86 LXF260 March 2020 http://www.linuxformat.comHOTPICKS Games
FRACTAL GAME
ADVENTURE GAME
Where are we? Oh,
let’s go downstairs
into the frightening
darkness to find
out the answer...high-quality adventure game is not something
that we discover too often in the world of open
source software. Today’s pick is a stunning and
very well-drawn browser game made by Artur Kot, a
Polish game developer and artist. The author humbly
describes The House “very-very short,” though it is not
exactly true – it takes around 30-45 minutes of
exploration and puzzle-solving before you reach the end.
The House is a game in the same genre as Dead
Ascend (see LXF228). You need to walk from one
location to another, pick up and carry items, talk to
other characters, solve problems and puzzles, etc.
In The House you play a strange character without a
face. He is placed in a house where everything is bizarre
and weird, like in a dream. It looks like our hero has lost
some part of his identity and now wanders around the
house in suspended circumstances, trying to find
himself. ‘Strange’ and ‘odd’ are the words that comes to
mind in most of The House scenes. Views from windows
with flying objects, talking fish, a hungry furnace and
other impossible things creates an atmosphere of
suspense. Together with very stylish artwork and ahen it comes to expanding and unfolding
symmetry, nothing can depict it better than
fractals. Wikipedia says that fractals are
encountered ubiquitously in nature, but the same can’t
be said about open source games. One of these rare yet
highly playable examples is Marble Marcher, a video
games starring three-dimensional fractals and a ball.
The goal of this video game is to reach the flag as fast
as you can rolling around the scenery made of fractal
surfaces. In many regards this game is similar to
Neverball: in both games you need to control the ball,
reach the designated end of the level, and unlock levels
arcade style, one after another.
However, in Marble Marcher there is a much stronger
focus on the surroundings rather than on the gameplay.
Each of the 24 default levels is a unique 3D fractal, and
it can look like anything, from a cauliflower or clump to
something totally abstract. Holes in flat fractals turn
into craters of corresponding 3D fractals. Normally your
ball should avoid falling down a crater, although there isW
A
at least one level where you need to do the opposite.
Exploring thickets of fractals with a ball is fun and
beautiful on its own, and as there is a very bright and
fast-paced soundtrack in Marble Marcher, so playing
gets even more entertaining.
Don’t get fooled by the game’s simplicity when
looking at the screenshots. System requirements are
very serious here: Marble Marcher starts with a
graphics configurator that asks you to select quality
settings. The game is struggling to draw a poor
slideshow unless you have something like Nvidia GTX
960 or better. Each level is generated live on your side,
so having powerful video hardware is crucial for
Marble Marcher. We bet you didn’t know that some
weird abstract scenery with a glass ball could put
your pricey video card down on its knees, but it’s true!
Alternatively, you could always just lower the
resolution for the game.Version: 1.4 Beta Web: https://github.com/
WAUthethird/Marble-Marcher-Community-EditionThe House
perfectly matching soundtrack, The House puts a
player in a very intrigued mood.
It’s not possible to lose in The House, but there is a
chance you’ll find it difficult to guess an answer in one
of several in-game puzzles and simply get stuck in the
middle. However, we spent some extra time brain-
storming certain complex moments and never found
it boring. The afterglow was like arising from a dream
full of unthinkable adventures somewhere deep in the
inner space of human nature.
The House is written in HTML, CSS and JavaScript,
and it doesn’t suggest any compiling. You only need a
local web server to run your own instance of The
House, or, alternatively, just play online at https://
the-house.arturkot.pl.Version: GIT Web: https://github.com/
arturkot/the-house-gameRendering a
crystal ball rollong
over a spongy
surface needs
some serious
OpenGL hardware.Marble Marcher
86 LXF260March 2020 http://www.linuxformat.comHOTPICKS Games
FRACTALGAME
ADVENTUREGAME
Where are we? Oh,
let’s go downstairs
into the frightening
darkness to find
out the answer...high-qualityadventuregameisnotsomething
thatwediscovertoooftenintheworldofopen
sourcesoftware.Today’spickisastunningand
verywell-drawnbrowsergamemadebyArturKot,a
Polishgamedeveloperandartist.Theauthorhumbly
describesTheHouse“very-veryshort,”thoughitisnot
exactlytrue–ittakesaround30-45minutesof
explorationandpuzzle-solvingbeforeyoureachtheend.
TheHouseisagameinthesamegenreasDead
Ascend(seeLXF228).Youneedtowalkfromone
locationtoanother,pickupandcarryitems,talkto
othercharacters,solveproblemsandpuzzles,etc.
InTheHouseyouplayastrangecharacterwithouta
face.Heisplacedinahousewhereeverythingisbizarre
andweird,likeinadream.Itlookslikeourherohaslost
somepartofhisidentityandnowwandersaroundthe
houseinsuspendedcircumstances,tryingtofind
himself.‘Strange’and‘odd’arethewordsthatcomesto
mindinmostofTheHousescenes.Viewsfromwindows
withflyingobjects,talkingfish,ahungryfurnaceand
otherimpossiblethingscreatesanatmosphereof
suspense.Togetherwithverystylishartworkandahenitcomestoexpandingandunfolding
symmetry,nothingcandepictitbetterthan
fractals.Wikipediasaysthatfractalsare
encounteredubiquitouslyinnature,butthesamecan’t
besaidaboutopensourcegames.Oneoftheserareyet
highlyplayableexamplesisMarbleMarcher,avideo
gamesstarringthree-dimensionalfractalsandaball.
Thegoalofthisvideogameistoreachtheflagasfast
asyoucanrollingaroundthescenerymadeoffractal
surfaces.Inmanyregardsthisgameissimilarto
Neverball:inbothgamesyouneedtocontroltheball,
reachthedesignatedendofthelevel,andunlocklevels
arcadestyle,oneafteranother.
However,inMarbleMarcherthereisamuchstronger
focusonthesurroundingsratherthanonthegameplay.
Eachofthe 24 defaultlevelsisaunique3Dfractal,and
itcanlooklikeanything,fromacauliflowerorclumpto
somethingtotallyabstract.Holesinflatfractalsturn
intocratersofcorresponding3Dfractals.Normallyyour
ballshouldavoidfallingdownacrater,althoughthereisW
A
at least one level where you need to do the opposite.
Exploring thickets of fractals with a ball is fun and
beautiful on its own, and as there is a very bright and
fast-paced soundtrack in Marble Marcher, so playing
gets even more entertaining.
Don’t get fooled by the game’s simplicity when
looking at the screenshots. System requirements are
very serious here: Marble Marcher starts with a
graphics configurator that asks you to select quality
settings. The game is struggling to draw a poor
slideshow unless you have something like Nvidia GTX
960 or better. Each level is generated live on your side,
so having powerful video hardware is crucial for
Marble Marcher. We bet you didn’t know that some
weird abstract scenery with a glass ball could put
your pricey video card down on its knees, but it’s true!
Alternatively, you could always just lower the
resolution for the game.Version:1.4BetaWeb:https://github.com/
WAUthethird/Marble-Marcher-Community-EditionThe House
perfectly matching soundtrack, The House puts a
player in a very intrigued mood.
It’s not possible to lose in The House, but there is a
chance you’ll find it difficult to guess an answer in one
of several in-game puzzles and simply get stuck in the
middle. However, we spent some extra time brain-
storming certain complex moments and never found
it boring. The afterglow was like arising from a dream
full of unthinkable adventures somewhere deep in the
inner space of human nature.
The House is written in HTML, CSS and JavaScript,
and it doesn’t suggest any compiling. You only need a
local web server to run your own instance of The
House, or, alternatively, just play online at https://
the-house.arturkot.pl.Version: GIT Web: https://github.com/
arturkot/the-house-gameRendering a
crystal ball rollong
over a spongy
surface needs
some serious
OpenGL hardware.Marble Marcher