How to not die in the woods

If you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering what on earth is going on in this game I just released, and more importantly, if it’s even possible to “beat” it. The answer is yes, though it won’t be as easy as simply finding an exit and walking out of the forest.

Your biggest concern is the thing that stalks you in the darkness. You might have noticed that your footsteps aren’t the only footsteps you’ll hear. Sometimes there are slower footsteps that grow louder as they get closer, and when this happens you might consider going the other way. If this thing catches you, your game will end.

With that in mind, your first objective is to find map pieces, which are scattered around the forest. They all combine to form a complete map of the maze, and each piece also has a tree marked on it which corresponds to an outlying tree in the maze, helpful for determining your location.

As you gather map pieces, you might also notice that a lot of paths seem to go off the page and continue on the other side. The maze has no exit. It loops back on itself in all directions, with no way out.

In order to escape, you’ll need to find all the map pieces. The last one will have a marked tree that is scratched out, and that is your next destination. When you get to the tree, touch it. Then you’ll need to go to the outlying tree in the center of the map. It isn’t marked on the map, but it has two bushes on either side of it (as seen in the above picture). Touch this tree, and then you can escape.

I hope this game provides a good challenge or a couple good spooks. It was interesting to try and make a game in four days. I wanted to make something really small and simple so I could try to balance it’s mechanics in time for the jam deadline. It’s still pretty hard, but that’s fine with me.

On another note, I’m still working on that fantasy game. There’s not that much left to finish in comparison to what I’ve already finished, but there’s still some pretty big tasks left to do, like bosses, music, and the ending, and I want to take my time with it and make sure I get it right. I’ve actually got another game that I’ve been making for college as my assignments/final project, and I’m not sure what state of completion my fantasy game will be in by the time I release that one, so things might get a little confusing. But by the end of the year I will have released three games in a year as opposed to my current record of one.