Mirror Land
WHAT IS THIS
Mirror Land is an original game that focuses on optical illusion puzzles. It is inspired by some Magic Mirror Concepts such as FengYueBaoJian in Dream of the Red Chamber and The Mirror of Erised in Harry Potter. It uses MAGIC MIRROR to GRAB and RELEASE characters and cooperate with moving the MAGIC MIRROR to complete incredible space puzzles.
According to THE MIRROR CONCEPT, a series of gameplay and stories are created. Meanwhile, this game uses poetry-writing methods as a source of reference, which makes the game more interesting and creates a poetic atmosphere in it.
**For closer eye movement and deeper puzzle layout, the puzzles of this game are specially developed for vertical screens. If the player’s display can be rotated to vertical, as long as the windows desktop is set to vertical. Then open the game, the game will be full screen. Or, if the display cannot be rotated or you don’t want to bother, players can just use the normal horizontal screen mode. The game experience will not be different, and the areas on the left and right sides of the screen will be filled with black. **
HOW TO PLAY
You can learn how to play from the demo video or read the tips below.
0.The MIRROR and The Feet of the character have an interactive relationship.
1.When you can see The Feet of the character in the MIRROR, press the MIRROR Button, thus the character is tied to the MIRROR surface and turns into 2D form.
2.When the MIRROR is moved, the terrain reflected in the MIRROR is changed.
3.When the 2D form character’s feet meet an empty foothold reflected by MIRROR, press the MIRROR Button again, thus the character is released to the corresponding terrain.
MECHANISM
Pedal Trigger can make the terrain or other things change.
THRUST DEVICE When the character moves to the front of the THRUST DEVICE, this device will do a powerful thrust and push the character out for a certain distance. During this process, the
character is not affected by gravity.
CLUSTER LIGHT
When the source of The CLUSTER LIGHT is turned on, there will be a beam of The CLUSTER LIGHT. It can be reflected by a MIRROR. You can make the LIGHT travel to different positions by adjusting the angle of light emission as well as the angle and position of the mirror.
1.The CLUSTER LIGHT can pass through transparent terrain.
2.When the CLUSTER LIGHT reaches a FLAT place whether it is transparent or not, a TELEPORT POINT of LIGHT can be etched at the irradiation point.
3.LUMEN STONE CAT can travel in CLUSTER LIGHT-TELEPORT POINT System
NPCs
LUMEN STONE CAT is a passenger of the CLUSTER LIGHT. It is a mysterious animal imprisoned in the LUMEN STONE. When it is not exposed to the CLUSTER LIGHT, it looks like a dull square stone that is almost as tall as the character. In this case, It can be dragged and moved on a flat place, helping characters reach different terrain. But when THE CAT is moved to a teleport point of the CLUSTER LIGHT, which connects with another teleport point by CLUSTER LIGHT, THE CAT will transform into a cat that can swim in the LIGHT. After it reaches the teleport point as far as it can, THE CAT will transform into stone-form again.
The SILENCE is such a STABLE being that no character can push it away. When it blocks a character’s way, the character can only walk away and wait for it to go to the next position, or catch it and put it in the MIRROR.
The STRENGTH In most cases, the STRENGTH will push away every movable object that gets into its reach. How far it pushes an object depends on the size of STRENGTH. During the pushing process, the STRENGTH and the object are not affected by gravity.
What The STRENGTH can push away: the character, the cubes, and smaller STRENGTHs
What The STRENGTH can not push away: THE SILENCE, THE LIGHT FLOWING STONE CAT, and solid terrains.
When the STRENGTH pushes the objects beyond its ability, it will be pushed away by the reaction force.
The STRENGTH can also be caught and put in the MIRROR.
CHESSBOARD OF THE MIRROR MECHANISM
1.When the character is caught and put on the CHESSBOARD OF THE MIRROR, he will become a chess piece that can move to the adjacent chessboard grid.
2.Each chessboard grid has a corresponding relationship with a certain foothold out of the MIRROR. When the MIRROR releases the character, the character will be placed in the corresponding position.
THE STORY OF MIRROR LAND
There is a continent in the darkness where the sun, the moon, and stars do not exist. The LIGHT is stored in a big mountain like gel. The mountain is called LUMEN.
Living creatures near the LUMEN gradually evolve into humans. They learn the methods of mining and using the LIGHT. They pipe the LIGHT to high places, illuminating most places. Technology and civilization are developing. Kingdom has formed.
Not far from the west of the LUMEN is the MIRROR PLAIN where the supply of MIRRORS is inexhaustible. Once the last piece of MIRROR PLAIN was exploited, an earth movement will come. A new MIRROR PLAIN will raise.
These MIRRORS can catch living creatures and put them into the surface of MIRRORS. This is discovered by accident.
One of the believable legends is about a hunter. Once upon a time, he was chasing the LUMEN BEAST. This BEAST escaped to a mirror. The hunter prayed subconsciously that someone could help him catch it. Unexpectedly, THE MIRROR responded to his prayer and caught the BEAST.
Later, people found a way to make MAGIC MIRRORS between witchcraft and technology.
THE STORY OF XIU(the character)
XIU’s ancestors are INKMEN,XIU is a inkman as well. INKMEN is one of the results of human genetic modification.
After humans learned to make MAGIC MIRRORS, some clever bad guys commit crimes with MAGIC MIRRORS they make, and leave no trace of themselves. The ruler of the kingdom decides to keep all the clever guys under supervision. Every movement of them has to leave a trace behind. So the clever ones become INKMEN. Ink always seep out through their skin, and their shoes cannot be waterproof. So the footprints they leave are all ink-like.
XIU’s mother was a TRAFFIC MIRROR ENGINEER. In a TRAFFIC MIRROR test 7 years ago, when the MIRROR released her, she disappeared. This strange thing made people panic, but no reason was found.
Now XIU is fifteen years old, inherited mother’s relics.XIU found 7 SPECIAL STONES among them. One day, a mysterious voice came into XIU’s ears, saying,” Take THESE STONES to the FURNACES I designate. Then forge them into a HAMMER according to the drawings I give you. Use the HAMMER to smash the one-thousand-year-old MIRROR hanging in the capital. And you can find your mother…”
“As long as there is a chance of finding my mother, I will try it…”
Read More: Best Alternate History Philosophical Games.
BATTLESCAR: Punk Was Invented By Girls
Got it for 56 cents as a part of a bundle. Still got disappointed.
To be fair, it is well executed in terms of visual storytelling and cinematography. Some really creative sets there!
Unfortunately, these can’t do much if the narrative and the main characters are bland and uninteresting. The abrupt and undercooked ending made the already underwhelming story - a complete waste of time for me.
Also, it is an oculus exclusive, has a good amount of gender politics at its core, and if your chapter gets interrupted, like USB disconnection (thanks AMD) you need to suffer through the whole chapter without the option to skip forward.
– Real player with 0.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best Alternate History Singleplayer Games.
As a VR artist, I really enjoyed this experience. It is quite daring in terms of the format of narrative and also mixing a kind of “book” feel into the VR aesthetic. I would recommend it for any VR artists as a source of inspiration.
The story is not the best however, a bit tacky and shallow but still enjoyable.
Disappointed that it took much longer to get on Steam than on Oculus Store and also that they only support Oculus headsets, especially since there are almost no interactions (any?), so it’s not like supporting controllers of other headsets would’ve been difficult.
– Real player with 0.9 hrs in game
Incaved
In Incaved you explore ever expanding- and changing cave systems, building an underground community of survivors, making gut wrenching decisions, and fending off carnivorous mutated animals and other survivors, doing the same as you. With your trusty gear, your gas mask, grappling hook and hefty arsenal of improvised weapons, you’ll constantly have to adapt to come out on top in whichever situation this wretched world throws at you.
Gameplay
With the cave systems changing after every death, you’ll have to improvise to survive any possible situation with equipment you manage to find, in this roguelite experience. Interconnected levels and progressive unlocking of new weapons, items and story events keeps you motivated to explore your surroundings. Every death propels time, bringing your comrades closer to their potential death and changing up how the levels look and play out.
Features
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The high replayability value a roguelite offers, with a big emphasis on exploring an interconnected world, including the thrill of permadeath, making each move count even more.
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An enormous cast of interesting characters, each with their own backstory and motives.
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Expanding platforming manoeuvres, including wall jumps, vaults and a grappling hook.
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Hand drawn pixel art, combined with a realistic atmosphere.
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Perform combo’s, dodge, block and parry in 2D Souls-like action.
Story
After nukes were dropped by the mistakes of higher men, lower class people need to find shelter in the cave systems nearby. Quickly scavenging anything they can on their way there. You play as one of many, who’ve lost their all and only want one thing: to survive for long enough to see their loved ones again. Chances of survival drastically start decreasing, as food and water supplies start running dry, mutated animals and infections start plaguing the caves, and survivors start turning on each other. Who can be trusted? How much longer can the aggressive mutates animals be contained? Is it even worth staying in these wretched dark caves, or is making your way to the wasteland above a safer option, as impossible as it sounds?
Read More: Best Alternate History Pixel Graphics Games.
Mr. Prepper: Prologue
The Meta:
This is a free prologue, as a feature-limited demo of the full game which expands upon the content that was made available in the demo from July. You have absolutely no reason not to try this.
I’ve played rather extensively through the beta testing, and can attest that the devs are incredibly responsive to the player community, both for bug fixing and implementing player-suggested improvements or modifications, and I fully expect that behavior to apply to the full game.
The game includes no microtransactions.
– Real player with 70.7 hrs in game
Originally, I thought the prologue would end in 30 days at most, but later I found out that I was still too young and naive. On the first day of the second month, I angrily ate all my food. I have many cans which used all the money I made to buy, and with lots of blueberry milkshakes and carrot soup. It’s ridiculous that I didn’t have diarrhea after eating it all! Ok, I have to quit the game in dismay!
Talk about the advantages and shortcomings of this game. This game is still very creative, painting style is good, it is said that the official version has more content. In terms of content, the game is undoubtedly a success. But the game also has some shortcomings:
– Real player with 7.6 hrs in game
Mr. Prepper
I’ll be honest and say that I wasn’t sure if I liked it the first few hours but boy did I change my mind. I was expecting to actually have to survive in the shelter I created and see the aftermath of the wasteland left after the world goes to hell and I was puzzled as to why this sort of game play wasn’t added in but it’s still a fantastic base building , survival game and I hope they’ll add DLC in the future, where you’ll actually be able to survive in the bunker or even get to experience what happens after landing the rocket .
– Real player with 448.5 hrs in game
Mr. Prepper. A survival base building game that’s not about survival and not about base building but purely story-driven.
TL;DR: If you can get it cheap (10 USD/EUR), give it a shot. But if you want a survival challenge or expect another game like This War Of Mine, STAY AWAY. It has SO much unused potential. It could be so much more.
PROS:
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Interesting story. Mr. Prepper is not your average guy.
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The typical “just one more day” game design that sucks you in.
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3 (4) NPCs you interact with that are all kinda likable.
– Real player with 27.6 hrs in game
Cave Explorers
No way to save! Have to go back to the start and fight the hard way to get to third part.
– Real player with 30.1 hrs in game
Fun, very unique puzzle mechanics.
– Real player with 4.1 hrs in game
Tear of Time: Lost memory
Tear of Time: Lost memory is an adventure game. You play as a character who, waking up in a house on a remote island, realizes that he has lost his memory. As the game progresses, the player will have to find out the reason for the loss of memory, explore the island, find ancient treasures, explore the ruins with secret locations and solve puzzles.
Peculiarities:
The game does not have any violence and death, the plot is based on a certain artifact “Tear of Time”, which enabled the character to rewind time back in front of any obvious danger. But at what cost, it is narrated according to the plot of the game.
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Stylized 3D graphics.
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The main game takes place in third person, but you can switch to first person at will.
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Several character outfits.
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It is possible to use a car.
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The ability to climb rocks in certain places.
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Moving along the rope-vines.
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Moving with a grappling hook.
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Swimming underwater and on the surface.
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Open world of the island outside of the plot.
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Constant updates with additional locations and puzzles at no extra charge.
Subterene
Excellent sound design and use of shading that makes the grayscale pixel art breathe
Also I did the ending theme and it sounds pretty rad if I say so myself 👀
– Real player with 2.6 hrs in game
My Experience
On paper, Subterene “checks a lot of my boxes.” I liked the game’s unique aesthetic and interface, it’s advertised short run-time, and the idea of slowly piecing together this mystery that has occurred beneath the floor of the ocean.
Unfortunately, playing Subterene is a slog. The game gives you very little direction while you stumble upon probes and bumble from one mining depot to the next. For some this may make the game a true “exploration” game, but not for me when the act of exploring itself is so tedious. The speed at which your mining vehicle drills, turns, and accelerates is just PAINFUL. This is only exacerbated when your vehicle becomes caught on some small piece of a block, which happens ALL THE TIME.
– Real player with 1.4 hrs in game