Dark Manifold
Dark Manifold is an AI-powered spaceship management game and interactive fiction experience. Command the CARRION PLEA, a Penning-class Explorer, through procedurally generated encounters in deep space — and unlock over 170,000 words of original short fiction as you play.
A Book Universe That Plays
Dark Manifold is not just a game — it is a literary sci-fi universe woven into gameplay. 14 original short stories and 3 crew diaries unlock chapter by chapter as you progress through 5 rings of deep space. Every story is hand-written, atmospheric, and character-driven. The encounter mechanic serves the narrative, not the other way around.
The Stories
Stories unlock through gameplay, gated by ring progression. Each has 15 chapters.
- THE CHRYSALIS RUN — "The cargo was warm. The cargo was alive."
- DEAD RECKONING — "Three people lost. One ship abandoned. A course plotted on nothing."
...plus 12 more stories that unlock deeper in the rings, and 3 crew diaries — first-person logs from Captain Mara Sek, Engineer Koss, and Gunner Tomas.
Gameplay
Distribute reactor power across 7 ship systems — life support, sensors, thermal management, MHD-drive, ECM/comms, inertial dampeners, and shields — to survive encounters narrated live by AI. No two playthroughs are the same.
- AI-generated encounters — unique stories every time
- Ring map with 5 zones of increasing difficulty and narrative darkness
- Module system — equip, trade, and upgrade ship components at trading stations
- 30 recruitable passengers across your journey, each with unique backgrounds
- Daily manifests, leaderboards, and competitive scoring
Pricing
Free to explore the ship and read unlocked stories. £15/month subscription for full AI encounter access.
Visit darkmanifold.co.uk or darkmanifold.com