorphic	Normally the mirror on its back is in a good state when casually roaming the area. However once the creature spots a player its mirror will break and a shadow clone of the player can manifest out of it. When defeating one a part of the mirror breaks. When killing the creature itself the clones won't spawn anymore, but existing ones will stay until defeated. It can also shoot spider webs to entrap the player. The easiest way to kill Body Dysmorphic is to simply kill all of the clones despite them getting tougher as nearing the creature can trap you in a spider-web and clones can easily kill you. Body Dysmorphic can be found in the mirror chamber in the carnival of Ashley. Upon defeat it drops the Fountain of Youth staff for Lily.
Borderline Personality	A sneaky creature that has the ability to turn invisible leaving only the maple leaf open to the bare eye. However the leaf looks like a regular one falling. It is an assassin-like enemy that can sneak from behind and attack you. The best way to kill Borderline Personality is launch a projectile next to the falling leaf when it is hovering in place to reveal the creature so you can attack it. If this isn't the case the player should keep running to avoid any unessecary attacks from the creature. Borderline Personality can be found somewhere around the intersection of the Dark Woods. Upon defeat it drops the Maleficent Thorn whip for Hein.
Depression	A creature riding on a wave of water which is said to be made out of tears. They can bounce on the player to inflict damage but their true strength lies in manipulating the water by shooting it at the player. The water drains away energy at a rapid speed. He must be attacked as much as possible before the time runs out. When the hits are enough he will turn into a puddle of water. The best character to fight depression is Rai as he can deflect the water with his Raijin Mask so it doesn't effect him in the slightest. Rai also lands the most hits per second and this can easily fill up Depression's tummy. Depression can be found behind the Luminous Lagoon. Upon defeat it drops the Crushing Bones claws for Rai.
Dissociative Identity	Appearing in multiple forms, this creature, can trick the player into thinking it is something else. It can disguise itself as anything from the surrounding environment. However when attacked it will transform back to its original form. In that form it can slash with its tentacle, lick with its tongue and shoot needles from its mouth as well. To defeat him you just have to choose the right object it disguises itself as four times and then inflict as much damage as possible. It allows you one more chance when you make a mistake, but after making a second mistake it will flee. Dissociative Identity can be found disguised as a balloon in the carnival area. In this first form it can be easily spotted because of the color sheme of the balloon. Upon defeat it drops the Jealous Jelly for Ligeia.
Misophonia	A rather small creatur if the ears and wings weren't counted. They make an annoying sounds while roaming around the area. It can send out sonic waves and wind gusts. Every movement they make has an annoying sound to it. To defeat it you'll have to track the creature throughout the area and trap it in a dead end. This can prove to be quite difficult as it sometimes can got into a whole other direction. Using a mask with a large deity is suggested. Misophonia can be found in the corridors of the fortress and flies throughout the whole section. Upon defeat it drops the Vampire Bite for Rai.
OCD*	One of the stranger mental disorders is OCD who stands very tall and actually seems peaceful. When encountering him he will summon a number of items and you have to correct, or remove, the odd one out. A point is rewarded by him for completing a task. 6/8 points have to be obtained in total. When making a mistake the player gets a quarter taken away from its health, so after 4 mistakes its over. Defeating OCD can be tricky but easily achieved with good concentration. There is no real strategy to this one. OCD can be found standing at the summit of the mountain. Upon defeat it dissolves into one of the pages.
Paranoia	Weak creatures that will panic once they see a player. They can run around in circles fightened, but can also take a detour to see if it can attack the player. Despite them being weak creatures their quick slashes inflcit quite some damage. It can only be defeated by calming it down. The best tactic for this is to use someone with a healing spell like Lily of Ligeia. When using a spell, or potion, another option is added in the menu 'Paranoia'. When using it on Paranoia it will calm down. Try to stay in one place so it doesn't panic again. Once it has calmed down you can kill it in one hit. Paranoia is found near the Snail Village. Upon defeat it drops the Double Scratch for Rai.
Post-Dramatic Stress	A strong creature that roam the plains. It is very though and can't easily be defeated as they can resist many types of attack. They can barge into the player with a headbutt or stomp on the ground to create shockwaves. It is defeated when avoided all of its attacks. All attacks can be avoided by either a dodge roll or by jumping. It is best to keep yourself at a distance of the creature, but not too far away as you won't be able to avoid it then. Post-Dramatic Stress is located in a temple in the Swamp. Upon defeat it drops the Bo Peep Sheep for Lily.
Schizophrenia	A slow creature that moves itself forwards on its tail. It emits a cloud from its mouth which contains manipulativity. When going through a cloud the player can get confused and directions are reversed. The creature itself can also spits acid balls. Reflect all of the acid balls while avoiding the smoke gasses as it will often cause you to fail returning the acid balls. Once 50 acid balls are reflected Schizophrenia will be defeated. Schizophrenia is located in the waters of the swamp. Upon defeat it drops the Ghoul Reaper.
Selective Mutism*	A sneaky creature which can call upon others to help it. They appear in waves, starting with one Mutism, then two, then three, and then starting over again at one. This continues until five cycles have been completed, or reinforcements are called in. They attack by throwing acorns. To defeat them you'll have to defeat all of them without a single one noticing you. When they do they will call for back-up and defeating them will be impossible. One should fled from the scene before dying. Projectiles are adviced for the battle. They can be found in a nice green part of the Dark Woods. Upon defeat a single acorn is left behind which transforms into a page.
Sleep Disorder	When entering the cottage a question will be asked to get some rest, if accepted the player will be plunged in a nightmare where Sleep Disorder appears. It will keep duplicating itself and the player has to defeat 85 of them without getting hit themselves else they will wake up. The most advised tactic is to defeat the first few batches normally and then either summon a spirit, or wear a mask to defeat the rest. If enough are defeated normal at first then the rest should be cleared easily with a mask. It resides inside of the cottage at the beginning of the Dark Woods. Upon defeat it drops the Dream Catcher staff for Lily.
Social Anxiety	It is found sitting alone somewhere in the area and appear to be a friendly creature. When approached however it will get frightened and run away while dropping many orbs. The player will have to chase and collect the orbs. It can also roll across the stage making it harder to collect. It is adviced to make advantage of Rai's speed or Hein's levitation for this one as it will be much easier to collect the required 100 orbs. Upon having 100 orbs Social Anxiety will even thank the player before disappearing underground. It can be found in the demolished village in one of the gardens. Upon defeat it will drop an artbook displaying the artwork of all the games till this point, including those of Hollow Remnants.

Bosses

Name	Location	Notes
Spirophobia	Dark Woods: Cottage	A young girl summoned by Ashley who when defeated split up into the Mental Disorders that were scattered all over the Dark Woods.
Punk Slug	Dark Woods: Snail Village	A snail bribed by Ashley to stop the group. The group is rewarded with their first mask for each person.
Stein	Circus Tent	After defeating him the circus tent becomes a sanctuary. Rai botains the Metallic Plate teeth.
Anglerfish	Luminous Lagoon: Sunken Ship	Hein obtains the Reef Tail and Ligeia obtains the Shocking Eel tentacles.
Atra & Mors	Mountain: Peak	Hein obtains the Blood Slicer scythe.
Poltergeist	Mountain: Caverns	Rai obtains the Fabulous Nails claws.
Rosie & Posie	Carnival: Stage	Fought by Lily and Ligeia. Lily obtains the Wicca Staff.
Swamp-Thing	Swamp: Wisdom Tree	Fought by Lily and Ligeia. Ligeia obtains the Bruising Shark tentacles.
Stein	Dark Woods: Windmill	Fought by Hein & Rai. Hein obtains the Franken Gear scythe.
Mors	Fortress: Rooftop	Fought by Hein who obtains the Ghoul Reaper scythe.
Atra Unlocked	Fortress: Throne Room	Fought by Rai who obtains the Golden Thug teeth.
Rosie & Posie	Carnival: Stage	Rai obtains the Black Death claws.
Ashley	Carnival: Backstage	Hein obtains the Aries Sign scythe and Lily obtains the Virgio Sign staff.
Nostradamus (2x)	Demolished Village: Church	The first batle includes Rosie and Posie, the second battle is against Nostradamus in his true form.
Bride	Fortress: Lamia's Workshop	Secret Boss. Rai obtains the Frozen Icicles claws.
Slender Man	Dark Woods: Campsite	Secret Boss, upon collecting all 8 pages he will spawn there. Ligeia obtains the Slender Tentacles.

Pages

Like in the previous games there will be collectibles throughout the game. Dark Woods III has the least amount of collectible reports, this time there only being 8 to be found. They are pages with scribbles and messages all over them, but together form a map to a secret in the game.

Gallery

Ligeia

Ashley

Atra (left) & Mors (right)

Atra's Unlocked Form

Rosie & Posie's new forms

Stein

Slime's new form

Ektaz

Bride

Trivia

• Mental Illnesses as Monsters art was done by Toby Allen.
• This is the first game in which the Two-Headed, Distressed Doll and Chorus Clown don't appear. In fact the 'freaks' aren't even relevant in the game.
  • In Hollow Remnants it was explained, and sometimes shown, that all the others who had returned resumed with their normal lives.