The Fabulous Explorationsland
Who wants to go on a treasure hunt? Everybody? That's what I thought! Then grab your green backpack and safari hat, and dive into The Fabulous Explorationsland, a new adventure game from StefanT, and one of the top entries in our 6th Casual Gameplay Design Competition!
Gameplay is completely keyboard-driven, with [WASD] or [arrow] keys to move, and [space] or [enter] to interact with the environment. Menus, although few and far between, are also completely controlled with the keyboard, so you won't need your mouse at all for this one. The aim of the game is to light all of the torches and open all of the chests, with a brief list telling you what you're looking for at the beginning of each area.
There's a reason this game tied for first in fitting with the competition's "explore" theme; that's what you're going to be doing the entire time. No enemies, no time limit, just a brave adventurer with a jaunty green backpack and a hunger for hidden treasures. Although there are some visual clues to let you know where to go, you're still going to have to check every corner to work your way through to the end. From the beginning you'll only be able to explore the ancient temple, but other environments will unlock as you progress. Although the game progresses in a fairly straightforward fashion, you're free to go back and find anything you may have missed on your first trip through a level.
Analysis: With its cute graphics and quirky sense of humor, The Fabulous Explorationsland manages to capture your attention from the very beginning and keep it all the way to the end. One of the biggest challenges of creating a game revolving around exploration is trying to keep the player interested in exploring everything. Each world gives you an inventory of what you need to find, but there are a lot of little surprises to keep you interested on the way. Nearly every piece of scenery you find can be interacted with in some way, even if it's just to give you a quick description, and there are plenty of other objects to find that you didn't even know you were looking for, making you feel like you're participating in the world's most abstract scavenger hunt. Burrito shop? Check! Soccer field? Check! Jackal-headed depiction of "The Thinker"? Better believe that's a check! I think the only things you don't find here are Waldo and Carmen Sandiego, and that's probably just due to copyright issue.
Artistically, the game gets it right in every way. The background music does a good job of adding to the light-hearted atmosphere, and the bright colors make it clear from the very beginning what you can expect from the game. Each area has a different theme, with the graphics done accordingly. Even the random decorations that are scattered about the landscape seem to fit within the theme of the area they're located in. Sure, there may be a soccer field inside of a ziggurat, but it fits! It's a ziggurat-themed soccer field! The designer clearly took great care in making this game, and it shines through in all of the small details that are guaranteed to keep a smile on your face.
Packed with secrets and surprises, The Fabulous Explorationsland is a shining example of what exploration is all about, and is sure to keep you grinning all the way through.
Walkthrough Guide
(Please allow page to fully load for spoiler tags to be functional.)
The Fabulous Explorationsland walkthrough
After all this time, there really ought to be a walkthrough, so here's one. Sorry, it's all in one big lump, because it's way past my bedtime.
Enter the gray pyramid on the left. Light the brazier on the right (walk up next to it and hit space/enter).
Walk to the right, past the burrito shop, then up to the door. Open it and walk through.
Go up and to the left until you're above the door with the arrow next to it. Open it and enter the room.
Walk to the left where the arrow is pointing (yes, into the black part). Go up the stairs.
Open the door and go up, then right, all the way across the soccer field, then into the secret passage where you see the rubble.
Walk as far right as you can, then go upward into the small room and light the brazier. Go back to the soccer field.
Go up to the top right corner of the room and open the secret door (it's slightly darker than the rest of the wall). Go through, then go right through the secret passage.
Keep going right, through another secret passage, until you see the bathroom doors. Go through one of them (doesn't matter which), then open one of the toilets and go through it to the secret cave.
Go left, up, and right to the other green toilet and go through it.
Walk to the left and notice the pattern of the tunnel above you. Open the door and enter the tunnel. As soon as you enter, the light goes out, so you can't see where you're going, but like the sign says, keep walking.
Walk through the door, then go into the secret passage on the left. Go left as far as you can, then go down and into the room with the sign. Light the brazier, then go back to the room with the pit.
Go up the stairs, then walk to the right. Notice the door with the digital lock. (The number is how many unlit braziers are left; if you've followed the walkthrough, it should say "4" at this point.)
Keep going right to the souvenir shop, then go up through the secret door. Go up, left, then down a bit, into the small room, and light the brazier.
Go back to the souvenir shop, then out through the exit to the right.
Enter the gold pyramid on the right. Walk forward until you see the three gold sarcophagi. Go to the one on the left, open it, and go through.
Go forward then right and go down the stairs into the secret tunnel. Go left and go up the other stairs.
Open the treasure chest to get 'Plutonium'. Retrace your steps back to the room with the sarcophagi. Go right until you see the secret door (between two Egyptians carrying a fruity drink and an ice cream, respectively).
Walk forward and light the brazier. Go back and to the right. Open the door (between the chicken and ham), then go up the stairs.
Walk to the right until you get to the balcony, then go up and left to the door. Open it and go through.
Chase the white spot until a passageway opens up. Go through it to a room with a treasure chest teasingly just out of reach. Follow the red spot around (you have to be quick or it resets) until the passage to the chest opens.
Open the chest and get 'Enriched Uranium'. Go back out and chase the yellow spot around until a passage opens.
Go back and chase the green spot until another passage opens. Go through it, open the sarcophagus and go through, and go up the stairs.
Open one the doors and go up into the museum. Go up and to the right until you see the bathroom doors. Open one of them and go through.
Go through one of the toilets to the secret cave. Go right until you see another "keep walking" sign. You know the drill. When you get through, follow the cave to the right until you find the other souvenir shop. Go out through the exit.
Go across the bridge and enter the ice mountain. Note where you are when you enter. Go to the right. There are two switches here; you have to flip the bottom one first, then the top one, then quickly come back to where you started and enter the secret passage before it stops flashing.
Follow the passage down and right, then open the chest to get 'Caesiumfrankolithicmixialubidiumrixidixidexidoxidroxide'.
Flip the bottom switch again (the top one stays where you put it), but this time walk straight to the right, through the secret passageway, then into the flashing passage.
Go down and left. Turn off the fan, then light the brazier. Great, the digital lock has been opened. Go back up to the top switch, then keep going up and right to the exit.
Enter the gray pyramid again. It should put you straight on the 3rd floor, which is a relief. Go to the right until you get to the now-open double doors. Go through into the treasure chamber, then to the right to exit.
Walk up the rainbow on the right to sky-land. Open the chest to get some 'Caesiumfrankolithicmixialubidiumrixidexidixidoxidroxide'.
Go through the small cave in the mountains (bottom left). Go up, past the radioactive gems, then down the stairs to get your reward. Well, OK, so there's no reward, but whatever.
Posted by: Reka
|
October 24, 2012 2:38 AM