Hidden Sanctum

Hidden Sanctum: A 360,000-Word Interactive Fantasy Adventure

Embark on a deeply personal journey of magic and self-discovery with Hidden Sanctum, a massive 360,000-word interactive fiction game. Written by Dariel Ivalyen, this text-based narrative places you at the heart of a mystical academy under threat. In Hidden Sanctum, your choices meticulously craft your character's identity, relationships, and destiny, determining the fate of this enchanting world. Players seek out Hidden Sanctum for its profound role-playing depth, expansive LGBTQ+ romance options, and a story that reacts to every decision, offering a truly unique and replayable adventure.

Define Your Identity and Magical Path

Upon starting Hidden Sanctum, players first build their protagonist by selecting a gender identity and sexual orientation, including non-binary and asexual options. This foundational choice influences dialogue and relationship opportunities throughout the game. Players then choose one of five distinct "soul paths," which act as a moral and magical compass. This path dictates unique story branches, character reactions, and potential abilities, ensuring that each playthrough of Hidden Sanctum feels personally tailored from the very beginning.

Forge Deep Relationships with Six Romanceable Characters

Social interaction is a core mechanic in Hidden Sanctum. Players navigate the academy by engaging in conversations with a diverse cast of characters, including fellow students and mysterious Oracles. Through dialogue choices, players can choose to befriend, antagonize, or romance six unique characters. Building a relationship requires selecting responses that align with a character's personality and completing story arcs that involve them. Successfully nurturing these bonds in Hidden Sanctum unlocks deeper narrative layers, personal quests, and can significantly alter the story's conclusion.

Shape the Narrative Through Meaningful Choices

The story of Hidden Sanctum progresses entirely through player-made decisions. At critical junctures, the game presents players with choices that have immediate and long-term consequences. These can range from deciding how to handle a delicate social situation to making a major moral sacrifice. The game tracks these decisions, locking and unlocking future story content based on previous actions. This system ensures that the narrative of Hidden Sanctum is highly reactive, making players directly responsible for the direction of the plot.

Unravel a Central Mystery and Confront an Otherworldly Threat

The primary goal in Hidden Sanctum is to investigate a sinister force that threatens the very existence of the academy. Players progress by exploring locations, speaking with characters to gather clues, and making choices that bring them closer to the truth. This exploration slowly peels back the layers of the game’s central mystery, revealing a plot involving ancient prophecies and threats from another dimension. The entire narrative of Hidden Sanctum builds toward a final confrontation where players must use all they have learned to determine the realm's fate.

Experience a Replayable Story with Multiple Endings

The branching narrative design of Hidden Sanctum encourages multiple playthroughs. After completing the story, players can start anew to explore different identity choices, pursue alternative relationships, and select another soul path to see how the story changes. Major decisions lead to drastically different endings, from triumphant victories to tragic sacrifices. This high degree of variability is a key feature of Hidden Sanctum, offering substantial content and new discoveries for players who revisit its world.

Interact with Gods and Mythical Beings

Beyond the academy's walls, the world of Hidden Sanctum is populated with powerful and often unpredictable mythical entities. Players encounter gods, spirits, and ancient creatures through dynamic choice-based sequences. Interactions with these beings are risky and can involve unorthodox strategies, such as attempting to punch a mummy. These encounters provide some of the most memorable moments in Hidden Sanctum, often yielding powerful rewards, crucial information, or dire consequences based on the player's chosen approach.