Following Freeware – June 2015 releases
This month you can become a criminal on the run, a trainee god struggling to hone his powers, or a piece of fruit simply wanting to be eaten. You could also quest across a vast desert in search of a fabled world, over a frozen landscape in search of meaning, or through the vastness of space in search of survival. Alternatively, you can try to escape from a nightmare, rescue an innocent man from a murder charge, or delve into a puzzle that appears to transcend science. All these await in this month’s round-up of releases from the freeware scene.
Steve’s Selections
RoonSehv
You have travelled far into the merciless desert in search of your past. When a collapsing bridge drops you into a gorge, you find an ancient installation that could hold what you seek. Your predecessors have journeyed on to the mystical realm of RoonSehv, and if you wish to join them you must follow in their footsteps. But this is not simply a case of walking the same path. Long abandoned, the machinery of this facility will need some attention if the way forward is to be opened. Can you obtain understanding of these ancient mechanisms, or are you doomed to be trapped here?
Billing itself as an adjunct to the Myst series, RoonSehv by Babel Games is a grand project. Much like Myst V, the presentation is first-person with full range of movement throughout the 3D environment. The graphics are high quality, presenting an almost fully realistic environment. You start in a wind-swept desert, with only a few rocks and some distant mountains breaking the monotony of the view, but you will later find yourself passing through a maze of underground tunnels and rooms. Many of these are in a state of disrepair, with fallen stones and earth in places. There are also wonders to be found, including a vast cavern whose floor is entirely covered in mist. In the background, there is a gentle Arabic soundtrack that fits in well with the desert setting. The unseen protagonist’s footsteps make noise, changing based on the surface you are walking on. You will also hear a variety of mechanisms, with the volume and direction of sound altering according to their location relative to yours.
Being based on the Myst series, it is not surprising that you’re given little direction on what you need to do. Movement is controlled with the keyboard, whilst looking around and interacting is achieved with the mouse. A discreet circle cursor continually occupies the centre of the screen. This flashes when you are pointed at a hotspot that is close enough to interact with. You will need to explore extensively and examine all you can in order to progress. There are some semi-cryptic notes scattered around that give you oblique clues on the story and how to operate the various machines you find. More often, you will need to experiment and observe the results to achieve your goal. There is also a dark maze, though an improvised torch can be acquired. Any object picked up appears held in front of you, and can be used on appropriate hotspots you subsequently interact with. The game has three manual save slots, but these give no indication of content so you will need to remember which of them you have used at what points.
Available in English, German, French and Italian, RoonSehv can be downloaded from Indie DB.
Somnamulizer: A Tale from Olympus U
For Hypnos, being a god of dreams in training is not proving all he expected. His time at Olympus U was supposed to be one of partying and fun. Instead, his parents constantly pressure him to work, even providing a lab to aid his studies. Meanwhile his roommate spends all day playing video games and knocking back energy drinks. When the girl he fancies throws a big party, Hypnos knows this is his chance to impress her. But there’s no way he is going alone. Perhaps it is time to practice his dream manipulation powers to achieve his goals.
Somnamulizer: A Tale of Olympus U is an unexpected take on the Greek god myths from Alex Whitington. The main graphics are done in a simple cartoon style with limited background detail, though the humanoid characters are fully expressive. They are also well animated. Your starting location is the cave-like home of Hypnos. The only furnishing in the main room is a sofa and large TV, though the river Lethe runs rather dangerously through the corner. Later you will travel to a party that is full of strange characters, many of whom seem to have had too much to drink. When you enter someone’s dreams, the presentation changes to a more stylised format akin to a child’s painting. A variety of music plays, including the bombastic theme of the shooter game your roommate plays and upbeat music for the party.
Control is point-and-click, with a simple verb coin (or urn in this instance) appearing when you click on a hotspot. The main three interactions are use, look and talk. You also gain a special ability later, and can access inventory for use on hotspots. Your first task is to convince your roommate to come with you to the party, as there is no way you can go alone. Using your dream powers requires the subject to be asleep, not an easy thing to accomplish with a hyper-active gamer on energy drinks. This requires a bit of lateral thinking, with some inventory manipulation and cunning dialogue choices accomplishing your goal. Within the dream state you can alter inanimate objects using dreams, nightmares or nonsense. Each of these options change the item into something different, and you will need to distract your subject to accomplish some changes behind their back. The whole game is presented using light humour, with dialogue that spoofs on the difficulties of student life with a godly twist. There are some adult references, making the game unsuitable for children.
Somnamulizer: A Tale of Olympus U can be downloaded from the AGS website.
Ouroboros
It had seemed that your fate was to forever guard the border against an enemy that would never come. Fixed to one location, you would never have the chance to undertake the journey that your people see as the path to enlightenment. Then a call comes from the village elder. They have had a vision of a journey you could undertake, should you wish to do so. But this journey is foretold to enter a place which the legends say leads to a death that does not take you to the world beyond. Will you risk your very soul to seek a higher purpose?
Set in a cold fantasy world, Firgof’s Ouroboros presents a grand but disturbing tale. The first-person graphics are high quality hand sketches with nicely detailed, expressive faces and complex background art, though it is not animated. The setting is a snowy one, resulting in white and grey forming a lot of the exterior scenes. A later section takes you into a dark cave system that indicates a higher civilisation once resided on this world. A haunting tribal melody, made up of simple percussion and wind instruments, plays in the background. There are also plentiful sound effects: the wind whispers out on the snowy plain, with the hint of voices as you progress. You will also hear the collapse of walls and the operation of mechanisms in later sections. The conversations are even fully voiced to a very good standard, though the protagonist’s internal monologue is strictly text.
Control is handled by simple left-click, including to skip through the extensive dialogues in the game. When you set out on your quest you are given a book of lore to aid you, though many of the pages are initially missing. This can be accessed from an on-screen button at any time, providing clues as well as background to the settings. The latter part of the game sees you gather more inventory, as well as further pages, as you seek to operate ancient mechanisms. The tone of the story is bleak, though not overtly horrific for the most part. The latter portion of the game has some disturbing elements, most notably the final character you meet who offers a choice that determines your ending.
Ouroboros can be downloaded from the official website, including an option to make a donation to support the developer.
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