The Library
Regulus' Submission to the 2024 Minetest/Luanti Game Jam.
Darkness has come upon the world. Can you find the spell to banish it?
License
Code is licensed under the MIT License, a copy of which is included in the file LICENSE.
Media is licensed under CC0, a copy of which is included in the file CC0.
Note: I used the Fluid R3 GM sounfont to create the music, but I believe it is under CC0 and would count as transformative content either way. I also used three default drum samples (kick04.ogg, clap01.ogg, and shaker01.ogg) from LMMS. I have heard rumours that the origins of these samples are unknown, and that the licensing is questionable, but since I am simply using them as minor percussive elements in my music, I believe it should count as transformative use.
Credits
- Code, textures, music, and dialogue by Regulus.
- Beta testing (and one of the village buildings) by Dalgamer
This is secretly a hardcore parkour game
Others have noted the excellence put into the story for this jam game. What I want to point out is the tech is quite cool too. I only wish there might have been a little more challenge in combat. It's not just the NPCs that follow paths and have dialogue, but also: this game features a custom mapgen.
The mapgen is pretty cool. It is made with a series of parameters about where to place the village, the pedestal and the paths. Beneath this is the base terrain generator, which places the grass, dirt, and flowers. But wait, there's more - this isn't just Luanti's built-in mapgen.
After you're done with the main game, you can go for a wander. Eventually out past 1000 nodes, you'll find an increasingly steep cliff face. See how high you can get. My personal record is an altitude of y=655. You'll need to use some ingenuity with what you have at your disposal and some parkour skills.
Awesome game, but short.
The game is an absolute joy to play from beginning to end. It shows an amaziing idea and I really can't wait to see what it becomes in the future. The NPCs are a good touch aswell. The game almost feels as if it doesn't take itself too seriously, which makes the game so much more fun. Almost every part of the game coheres perfectly.
The game is very short though, and it's definitely not replayable (yet :wink:).
Immersive game with a great storyline!
A fantastic short playthrough, with a great storyline. My only wish is that it was a bit longer, it took me around 10 minutes to solve, and there weren't too many objectives to go through - maybe only 7-8. I have the feeling this could be speedrunned in 2-3 minutes, so it could definitely use some new content, but I still think it is fantastic, especially considering the time limits of the Game Jam this year.
The work that regulus has put into the atmosphere, textures, NPCs, and the music, is beautiful. It really immerses you in the environment and makes you truly want to solve the game. The objectives in the right-hand corner help you follow what you're supposed to do next. Nothing stumped me for too long and usually I knew exactly what to do, but it was still exciting because of the storyline and dialogue that kept me guessing. The animation after you win the game is spectacular -- by far it is one of the best animations I've ever seen in the game jam. This is probably going to end up as one of my favorite games because of how polished it is, but I still have a few other games to try. Thank you for a great game, regulus! :)
Nice Adventure Demo
Atmosphere is great, the low background music, though short and repetitive, fits well. It feels more like a demo because there are few, easy puzzles. But I see great potential if you extend this game. The hints in books are a nice idea. I wonder if it's a bug that the shadow didn't kill me on the second encounter (½. heart left).
Fun for a game jam!
It's a simple little exploration game, I definitely enjoyed it :) would love to see more in this style for sure!
Very short cute story with excellent pixel art
I think this game has the best artwork of the game jam. The village is simple but cute. The surrounding landscape is cool. I liked the red plants. I liked the mini-lanterns. I liked the simple huts. The level of darkness (that this game is about) is just right. I'm just a sucker for good pixel art. ;-)
This game is a simple adventure with a very simple quest system. You need to use books from a library to fend off the darkness. What was a little weird is that you have to literally type something in the chat to proceed but OK.
I would have wished the game would be a bit larger because the story is REALLY short. Especially the Library was surprisingly small and actually not a really important part of a story. Given from the title, I would have expected the search for books would be important but it turned out to be very easy. Many people just outright refuse to talk to you and do not contribute anything to the story. But I guess this is what we get in a game jam. ;-)
While I enjoyed this short game simply because of the world/map, I have to say, the story itself was a bit generic. Why is the darkness evil? Why does it hate books or knowledge? How does it affect the villagers? I think this could have been explored more. But still!
Anyway, while the game may be short, it is very solidly executed start from finish. Therefore a recommend from me.
Good atmosphere, very short, easy to skip important things.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
This game was very short: my curiosity caused some things to be skipped over. When the game started, I harrassed an NPC until I'd read every line, then after meeting the wizard, the game put red arrows over some of the NPCs just for me to hear the same lines again. After entering the library, I noticed all the English-title books in the bright red shelves and took them, so when the darkness met me on the way to the pedestals, I had no previous context for why it said "I warned you." Then, after I banished the darkness and left the pedestals, the darkness came back to me and gave me a warning not to read books. :') The theme was very similar to The Velvet Crystal from last year's Game Jam.
Overall though, I like the look and feel of the game. The textures go well together, the music is nice, and the spell mechanics were a neat touch. I think if there were good ways to restrict the player so that the story is played out better, and if the game were a little longer, I would make a positive review. This game deserves more story!
Wonderful game, but too short
I really liked the spell system and its kinda sad that there is only two of them. The textures and the music were immersive. I found the mapgen and the small village really cool. In conclusion, it was really good and immersive, and I would love a longer adventure.
Short & Sweet
While not replayable, this short little interactive fiction game was fun to play, with a few effects, particularly concerning the NPCs, that could be instructive to others making their own IF stories in Luanti.
Great game
This game has great textures, buildings and a nice little story.
Not there yet, but the author really tried
I appreciate that the author has actually tried to polish the game: there are NPCs walking around, HUD elements on top of their heads, a dialogue system, music. It's not super polished but the intention of immersing the player in the game world is definitely there. I've also really appreciated the chat interaction required to go on!
I played it until I arrived at the pedestal and unfortunately the game is pretty slow paced. The idea of walking back at that speed, to then going there again was... not great. Also, but that might be me, the first riddle wasn't super clear and I initially thought that the objective HUD was simply broken (on the contrary, I had to place the books on the ground to read them. I think it would have been clearer to just read books by left/right-clicking whilst holding them in your hand)