PLAYER MANUAL

◈ Overview

Mansion of the Shallow Ground is a gothic point-and-click adventure in the tradition of Maniac Mansion and Leisure Suit Larry. You are a Commission operative sent to infiltrate the Shallow Ground — an underground community of fascinating, complicated people who have built something real in a world that doesn't want them to have it.

What you do with that information is entirely up to you.

Play time: 45–90 minutes for a full run. Multiple playthroughs reveal different outcomes.

◈ Controls

Mouse

• Left click — interact with characters, objects, and the environment
• Left click (floor) — walk to that location
• Left click (inventory item) — select item for use (glows amber when selected)
• Left click (object with item selected) — use the selected item on the object

Keyboard

• Escape — close any open dialogue panel or overlay
• U — USE verb
• L — LOOK verb
• T — TALK verb
• K — TAKE verb
• W — WALK verb

HUD Elements

• Exposure Bar (top-left) — tracks how much the Commission knows about your true allegiances
• Inventory (top) — 8 slots. Click an item to select it, click again to deselect
• "Using: [item]" indicator — shows when an item is selected for use

◈ The Verb System

Select a verb first, then click on what you want to use it on. The active verb is highlighted in red.

• USE — Use an inventory item on something, or interact with a puzzle element
• LOOK — Examine the room or any object for a description. Click the background for a room overview.
• TALK — Initiate dialogue with an NPC. The game enters cinematic mode: it zooms in and the characters face each other.
• TAKE — Pick up an item from the environment
• WALK — Walk to a location without triggering interactions

◈ Inventory

Your inventory appears across the top of the screen. You can hold up to 8 items. Hover over a filled slot to see the item's name.

Using Items on Objects

This is a proper point-and-click adventure. To use an item on an object in the world:

1. Click the item in your inventory — it glows amber with a pulsing border
2. A "Using: [item name]" indicator appears on screen
3. Click the object in the game world you want to use the item on
4. If it's the right item, the puzzle resolves. If not, you get feedback.

Click the same item again to deselect it. Items are consumed when used on the correct object.

Key items in the puzzle chain: Flare Gun, Aquavit, Viktor's Wrench, Leather Crop, Silicone Key Mold, Shallow Ground Manifesto, Access Card.

◈ Music

Click ♪ in the bottom-right to toggle music. Use the slider to adjust volume. Each room has a dedicated Burn My Shallow Ground track that crossfades automatically when you move between locations.

The track name appears next to the toggle button. The music was composed before the game was built — the rooms were designed to fit the songs.

◈ Room Map

Rooms unlock as you progress through the puzzle chain. Some doors require specific items or flags before they open.

◈ Characters

◈ Puzzle Chain

The game has a linear-ish puzzle chain. Most steps can be approached in different orders, but you need the right items at the right time.

◈ The Commission Radio

Starting 2 minutes into play and every 8 minutes thereafter, your Commission handler radios in. You have 15 seconds to respond.

• LIE — +Reputation. Increases commission_lies counter. 3+ lies → unlocks the secret ending.
• TELL THE TRUTH — −Reputation. 3+ truths → Commission suspects something. Unlocks whistleblower variant.
• SILENCE — −Reputation. −6 rep. A flag is raised. Commission becomes hostile.

◈ Intimate Scenes

The game includes 6 illustrated adult scenes, all with original gothic ink art. They are consensual, adult, and narratively meaningful — each one advances your understanding of a character.

• Elara (boudoir) — Triggered via dialogue: Talk to Elara → tell her you have the crop → pursue the intimate path
• Elara (alternate) — Via extended dialogue after she explains what attracts her
• The Warden — Talk to Warden → reach "not_commission" or "come_back" node → "Show me"
• Hot Tub — Enter Hot Tub room → examine → triggered via environment
• Viktor & Remy — Talk to Viktor → discuss Remy → "I think he was talking about you"
• The Director — Automatically shown when you enter the Director's Office

◈ All 4 Endings

◈ Hints & Tips

• LOOK at everything. The observation text is part of the story.
• Vera appears in the Airlock for a limited time. Talk to her before she leaves.
• The Warden's dialogue has an easy and a hard path to the Leather Crop. The easy path is through Vera.
• Viktor will not hand over the wrench willingly. You need to distract him first.
• The Library is locked until power is restored. Restore power before you need the Manifesto.
• The hot tub is purely optional — but "My Last Dance" is worth hearing.
• For the secret ending: lie to the Commission every single time.
• The Director's office plays differently based on flags accumulated throughout the game.

◈ Save & Load

The game auto-saves whenever a significant state change occurs (item collected, flag set, room entered). Progress is stored in your browser's localStorage.

Continue a Saved Game

When you reload the page, the splash screen shows [ NEW GAME ] and [ CONTINUE ] buttons. The CONTINUE button shows your current room, items collected, and rooms visited.

Reset Your Save

Three ways to start fresh:

• ⟲ Reset button — bottom-left of the game screen, next to "? Manual". Confirms before wiping.
• [ delete save ] — on the splash screen below the CONTINUE button
• [ NEW GAME ] — on the splash screen (clears save and starts fresh)

◈ Music — Burn My Shallow Ground

All 11 tracks in the game are original compositions by Burn My Shallow Ground — a gothic industrial metal project that transcends genre boundaries with dark, emotionally resonant soundscapes. Each track was selected for a specific room and emotional register. The game's narrative was partly shaped by listening to the tracks first.

◈ Legal

Mansion of the Shallow Ground is an adult game (18+). By playing you confirmed you are an adult.