Translation

Translation is pure platforming.

In each level, the player takes on one or multiple sentries: enemies who patrol a platform. These sentries have a variety of abilities that can affect the player, the stage, gravity, or even other sentries. The level is completed once the player has crushed all of the sentries in the level and none remain. The player cannot die, but being pushed off the stage or being too far away from the nearest sentry will reset the level.

The player is equipped with a two types of teleportation that combine to create a completely unique movement system unlike anything you've played before.

Movement

In addition to a standard WASD left, right, jump, & drop moveset, the player has two types of teleports in their arsenal:

1. Projection burst: The player can hold the teleport key (SPACEBAR by default) to project a shadow of themselves either left or right depending on which direction they have last moved in. The projection's distance increases the longer the teleport key is held, and the player bursts to the projection's position when the key is released.
2. Saving & Loading: The player can set a saved position on the stage at any time. When it is loaded, the player instantly teleports to the saved location. The player's velocity prior to the teleport is preserved, which has major implications for what can be achieved with some creativity and skill.

Sentries

The enemies in Translation are called sentries. Each sentry type has a different ability, and are identified by their colour. Abilities can be split into three general categories:

• Sight-based: these abilities, such as telekinetically pushing the player, are triggered when the player is in the sentry's line of sight
• Blind: these abilities, such as increasing the acceleration of gravity, are always active as long as the sentry has not been crushed
• Timed: these abilities, such as the necromancer reviving crushed sentries, are triggered once every X game ticks and have a radial meter that fills up around the sentry

Updates

The game is playable and relatively stable now. For the next update, I plan to implement the level editor as well as the import and export systems, so that players can make and share their own levels and campaigns to test other players with. I will also add sounds and potentially an OST if I can figure out how to compose music with a MIDI sequencer :P

Feel free to bookmark this page to keep up with the game's updates, and you can check out my other work here (once I get the website online).

Email me at [email protected] if you have any questions and have fun!

- Jordan Bunke