Spiralagon (itch)

Running and Jumping,
Speed and Greed,
Precarious Spiral Paths.
Pickups for Boosts and Teleporting,
Leaderboards for Times and Scoring.

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video: Spiralagon promo showing gameplay, levels, characters (0:59)

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Spiralagon is a single-player 3D platformer, where players tackle spiraling paths in dangerous environments, cutting corners and taking risks to set high scores or fast times, or both. Choose from a range of characters with different traits to maximise speed or score, or select No Pressure mode for a more relaxing experience without worrying about time or health. Speed Boosts, Jump Boosts, and Teleporting can be activated with fuel pickups for rapid scoring and last-moment sprints to the finish gate. First-person, third-person, and side-scrolling views are available, as well as configurable text popups and announcers to keep players overwhelmed with information. Leaderboards at the end of each level let players track their progress in single level play, zone play, and in the full campaign.

Players will have to decide when they should keep scoring and when they should start making their escape. Allow time for mistakes? Is a teleport set for emergencies? Will a speed boost make a faster time or a mistake? Is it too risky to skip entire sections of the path, or is it too late for any other choice? Players are tempted with more, enabled with now, and pressured by failure. Spiral out of control with speed and greed in Spiralagon.
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The first game from solo indie dev studio, Terminal Button.
Pay What You Think (recommended USD $9.00, minimum $0.00).
Available as early access on Windows PC (late Nov '18).
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Single Player / 3D Platform / Racer / Relaxer / High-Score / Time Trial / Speedrun / Casual / Competitive / First-Person / Third-Person / Spiral-Scrolling / Multiple Player Characters / Multiple Game Modes / Multiple Play Styles / Non-violent / No Pressure Mode
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video: playthrough of Corpse's Coil 1 in Speed mode, with Ztux (1:20)

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video: character introductions (0:49)

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Gameplay :
Take Aalon and the other characters up snowy mountain peaks, down magma wells, or into illogical arrangements of HVAC and hardware

• Clear checkpoints to set fastest times in Speed mode
• Collect points and a key to get high scores in Greed mode
• Clear checkpoints, and collect points and a key in SpeedGreed
• Don't run out of health and don't run out of time
• Risk or recover using speed boosts, jump boosts, and teleportation
• Get back to the finish gate with your score and moments to spare.

Spiralagon is configurable to suit some different play styles and provide some different experiences. For example:

• A stressful, twitchy rush with high speeds and short time limits in a roasting volcanic environment  
• A safe and steady maximisation of score and health with 10+ minutes of tactically navigating air conditioning units, heater and freezer elements, fans, and ice  
• A relaxing and contemplative spiral ascent and descent of alpine peaks, free from time limits or health levels in No Pressure mode  
• A measured, permadeath campaign across all levels with an accumulating score and elapsing 42 minute timer, enabling indulgence in high points areas and allowing the necessary focus in difficult areas if health and campaign time are managed well
• Play at your leisure in No Pressure mode.

Is it safe to speed boost through the last few checkpoints without falling down a gap and ruining the entire run? Should the level be restarted if an edge or ledge slowed the start? Is there enough time to accumulate a slightly higher score and then escape without a mistake? These are some of the spiraling traps of speed and greed in Spiralagon.
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video: Ztux with a key and dropping health, Flam running on heater elements, and Alti teleporting (0:36)

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The Manual :
Characters without an oxygen tank will suffer in the high altitudes of the Apoxic Ascent zone. In the Hypotherm Hole zone, characters without a cold weather expedition suit will suffer. A reflective volcanologist suit will shield against ambient heat in the Corpse's Coil zone.

The character movement characteristics are inspired by the experience of trying to run and jump in dreams. When trying to run in a dream a person's legs can feel extremely sluggish. Attempting to jump in a dream can produce surprisingly long jumps with little or no gravity. In Spiralagon, the characters will be sluggish from a standstill, and accelerate to their top speeds over a few seconds. Maintaining momentum is important for higher scores and quicker level. Characters in the Fast character group (only ZTux, so far) are suitable for much higher speed play.

Characters have a few jump capabilities. A tap of the jump key or button will make a small jump. Holding the jump key will produce a longer or higher jump with a low gravity feeling, allowing players to clear obstacles or skip entire sections of the path. If a player feels they're not quite going to make the distance for a jump, there is the triple bump jump: three additional presses of the jump button available, each providing small but incrementally greater vertical impulses to the jump. Good for panic situations. The triple bump jump can also be combined with a shorter initial jump to slightly lengthen a low jump in areas where the character would otherwise bump into low-hanging obstacles.

Fuel pickups are used to power temporary Jump boosts (two second availability range) and Speed boosts (four seconds). Fuel is also used to power the Teleportation system, with one fuel bolt required to set a teleport position, and one more fuel bolt required to activate the teleportation.

Health plays three roles in Spiralagon. As well as determining the survival of the character, health is a multiplier for total score, and an inverse multiplier for running speed. With 100% health, a player's score will be 100% of the total points from collected point-scoring pickups: pumps (1 point) and processors (7 points). With 37% health, the player's score will be 37% of the points total. With 75% health, a character will run at their default speed. More than 75% will slow the character down, and less than 75% will speed them up, which may help when desperately searching for more health in emergencies.

Characters can voluntarily drop health in 5HP amounts, which can be picked up again, and will not vanish on their own. Dropping health can be used to move more quickly for Speed mode, and to save health for the final moments in Greed mode. Checkpoints also contain +4hp, which can also make dropping health an important strategy.
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video: rotating health pickup on a gallery plinth (0:14)

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Every character, level, level zone, or the entire level campaign can be played in any of the three game modes: Speed; Greed; Speed Greed. Any combination of those can be played in No Pressure mode, which disables time and health limits for a more relaxed and free-roaming adventure.

Playtimes from 2:20 to 42:00 are available for any level, level zone, or the entire level campaign. Levels, zones and the campaign can be repeated at will.

Enter your name or any name you like on the leaderboards.
The character zTux gets it's own unique leaderboards because it's much faster than any other character. Vulc also has it's own leaderboard, being slow.
No Pressure mode has it's own leaderboards because of the potentially boundless nature of the mode.

[Currently leaderboards are only for the individual's local machine, but there are plans for global online leaderboards and integration with Steam (alongside local-machine boards). Until then, feel free to screenshot leaderboards and send them to friends/family, or post them in some theoretical online community hub]

Collect badges when completing the Campaign. Completing campaigns with each character earns additional badges. They don't unlock any character abilities or levels, but at the right time and place the badges might turn into mini rocket ships or UFOs or something. Keep track of progress in the Gallery's Campaign Badge display.
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video: playthrough of Hypotherm Hole 1 in SpeedGreed mode, with Aalon (5:00)

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Supports keyboard/mouse, and Xbox ® controller. Controller only partially supported in menus, but fully functional in gameplay. Not tested with PlayStation ® controller, but it might work.

Graphics configuration available to tune to system performance.

Includes announcers and animated text popups (variable animation speed) for gameplay events. These may assist with accessibility and enhance gameplay. Adjustable verbosity, and can be turned off.

Spiralagon is non-violent, contains no weapons, and is intended to be safe for children and adults.
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Recommended Hardware :
Operating System
     Windows 10 64-bit
Processor
     Quad-core Intel or AMD, 2.5 GHz or faster
Memory
     8 GB RAM
Video Card/DirectX Version
     DirectX 11 compatible graphics card
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THIS GAME IS NOT QUITE FINISHED:
Some parts are under-polished, but the gameplay does work as intended.
Known issues:
Character's outstretched arms may clip through walls and objects.
Footsteps may not always trigger the correct sound.
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video: playthrough of Apoxic Ascent 1 in Greed mode, with Frez (2:40)

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Future Development plans include but aren't limited to :
UI appearance and functionality; online leaderboards; online multiplayer; more levels; more characters; updates to character animations; more announcers. Potential porting to mobile/consoles/linux/mac, and VR support.

Continued development of Spiralagon depends on it's success in terms of player count, player enjoyment, and financial return. There are no set thresholds for player count or financial return that will determine further development, and no guarantee that development would continue, but Terminal Button (a one-person independent studio) would like to continue development if it's viable. There might be a need to contract external assistance with technical tasks which will need more funds as well.

The recommended and minimum donation amounts for the game might change, and the game might move from Pay What You Want to a set price, depending on what happens. Future content might include a mix of additional free content in the game and paid DLC levels, characters, animations, announcers, etc.
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Price :
Pay What You Want (recommended USD $9.00, minimum $0.00).
If you have some money available for games, please do donate.
If you choose not to donate but find yourself playing Spiralagon regularly, please consider returning to make a donation

Available as a standalone early-access game on Windows PC, late Nov '18.

Spiralagon
by Terminal Button

terminalbutton.net & spiralagon.com
facebook.com/TerminalButton/
@termbutton on Twitter
Terminal Button on Instagram
Terminal Button on YouTube

contact:
[email protected]

media presskit: download (460MB)

press release: coming shortly