Dynamite Headdy. Cave Story. Hitogata Happa. Why are so many of the most difficult video games also the cutest? Maybe my brain just automatically forgets games that are both ugly and frustrating.
Added to the "cute but evil" list comes Within a Deep Forest, a completely free downloadable game for Windows that casts you as a little blue ball, bouncing around a delightfully whimsical little world filled with the most frustrating jumping puzzles known to man.
According to the plot, the evil Dr. Cliché has attempted twice to build a world-freezing ice-bomb; the first attempt was a total failure, and resulted in a sentient, bouncing blue ball (that's you). The second attempt succeeded, and now the clock is ticking, and only you can save the world. Even though "the clock is ticking" according to the plot, there is no time limit, so you have plenty of time to take breaks now and then to watch the adorable creatures and Fraggle-like people who decorate most screens, going about their daily lives more or less oblivious to your presence.
Surprisingly, the game was created with Multimedia Fusion, but shows no signs of it, and has none of the problems that usually plague games made with game creators. The graphics are equally adorable and beautiful, the soothing music goes a long way toward keeping you from destroying all humans when you die for the 900th time, and the sound effects are perfect, with each of the 10 different types of balls you can become making a different and wholly appropriate bouncing sound. There's exploration, there are power-ups (in the form of getting different types of balls), there are plenty of secrets; I'd even be tempted to call it "Metroid-like", although there is no mapping feature and there are no bosses. Unfortunately, it's also incredibly frustrating. The cuteness goes a long way toward compensating for the frustration, however, and in the end it just barely won out enough to encourage me to complete it; despite the cuteness, this is certainly not a "casual game". If you're "hardcore", though, and live for frustration, then this is definitely the game for you, and it even has a "Speed Run" feature with an online scoreboard so you can show the world just how absolutely superhuman you are. Click.
Thanks to the insert credit forums for the tip!
Within a Deep Forest walkthrough now available!
Comments (may contain spoilers)
Everyone says the yoga ball has the best jumping power, but time and time again, ite been ball #4 for me, is there something im not doing?
dirtychinchilla
jay, have you seen the #modarchive games by the same creator? i desperately need a walkthrough for the second one and i can't find one anywhere on the internet. :P
Again, does anybody know how to pause the speedrun and whether the time still ticks while the ball selection screen is on?
Imagine how infuriating it is when you speedrun for half an hour and are right near the end and the da*n phone rings and you do not know the correct way to pause the game, if any.
AHH, think of where you've entered a code before. Don't worry if you have a short term memory, you should know where it is ;D
(if you've beatent the game that is....)
Posted by:
Harukio 
|
June 1, 2006 11:31 AM
Just finished it. What an awesome game, with awesome ideas. I particularly liked the Utopioca level, and the final one... although crystal path could have been replaced and I wouldn't have missed much
Please stop with the downloadable games...or as Brian mentioned in the first comment start a new section for it. I love the site but I am not willing to slow down my computer even more by downloading a bunch of games. Sorry for the critism...I will end on a positive note. Everything else is superb! Keep up the good work haha.
HELP!
I've got balls 1-9 and I don't know where to go. Where is this underwater lab or whatever?
i have balls 1-6 but i can't do the lunar level. i have no idea where to go. i've gone as high and as far west as i can. am i supposed to west at the bottom?
i'm also stuck on the crystal palace. you have to use the glass ball for the laswer but how? - it constantly breaks!
please help
Dear All,
I have all 10 balls, and I'm on the underwater Dr. Cliche's lab area. If anyone is stuck on something before that, and they've read the above 90 or so comments and can't figure it out, you can e-mail me, I guess. It's goyston [at] gmail dot com. Please don't spam me.
Posted by:
grant0 |
June 7, 2006 8:46 PM
This is an incredible game. It makes me miss the good old days of Nintendo when games were simple and yet so entertaining. For some reason this one really makes me think of megaman.
the_garden_fairy: Crystal Palace is maddening. All it takes is a lot of patience. If you're stuck on a section, give it 10 or 20 tries, then walk away for a while. It really is much easier to do when you're not frustrated and can be more relaxed about it. There does seem to be a few different routes through the level, so if you really can't do it, try a different way.
Can anybody give the two 4-digit codes? I found them both in the game but didn't bother to write them down at the time.
Posted by:
Keith |
June 9, 2006 1:51 PM
ok, I must have missed something... I put in the code for the secret level, but it the teleporter didn't do anything. It just said "secret level unlocked." How do I get into the secret level?
Posted by:
Keith |
June 9, 2006 5:06 PM
thanks keith for your help on the crystal palace. finally got through but i am seriously stuck on the lunar cheese factory level or whatever it is called. is there some kind of trick to get passed the fan on the very far left so that you can then go underground because i have tried using balls 1-7 and i cannot get passed it.
please help!
also kevin: i don't know about the secret levels because i haven't got there yet, but there are two games in the "within a deep forest" file that you download. maybe you enter the secret level through the other game...?
the garden fairy:
possible spoilers...
to the guys at jig:
i love what you are doing here, and my only wish is you could find more games like cave story and within a deep forest! they keep my attention focused for a few days, rather than a few minutes like most of the other games here...
>All in all, this game feels like it was too short and easy originally, so the developer gave it a bunch of places that requite one-in-a-billion-moves to make it longer.
Actually, it's the other way around. Orginally, only the hard mode existed, and it was about twice as sadistic. Then I decided to add the new "Easy" mode so normal people could play the game :) I actually never intended things to be so hard, it's just that when you create a game, you spend so much time playing it that you get very good at it. At that point, it becomes very hard to understand how most people will play it.
But I guess different players are different too - I never thought Cave Story was that hard at all.
i got balls 1-5 and im stuck i dont know what to do next.....i need some help please.....what do i do after i get the glass ball???
heh-i feel realy stupid but i dont seem to be able to find the 2 ball.i found an underground tunnel but i cant get past the lava coz the walls to tall and if i just go right above ground i get eaten by spikes!
Everyone has been talking as if there are only two secret games to unlock, but it says there are three, if you open the "Secret Games" file.
Where's the third code? I can't find it anywhere!
On another note, great site Jay! I love it!
O.o Never mind... it appears that the third secret has magically opened on its own...
The latest update of the game gives you a third secret level. You simply need to have both of the others unlocked for it to be unlocked.
going....insane.....need....help...on....the....future....level...need...10th....ball...........................
Future Level is easy. From the west end, go east. Up the mountain, drop down to where the east exit would be. Cold ball does not break like the glass ball. Continue to the screen where you got ball 2 . . . then bounce on the ice several screens further. The dragon is gone. The king teleports you back to the past. Go one or two screens east . . . there is the king, alive, and able to give you the power.
i need help in underwater lvl. what happens when you get all the 4 numbers lit up at 0 neer the begining. i have them lit up all to 0 now what?
I see some people are having save problems or are pissed about not being able to obtain certain balls. So...
If you need a certain ball...
Pink Ball:
Speed Ball:
Iron Ball:
Glass Ball:
Yoga Ball:
Pathetic Ball:
Rubber Ball:
Cold Ball:
...and last but not least, the Flying Ball:
Can anyone tell me...
Nevermind, I got to the
and I have all the balls and the codes
Now my problem is getting the Pathetic Ball into the
I somehow mananged to do it before, and now I have lost the ability. Oh well, more time to consult the walkthroughs to find out how to get the Pathetic Ball to the pipe it need to go in.
Did you guys play the secret games? I love the third one, though it doesn't make much sense to me. Is there a point to it other than exploring the beautiful scenes?
Not really :) It's just a place where you can see Sara Sandberg's creatuers that didn't make it into the main game.
Help! I'm soo stuck on the Crystal Path! I can't figure out how to get the
Woohoooo I finally beat Crystal Path! What a super hard level sheesh =S That was the last ball I needed, off to beat the game now yay!
Just putting this out there, but if youre really stuck, there's a walk-through at the WaDF site...
just FYI
I've almost beaten the game, I just have to start playing it again. Fantastic game. Utterly amazing. Great idea, great gameplay, just great!
What exactly is the main difference between 'normal' and 'hard'? Someone mentioned physics, but I find that for me, 'hard' is actually easier! Hmmm.
WOOHOO!!!! I beat the game!!! Take that, Dr. Cliche! Now, to find the secret code in the shadowlands I cannot find...and to input both codes to unlock the secret levels. Great game, along with Knytt. Nifflas sure knows how to think outside the box...and turn those thoughts into incredible games.
didn't anybody notice Knytt's family at the beginning of the game?
Posted by:
cami |
January 5, 2007 7:49 PM
If anyone's interested, I've beat the game. E-mail me if you need help. And what a fantastic game it is.
Posted by:
grant0 |
January 6, 2007 1:20 AM
THIS GAME IS GOING TO MAKE ME NOT GET INTO COLLEGE OK
Posted by:
cami |
January 8, 2007 10:06 PM
I'm really stuck. I'm in Utopica at the part where the floors are invisible and you get vaporized. Does anyone have any tips?
Help!Can someone tell me how to get ball #3? I know its on the western side of pinewood, but i canna find the tower!
@Max G You know the screen right before the fire breathing snake (coming from the west). That big stone thing with the suspiciously prominant blocks...that's the tower :D
Posted by:
Harukio |
January 18, 2007 9:27 AM
Errr...no.
Actually, I think I know where it is. Are the blocks in the background?
Found it!
Wow, the audio quality in this game is simply astounding. Makes me think of what it would sound like if whoever does the music for Hayao Miyazaki's movies teamed up with Nobuo Uematsu. This is one of the best DLs I've found on this site. Granted I've only DLed Rooms and NetHack...
I have a big problem, at the end when you have all the 10 balls and have to get past some tiger or something at the other side of the lake but I don't know how
Dang I have 1-7 but....
i have 1-7 ball, but how i get the 8-9-10 balls?
and where is the Lunar Cheese Factory??
please answer fast!!!!
@yaniv
Posted by:
Harukio |
March 12, 2007 9:55 AM
Beat it. AMAZING game, great find.
download now.
to get to the transporter that takes you to the lunar cheese factory use ball 4 then bounce above the teleporter and you will see a save point, here change to yoga ball then activate the transporter thingy and your done.
HOW do you do the cheese level? I NEED (need) a total walk through.
For the invisible plat-forms just look at the back round it is reversed. ex. :)=(: on the level.
For Nicole.
I need help getting through the room with the lasers. I got past the first room with the laser at the bottem but the next room with the four lasers i keep dieing. (I am past the tiger, and under water) Thank you.
does anyone have an idea as to how i can get the soundtrack for this game?
that would be sooo cool, listening to the music while jogging or before sleeping.
Please please pleeeeeease, I can't get through Crystal Path!
Nevermind =P I got it!
I beat the game, but I'm having serious trouble entering the 4 digit combinations. Specifiacally, the room with the lasers that turn on and off. By the way, I've noticed some weird stuff:
1. The glass ball doesn't break if it hits spikes. You know that really long jump at the right edge of pinewood heights? If you use the glass ball and land on the hedgehog's spikes, it doesn't break.
2.The easiest way to beat that hover thing(the level on top of the pillars)is to get the glass ball first, and use it for the right side and ball 2 for the left side. With the glass ball, you can not only go right through lasers but also the guns and multicolored floors/ceilings in that hover thing. In fact, I used the glass ball for about 3/4 of Ljus too.
I fell so STUPID!
I just started this game and I can not figure out were to go. I visited the all-knowing bunny in her house, but then where. I went up this moutain only to find an impossible lava pit. Then i jumped of the moutain all the way to the climbing wall but after so far you can't go any higher. I see a door but I can't reach it. Where do i go?
NEVERMIND
I gave a comment that i needed help but I figured it out, sorry.
how do you get to a secert lvl?
This is a really old review, but I've been getting pretty into this game recently, and a search on Google Video shows this amazing 21 minute speed run. Thought you might want to check it out.
HAPPY DAPPY:
Use the green ball to jump to the highest platform you can reach. There is a save point. Then jump down with the Yoga Ball. When you hit the light below it should turn purlple. this will activiate the circle-thing. Just jump into it.
HOPE THIS HELPS
GETTING PAST THE CAT CREATURE:
One screen over from the (west?) savepoint there is a cat who sucks in anything to eat it.
HELP!!! I can't get the pathetic ball to jump high enough to get to the pit!!!
@Sarah This should help you:
Where do you go to get the code for the other secret levels in Shadowlands?
I LOVE THIS GAME!!!
sorry about the caps, i get really excited. I played this game about 6 months ago, and promptly forgot the name...thankyou for putting this on here, i'm gonna lose about another 3 days now...:D
I hope this yoga ball is worth it. this level is soooo much harder than i remember...stupid glass ball...
*grumbles*
finally! finished it..with a little help of course. But only a little. thanks again :-)
how do you get to the game?
In the top left how do you get the yoga ball to bounce to the yoga symbol?
Could anyone post a list of the balls and their effects(in spoiler format)? Thanks!
PLEASE HELP ME! the newest version of this game (1.1.4) is only available in a .zip format, so when i opened it in win rar, i couldn't use the save feature! HELP!
Posted by:
Jake |
July 4, 2007 4:23 PM
oooh wait i got it! hooray save works! if anyone had this same problem heres what you do
1.Right click the zip file
2. go to open with-then something like zipped folder (its icon is a folder with a zipper on it)
3.select everything in that folder
4. when everything is selected right one of the files (it doesn't matter which one) and choose extract
5. choose the folder you want the game to be saved in, then click next NOTE: while its extracting, and that bar is still filling up, don't push next, or your computer will freeze up of at least mine did.
now open up the folder you saved it in, and choose the file with a moon for an icon.
Posted by:
Jake |
July 4, 2007 5:19 PM
This is such a great game! (indeed, cute but evil)
I finally managed to finish the game... It took me three days. I really had trouble at the underwater lvl, especially with
Bouncy Ball:
According to my knowledge after finishing the game -
#1- the blue ball you start with
#2- Pink Ball
#3- Iron Ball
#4- Speed Ball
#5- Glass Ball
#6- Yoga Ball
#7- Pathetic Ball
#8- Rubber Ball
#9- Cold Ball
#0- Flying Ball
what is the third code for the secret game?
how do you put the code in the savegame file?
How do you get to the dog in the tower?
@nicole
Get all balls the easy cheating way:
If you've saved the game a least once you'll see that there is a file called "savegame.ini" in the root directory of the game. So lets make some changes :p
If you don't have all balls they'll won't mention it so to add them place this in the file:
HasPracticeBall=1
HasNormalBall=1
HasIronBall=1
HasSpeedBall=1
HasGlassBall=1
HasFreezeBall=1
HasFreeBall=1
HasPatheticBall=1
HasJumpBall=1
HasYogaBall=1
You can always delete the balls by just removing the line or turning the true value (1) into a false value (0)
I am really stuck in Utopioca Minor! I get to the level with the small green bird, that tells me something about a path in the Shadowlands. but I cant find the exit of that level! I tried it at least 100x but everytime I just hit those obstacles and have to start from the beginning. Please help me!
Hey people, I'm stuck in Shadow Lands and don't get the cold ball. I guess I don't understand the description on top of this thread correctly. I use the jump ball (8) and I made it to the "room" where this red light is flying away when you come too close to it, but I don't know where to go now. I appreciate any help from you.
It's not as hard as the reviewer says, if you pay attention to the physics. Only a couple of parts had me humming peaceful songs to keep from smashing my speakers into the monitor.
Hey, I'm in the underwater place. I'm at the las place with the criss-crossing lasers. I get passed them but the tunnel going into the roof doesn't go anywhere.
Dedo, there is another tunnel in this screen
I just downloaded this game this weekend, I wished i would have gone outside, but it was a great game. I really enjoyed the world design, the puzzles, the progression, the gameplay. Good amount of difficulty without being impossible.
MaJ, I had a lot of trouble with this one too:
JanW, I can help, but I'm not sure what you are talking about. Sounds like a room you don't actually get a ball in, but just need to escape out of. Do you remember what the bird says? What door do you go into to talk to that bird?
are there any other secret codes besides 3680? if so what are they?
I think that once I beat it, I'm going to go back and screenshot it to make a map.
Hi,
as you probably know, when you
Does anyone know what should I add to play other secret minigames?
coming back to this game, i have to say that the single most unfair, unwonderful frustrating part of the entire frustrating but wonderful thing is getting the
Posted by:
cami |
November 5, 2007 4:01 PM
hey im stuck on the other side of the lake i have the flying ball but the dragon blocks me from getting back im totally screwd!
oh nevermind about the top one now i need help with something i dont have time for:
the underwater lab code
im too lazy to try and guess the code while dieing over and over again
can someone help me please.
never mind again
i beat it
um.. this makes me feel really stupid asking this...... but.... um.... when I loaded it I got code. How do I make the game play from this?
Please someone tell me. Thanks!!
Posted by:
SahBeh 
|
January 2, 2008 4:01 AM
oh dont worry... after I posted I read Jakes "walkthough"... so this and my last message can be deleted.... Ill make sure I carefully read the comments next time...
Posted by:
SahBeh |
January 2, 2008 7:15 AM
hey Suluu, for the second and third game type:
Frank, I think the other code is
where do i type in the code for the extra levels
how large is the file? I've been downloading for four hours now, with under 17 MB to show for it!! ugh
do I have hope of the download finishing before the apocolypse?
The most frustrating game ever!!!! :(~~~
But still playing
Posted by:
Chak |
March 21, 2008 12:27 AM
TWo things one this looks like bugbug escape from sky tower I think thats what its called and two I cant play is it compatible with vista
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<
Walkthrough Guide
Here are the locations of the nine ball upgrades. Three additional levels--Crystalline, Utopioca Minor, and Strange Place--aren't necessary, but do provide helpful hints.
#2-Normal Ball
#3-Iron Ball
#4-Speed Ball
#5-Glass Ball
#6-Yoga Ball
#7-Pathetic Ball
#8-Jump Ball
#9-Cold Ball
#10-Free Ball
Finishing the game
"Secrets Levels.exe"?
Posted by: Oddity
|
May 28, 2006 3:58 PM