Introduction

Do you like adventure games? Do you like ghosts and things? I do! Also a guy named Jonathan Boakes does, and luckily for us he made (almost completely single-handedly) a bunch of ghosty adventure games from 2003 onwards which were pretty decent. Maybe you've heard of them- Dark Fall: The Journal, Dark Fall: The Lighthouse, Dark Fall: Lost Souls, and The Lost Crown which is probably the current best of the lot. He was also involved in similar games like Barrow Hill and Scratches.

The Lost Crown (2008) is a point-and-click puzzle adventure game with ghosts, supernatural elements, and some minor mysteries. It's also British as all heck (due mostly to its setting) and despite its flaws, a game I feel pretty fondly about. That's not going to stop me from making snarky comments though.

You are Nigel Danvers, a guy who stole some secret documents from his creepy employers and goes on the run to the village of Saxton. While there he learns that a legendary lost crown is probably buried nearby and decides to find it, because treasure. He also decides the village is super haunted and he's the one to investigate. He gets himself into some trouble, but he's not a bad guy I suppose. Just kind of a prat.



It's not a horror game. Suspense might be closer, since this game is more about atmosphere and spooky things. Boakes has alwas been pretty ace at setting and sound design, making those creepy dark rooms believable.

The Dark Fall games are first-person 3D adventures, wherein the protagonist explores places completely alone and finds only artifacts of other characters. They can be a bit lonely. The Lost Crown goes way off the tracks in this regard- Nigel is controlled in third person, and the game features a goodish amount of side characters he can talk to and interact with. Some of them are very memorable. The game also is very enjoyable visually, as most of the town and settings have been constructed from photos of real-life quaint towns and countryside in England.




This game looks neat! I want to buy it!

It's amazing but true: YOU CAN!

The best place to buy it is probably directly from the developer site. It's a $5 download. There's also a $9 package with the game, soundtrack, and a walkthrough. Boakes is more or less an independent developer so I'm sure he'd appreciate every sale.


About the LP:

I've decided to do this as a screenshot let's play because although the game has its atmospheric good points, it also has its bad points. It can be very tedious to play at times, because of backtracking, what-do-I-do-nexting, slow animations, repetetive lines or activities, and questionable voice acting. However I will do my best to provide video/audio of selected parts.

My aim is to do two updates a week. I may be able to go to three once I've streamlined my process. It's a pretty long game, so I'd like to keep things moving. Also, please feel free to make suggestions/requests that would help improve the LP!

Please, no spoilers! I am hoping this thread attracts people who haven't played the game, and there are lots of curious things to discover, people to meet, and a few mysteries to solve. Speculation is fine though.



If you've got your puffy ghost-hunting jacket on and your nightvision camcorder ready, let's join Nigel Danvers as he wanders around the lovely town of Saxton and stirs up shit trying to find the fabled lost crown of the third Anglo-Saxon king. We'll investigate local legends. We'll use some ghost-hunting equipment. We'll hear about cats a lot. We'll make enemies. We'll even make soup!

Table of Contents

----And a final post to explain some of the themes and theories about what's going on under the plot's surface!---


Key Characters and Settings

Nigel Danvers - the Edward Snowden of the ghost-hunting world. He's escaped from his employer Hadden Industries with secret documents hidden behind hackproof firewalls which reveal the existence of ghosts! He ends up in Saxton for some reason and decides to annoy everybody on his ghost-hunting and treasure-seeking adventure.
Lucy Reubans - A local gal who is willing to help Nigel out, but is skeptical on the whole 'ghosts' thing.
Professor Hardacre - An archaeologist who comes to Saxton every year, trying to find relics of the past revealed by the spring tides.
Nanny Noah - An old woman in Saxton who is "a bit new age" and gives Nigel some good advice now and again.
Bob Tawny - Saxton's resident handyman, and still has a thing for Nanny Noah. Owns Cairan the pig, who we can feed snacks!
Rhys Branwen - Owner of Celtic Corner and organizer of the Saxton Snappers competition. Owns Mr. Tibbs.
Wesley Russett - The superstitious gravedigger and caretaker at Northfield Church. Knows quite a bit about local history.
The Agers - Four dead brothers with dumb hats.


Saxton, the small village where much of the game takes place. Some of the people here knew our name before we told them. There's also a lot of cats here- or there were.
- Harbour Cottage: Nigel is staying here, it's a charming little place full of rats, spooks, and creepy wall decor.
- The Bear: Saxton's only pub, owned and run by Morgan Mankle. There's a cat and a warm fire here.
- Saxton Station: Saxton's train station, which doesn't see use during the flooding.
- Saxton Museum: Curated by Professor Oogle, filled with curiosities and mysteries.
- The Smithy: Bob Tawny's workroom. A bit old fashioned, but still perfectly good. Cairan lives in a sty next door.
- Gruel's Antiques: A creepy store for a creepy man.
- Celtic Corner: Rhys's new age and local history shop.


Further afield:
- The Fens: Marshlands and wildlife preserve, which flood in the spring and largely isolates Saxton. Sedgemarsh train station is out here.
- Saxton Beach: Location of some creepy caves. They are of course haunted.
- The Pinnacles: A separate area of the beach, rocky and disorienting.
- Northfield: A village which no longer exists. Its sole remaining buildings are Northfield Church and the Ager house on Raven Lane (currently lived in by the Karswells).
- Carrion Woods: A dark and oppressive woods near Northfield. Oogle says there are abandoned mines under its hills.
- Ulcombe: A nearby village, home to a second church.