Dark Deception: Journey of the Girl in Red

Dark Deception: Journey of the Girl in Red (abbreviated as JOTGIR), is a spin-off game taking place in the same universe as Dark Deception: Unchecked Limitations, starring Platini as she herself embarks on her own adventure within the Hall of the Unholy Realms in an attempt to get back home. It is developed by XXxMegalodonPrimexXx and Dr. H.W. Richardson and published by Glowstick Entertainment. Unlike the original, this game is more a 3D Metroidvania platformer with an emphasis on RPG elements and hack-n-slash combat.

Story
Many many years after a mere mortal challenged Malak and braved the nightmares of hell, Platini one day woke up in a mysterious place... The Hall of the Unholy. Getting up, she observed the walls, containing an abundance of portals. At the end of the hall was a locked door. Where is the key? It turned out that the key's fragments were scattered within the nightmares contained in each portal. She knew what had to be done, take the fragments and escape back to the golden manor.

Gameplay
Dark Deception: Journey of the Girl in Red is a 3D Metroidvania platformer that combines RPG elements with stylish hack-n-slash gameplay.

Unlike in the original Dark Deception: Unchecked Limitations, the standard health system has been completely reworked into a traditional heart container-based health system similar to The Binding of Isaac. There are different types of hearts in the game, each with its own unique set of pickups. Each heart symbolizes two hit points. The player will lose their health when they suffer damage, which can be a percentage of their hearts. However, damage less than one is not visible on the health bar. The amount of damage Isaac takes depends on the enemy, traps, environmental dangers, and the precise attack employed by the enemy, however in Chapters 1-3, most sources deal half a heart of damage unless otherwise mentioned. From Chapter 4 onwards (including the unlockable Hidden Nightmares), all half-heart hits deal a full heart of damage.

There's also more direct combat system has been introduced where Platini uses her axe to fend off the enemy monsters. It deals 50 damage but this can be increased to 500 damage per hit. There are several ways to increase the damage Platini has, either permanently by collecting axe upgrades or temporarily through moon charms and transformation effects. There’s also a parry mechanic, too. Most enemies have a brief window before they attack during which they can be parried. Hitting an enemy while they flash with Platini’s sword will interrupt them completely, dealing bonus damage and reflecting the enemy’s incoming attack towards them. Parrying will also refill 25-30% (which can be increased through moon charms) of your Ultimate ability recharge bar. Defeating adversaries, completing ranked battles, discovering mysteries in every nook and cranny, and picking up objects all grant you Sun Jades, which may be spent through vendor NPCs like Mr. Muck. Sun Jades can then be spent purchasing Moon Charms, upgrading your pre-existing skills, and so on. Ultimate attacks also work differently compared to those featured in Monsters & Monsters. Instead of recharging passively, you are encouraged to rely on actual skill and technique to achieve them. This includes defeating enemies, gradually racking up damage to enemies through a neverending string of combos, switching up different abilities and characters mid-battle, dodging or parrying enemy attacks at the right moment, taunting your enemies, and utilizing both hazards and various transformations to your advantage. Collecting soul shards will slowly increase your ultimate attacks, albeit by a small amount.

Considering how most of the original power-ups from Dark Deception (Speed Boost, Telepathy, Primal Fear, and so on) are obviously no longer available in JOTGIR, they are replaced by different transformation effects that provide the player with various abilities throughout each of the levels, all of which can also be acquired by interacting with specific enemies and object. For example, a spider transformation allows you to walk on ceilings and fit through tight spaces, a vampire transformation temporarily grants flight and life-steal effects (attacking enemies will heal you), a lightbulb transformation which essentially acts as a short-ranged flashlight but can also conduct electricity to solve puzzles, etc. The moon charm mechanic from normal DD: UL returns, but Platini starts off with 5 charm slots and can obtain more by finding notches in the levels or completing levels. Charm notches, axe upgrades, and life fruits can be found in specific spots in each level, but only in story mode as they are absent in replay mode UNLESS they weren't collected in story mode.

There's also new 'party' mechanic where the player can switch between characters in the party and play as them. Each character has its own unique special ability. In cutscenes, however, the player is automatically switched back to Platini. The player can also dispatch characters from the party to fight alongside the character that is currently being played as either an AI or Player 2 for a set amount of time. This can be especially useful in boss battles as the player can switch strategies and playstyles midfight.

There are two different collectibles found throughout the game, both of which replaces the secret files from the original Dark Deception:
 * Heavenly Souls: These angelic-looking souls can be found imprisoned inside cages by Raksasa throughout each of the levels. They will constantly follow Platini throughout the entire level after being saved. Heavenly Souls are considered to be a collectible that will run around the level's gate if the player beats it with them. When first collected, each Heavenly Soul adds 10 Sun Jades upon the completion of a level. These Heavenly Souls must also be paid to The Professor in order to grant access to each of the Divine Realms. There will be at least 5 Heavenly Souls within a single level.
 * Artifacts: These are optional collectables that are located in "Restricted Area" rooms, and require Jacinto the Lockmaster to unlock them. Jacinto can be found concealed at various areas throughout each level, and will begin to follow Platini once he is discovered. She must then guide him to his Restricted Area room at that level so that he can unlock it and disclose the artifact hidden therein.

The secret areas work a bit differently this time around. Instead, there are glowing yellow portals scattered throughout each of the levels. Touching these yellow portals will teleport Platini to its associated secret room, which usually revolves on an enemy, hazard, or transformation featured in the level, although yellow portal challenges in the early stages frequently revolve around basic movement and combat techniques. Touching it in the secret room returns the player to the level. When the player enters the secret room during the escape sequence, the countdown is paused until the player departs the secret room.

Another returning gameplay element from Super Unchecked Limitations are the "P Ranks". Normally, a P Rank is awarded for successfully completing a level with S ranks in every category (time, the amount of soul shards collected, bonus shards, secrets, lives lost, and shard streaks) without restarting once, all while completing the challenges of each level. This is also awarded when the player begins the combo at the beginning of the level and continues to use the same combo until the level is completed. You must complete all secrets, collect the secrets for each level, and complete a level-specific challenge while still achieving the S rank score requirement. With boss fights, you must complete the entire fight without receiving a single blow or dying once.

Platini can also interact with the several NPCs throughout the game, which include:
 * Mr. Muck: A returning character from Super Dark Deception: Unchecked Limitations. He is a mysterious NPC shopkeeper that appears throughout the game to enhance, sell, and buy different abilities, costumes, and Moon Charms, as well as to provide sidequests. He stands in the shop, staring at you, waiting for you to buy one of his randomized items, which usually cost between 50 and 250 Sun Jades. Depending on the chapter the player is in, he will have a maximum of four or six items. Mr. Muck will appear at zone intersections across most levels, providing further upgrades and merchandise as the player levels up and continues through the game.
 * The Professor: In addition to being a playable character, the Professor will appear near every Hidden Nightmare entrance. The Professor requires an arbitrary number of Sun Jades from Platini before granting access to the Hidden Nightmare realm, requiring the player to gather a set number of Heavenly Souls before continuing their quest.

There are various additional sidequests to perform in addition to the main plot chapters. Platini can take part in these side quests beginning in Chapter 2. They may take more than one level to complete, as well as multiple tasks associated with different NPCs. You can also start sidequests at any moment by interacting with certain NPCs.

Trivia

 * Unlike UL, JOTGIR does not go as far into insanity as UL, being much more fair and balanced while still being difficult and challenging.
 * Unlike most games, DD: JOTGIR doesn't really fit as a horror game and is mainly focused on action and adventure (why is there a need to be scared when you're playing as one of the monsters after all?).Although both DD: UL and JOTGIR don't take themselves very seriously and are filled with silly moments (being chock full of memes, pop-culture references and some of the abominations you have to fight are oddly adorable), there are still some genuinely disturbing elements in there. There's a good reason why the Steam page tagged this game with "Psychological Horror".
 * JOTGIR takes place somewhere after the events of the "Boss Rush" level from Wiki Deception 2 and likely around the same time as Wiki Deception 3.