The Dark Forest subtheme released in 1996 consisted of only 3 sets and were primarily only available in North America. Dark Forest is a somewhat continuation of the Forestmen subtheme which was discontinued in 1990 as it reused the same crest and used other environment structures such as forest hideouts. Discontinued after 1996 with only three sets, it ties with Wolfpack as the smallest Castle theme. Dark Forest sets included factions like the Royal Knights, Black Knights, and Dragon Masters, and some minifigures later appeared in the 1997 Fright Knights theme. The Bulls' forest home in Knights' Kingdom is called the Dark Forest in some sources, though it's unclear if it's the same forest from this theme.
1996 LEGO Sets
1996 marked LEGO’s early digital pivot with the creation of LEGO Media and the launch of LEGO.com, establishing the company’s online presence. LEGO Technic was rebranded for global consistency, and several new themes expanded creative play. Wild West explored frontier adventures, Dark Forest revived outlaw factions within Castle, and Time Cruisers combined multiple eras through time travel. Exploriens emphasized scientific exploration within Space, while Pirates introduced the Imperial Armada, expanding LEGO’s nautical storytelling universe.