Play Heart of Darkness — an interactive story where YOU are the hero

after the classic by Joseph Conrad, 1899

Take the steamboat up the great river toward the legendary Kurtz. Play Marlow as the jungle closes in and the mission curdles, and decide, mile by dark mile, how much of yourself the journey to Kurtz is allowed to keep.

A moment from one playthrough

The fog lifts and there's Kurtz's station at last — heads on the fence posts, a crowd of silent figures at the tree line, and the great man himself carried on a stretcher, still commanding with a whisper. He beckons you closer, alone. Approach him as ordered, or get your wounded aboard and the boilers lit first?

Play Heart of Darkness now →

Start free — 10 diamonds when you confirm your email. No subscription; narrated aloud; plays in 26 languages.

The Somni Tales reader: an open book with two pages of a story, an ink illustration, and a “write what you do” bar below.

Live Heart of Darkness, don't just read it

In this interactive telling of Heart of Darkness, you don't read about the hero — you are the hero. The Storyteller keeps Joseph Conrad's world true to the original — its characters, its places, its mood, all held as canon — then narrates every scene aloud and draws the moment you're in as an ink illustration. You type or speak what you do next, and the world answers: it remembers the promises you made, the things you took, and the people you crossed. Follow Joseph Conrad's plot faithfully, or step off it and watch a brand-new version of Heart of Darkness unfold — one that still reaches a real ending.

How it works

The Storyteller holds the world of the book as canon — its characters, places and mood — and opens with you as the hero.
Type or speak anything: the world reacts, remembers, and stays true to the original's spirit.
Every playthrough is a brand-new story. Follow the plot — or break it and see what happens.

Common questions about playing Heart of Darkness

Is Heart of Darkness free to play on Somni Tales?

You get 10 diamonds free when you confirm your email — enough to open Heart of Darkness and step into the first scenes. After that, diamonds cost from $5 with no subscription, and unused diamonds are refundable within 14 days.

Do I have to follow Joseph Conrad's original plot?

No. The Storyteller holds Heart of Darkness as canon so its world, characters and mood stay true — but your choices write a brand-new telling. Follow the classic beats, or break from them and see where the story goes.

Can I play Heart of Darkness aloud and in my own language?

Yes — every scene is narrated aloud word by word, and Heart of Darkness plays in 26 languages. Change the language, voice and reading speed any time from the reader's Settings.