First off, I love playing this game. It is a fantastic concept will amazing graphics, wonderful music, and a game that makes one feel they are in the game! I have to ask one thing... I have almost completed all achievements that the game has to offer. I'm puzzled by an accomplishment titled, Nice Try. I have tried everything and, I still come up short. Please help..., What am I missing why this reward hasn't been completed? Above all, this game is wonderful! As always, have a fantastic day!
Thank you for your kind words, I really appreciate that and I'm glad you enjoyed the game so much.
As for NICE TRY! It involves trying to escape the magical kingdom early on in your adventure
SOLUTION: Try using the ALAKAZAM spell (reveal hidden doors) on the wall in HESPERIDES PATH where the door that spit you out in the magic land used to be before it vanished
Thank you for replying. Out of all that I tried, that was not one of them lol! Thank you again for this Outstanding game! As always, have a fantastic day!
Thanks you so much. Yup, we're working on our next MacVenture game, Themeire, which takes place in a settlement in the new world. It's not really "coming soon", but hopefully it won't take too long :D
Hi. I loved the game, the art, the mechanics, the sound and the gameplay.
But something that has fascinated me has been the cursor that is used in the game. Is there any chance that I can get it so that I can adapt it for use in windows 10? Thanks.
Thanks a lot! Today i'm gonna play your other game, INFESTED (I'm really Hyped :D). Anyway thanks again for the cursor pack, i'm using it now as my cursor for windows, was easy to convert as the size fits perfect.
Ah, another thing, i saw some days ago about your new incoming game called Themeire, there is not a release date still, im correct? Im anxious to try it out too.
I've completed this game (also wrote an article on it on TV Tropes: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/Spectacle) and I'd say it's amazing, feels just like the NES ports of MacVentures without the hardware limitations affecting the graphics/sound/gameplay and with more modern design principles.
Kinda wish there were some extra lines for stupid actions like "TAKE SELF", though, just for laughs. Also kinda disappointed there's only one savefile, but I get it was done to not make the challenges too easy. I will play Infested as well. It'd be interesting to see how a third GrahfVenture could top this one someday.
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed it and I hope you have fun with INFESTED. Thanks for the article as well. It was really fun reading all of the tropes found in our games :D
Also, "GrahfVenture" genuinly made my day. That's awesome!!!
We started work on our next GrahfVenture game, so I'm really excited for you to play it!
Hey, I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your games. They are absolutely pitch perfect pastiches of the classic ICOM NES adventures. This one reminded me a lot of Uninvited, which was my personal favorite of the three. I can really tell a lot of love went into this. Do you have any plans for sequels or a third game?
Thank you so much, we really appreciate it. I'm glad you were reminded of Uninvited cause we made this to be an unofficial prequel to the classic with a few obvious tie-in's and some not-so-subtle implied connections between the two :D
There's a couple of ideas for a 3rd game, with one being in the early [literal] pen & paper stages. I wish we could make these games more frequent, but we only do this part-time for fun and we also work on non-itch,io titles as well, on the side.
If there's any concrete plans for a 3rd game we'll definitely post some ideas on here :D
I can certainly give hints on here anytime. Otherwise I just posted the complete step-by-step walkthough in the comment section on the "Welcome to the Spectacle" page. Thanks for reminding me :D
Thank you! Yeah, back in the day they were very easy to get immersed into for hours. My friend and I would play them for hours and find all the different ways to die and then we'd try to beat the games faster than each other :D
ok sure! i met the hooded stranger in the palace and they told me to head south. i have scroll 1 and 2, moon coin, sun coin, broken instrument, eye gem and red key. tried going south in the desert but i keep dying. and the piranhas keep eating me by the waterfall
Your next big step is getting rid of Yajna, the blue flame beast and entering a secret room. You have everything you'll need, but you'll also need a few spell hidden in the palace and out in the field. It involves the Hyleg Well
Solution (SPOILERS):
Step 1: USE ROSETTA STONE on the wall scribblings behind the tapestry hanging up in the spiral staircase (Sorcerous' Spiral) to get the NIAHC spell
Step 2: USE ROSETTA STONE on the Scribblings found on either side of the stone structure outside (where you first appeared in the world) and Learn the SAF and O. CLOCK spells
Step 3: Move around outside until the moon in the night sky is glowing bright (USE SAF to speed up time by 6 hours). USE O. CLOCK spell to freeze time while the moon glows and go the room with the well and the moon will be lined up with the lunar phase mural on the wall in the back
Step 3: USE NIAHC spell (Chain spelled backward) on the chains to lift up the well cover and USE the MOON COIN on the glowing well to have a gust of powerful wind blow
Step 4: USE ROSETTA STONE on the wall in the Scholar's Repose (the room with the Red Book) to learn the ALAKAZAM spell
Step 5: During the day head up the stairs and Yajna will be blown away by the well's gust of wind
Step 6: USE ALAKAZAM on the outline door on the back wall to access a hidden room
Our previous game, Infested, was saspiritual sequel to Shadowgate, while Spectacle is an unofficial sequel to Uninvited. I highly recommend Shadowgate as it's an absolute classic and one of the best puzzle games ever made. I think the best way to play it is the NES port which can be found on the "8-Bit Adventure Anthology Volume 1" which came out on PS4 and Steam. Of course you can also get an original NES cart for like $8
A_M_A_Z_I_N_G game ! I think the only down side is the UX (many many clicks to get through the game). I understand thats the type of games, but nowadays, it always feels a bit tiring after a while
Thank you! It's a hobby/side project of ours so we wanted to make it for fun and for free just to make people happy and we would love to introduce this oft-forgotten sub-genre to a new audience or bring people back to the past whom grew up on these style games in the 80s :D
It's a point & Click Adventure game in the style of the cult classic "Macventure" series that came out on the NES made up of Shadowgate, Deja Vu and Uninvited. Essentially it's a sub-genre of Point & Click games in which you explore environment and solve puzzles using a array of command verbs and item inventory
Yours looks AND plays a hundred times better than the NES versions (controlling them with a controller was absolute trash back in the day, and it's even harder with an emulator and a keyboard). Your game actually seems much closer to my favorite versions, which were on the Commodore 64 . The graphics and animation, like yours, were far superior. There's something to be said for the black and white Mac graphics, too, which looked like pencil sketches. Really good job here, very well done and super nostalgia-inducing.
I actually made a mock up B&W Mac screen for our previous game, Infested, for fun. Might make one up for Spectacle one of these days. In a perfect world with more time, money and interest we would have loved to have made a retro Mac version :D
I finished Spectacle yesterday and Infested today, they are both wonderfull games. You made me discover this genre, I already had a try at Shadowgate on emulator a long time ago, but got quickly discouraged. Now I guess I will have another try on these nes classics, it will help me to wait until your third adventure game !!
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed them. Shadowgate had always been one of my all-time favorite games, I think it's definitely worth a revisit. The Uninvited is also really awesome, but is a bit more convoluted. As for Deja-Vu, as much as I genuinely love the game, I usually recommend people play it with a walkthrough cause it's rather open ended and requires a LOT of patience and trial and error, but with a walkthrough it's good to simply experience the game straightforward
Thanks. I know that part. But did you guys build some sort of template . Where you just have to pop in different graphics and story lines. Or is each game designed from the ground up?
The directions are found written in a book in a library. The directions are cryptic, but if you wish for know the solution, then...
[SPOILERS]
The directions are written in the Blue Book in the Chamber of Knowledge. The song "Sacred Sons Enter Sun Weathered Sands Weielding Sourcerer Slaying Scimitars"
Further hint...
[SPOILERS]
The first letter in each word S S E S W S W S S S are the directions to take through the desert. The compass on the ground near the desert entrance will orientate you (as well as the sun rising from the East)
Congrats on releasing another game GrahfMetal! I had a blast with Infested and so far it's been the same with Spectacle. These games always hook me after playing the NES version of Shadowgate.
One very minor issue I noticed: Examining the writing at the Hesperides Path gives a spelling error of "decifer".
Also, my apologies but I appear to have been stumped and could use a hint. I have the red, blue, and gold keys and believe I've done everything in the Northlands. I've reached the palace gate in the Southlands but don't have the correct key. There's a boulder I can't move and the shah statue accepts one item, but there's no reaction. The loose dirt in the area tells me I need a shovel but I don't seem to have seen one in any of the places I've been.
I did initially run into a roadblock with finding the blue key from not noticing the spot to place the item so I'm likely just being unobservant or not understanding Scroll II. I have gone back through each screen to see if there was an item or writing for a new spell with no luck. Much appreciated for any help!
And best of luck with whatever project you work on next!
Thank you very much! You next step is to find a hidden Spell in the Azure Palace (first palace ) that will help you with the boulder to the south. Look closely, you'll notice something is out of place ;)
Thanks for the hint! I must be very unobservant here as I went back and examined/used anything that looked remotely out of place and still have turned up empty. This will undoubtedly be one of those moments where the answer will be so obvious I wondered how I could have overlooked it.
In the Chamber of Knowledge (the library in the Azure Palace) the wall on the left has a mural of clouds and one of the wall tiles is upside-down TAKE the upside-down cloud tile to remove it and USE the ROSETTA STONE on the writing to learn the spell OPEN SESAME. USE O. SESAME on a rock leading into the tower
I'm also looking for all the ways to meet a terrible end as that's also part of the fun with these games but I haven't completed the challenge to be killed by every monster so I'll be hunting down what has to hunt me down first.
Before continuing, I will give you all lots of credit in general. This is a well constructed game overall with a great soundtrack and mostly solid content. I will always have a place in my heart for these types of games and please don't take any of this as anything other than constructive criticism - the overall quality of stuff you put out is very good and I hope you keep going in the future.
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With that being said, once you get the yellow key and move onto the next part of the game (which will remain unnamed to prevent spoilers - the devs will know what I am talking about), it becomes completely illogical. The "hint" provided in the piece of reading material you find along your way is not indicative one single bit of how you're actually supposed to apply it. It's not a tune or sound when it comes to to apply it in-game, so why say it is, or even act as if the player can use it in that fashion? Also, how does one logically die in said area in nighttime conditions...? The directional "hint" given is completely irrelevant as well, as traveling in that direction will always bring death because it's a multitude of directions in a specific order (with limited chances and forced back to start each time), not just one as the hint indicates.
This brings back lots of memories of puzzles like "throw spider at dead butler with no hint - just use until something works after 75 deaths" from Uninvited.
That really did turn me off to the game honestly, because as much as I love Uninvited, I loathed the handful of completely ridiculous and illogical puzzles in that game. Puzzle games should be winnable without walkthroughs or obscenely cryptic hints. The puzzles previously were very tough in many cases, but none of them were like this which is why I still had the determination to keep trying and got through them all until now. Hints so cryptic that they will require a walkthrough in most player's cases should never be a necessity in games like this, as you only truly get to play them as intended once.
I may pick it back up again in the future, but that's gonna be it for me for now. That type of gameplay isn't engaging - it just makes you lose interest very quickly. All of the others puzzles were challenging but fair. If this is an indication of how the game ends, it's gonna be tough to find the motivation to finish it.
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My honest, overall opinion (hey - this is the kind of feedback you guys ask for) is that this game is solid, but missed the mark in this very vital way. I think you did so much better in terms of a well constructed puzzle game overall with Infested. It may not have been as flashy or have as nice of a soundtrack (fantastic soundtrack in Spectacle, by the way - especially the outdoors track. Catchy stuff!), but the puzzles clues made sense (even if slightly confusing to begin with).
I'd probably give the following number scores to each game.
Spectacle - 7/10
Infested - 10/10
As I said originally though - don't stop! I'm one person sharing one opinion and not everyone will approve of everything you make. Your attention to detail and quality productions I've seen so far will ensure I will be interested in the next game you create. I just wish some things had been done differently in Spectacle - it started off amazing and then lost it's spark rather quickly for a player like me who's not interested in needing a hint system to beat the game.
We really appreciate the criticism (not sarcastically), so it's all good. Thanks for the feedback. Just to be clear, are we talking about the path required to get through the desert? The idea behind that puzzle is;
[SPOILERS]
According to the book Theives would sing a song "Sacred Suns Enter Sun Weathered Sands Weilding Sorcerer Slaying Scimitars" to navigate the desert. This is meant to show that they needed a tune in order to remember the direction to take. The tune of course having the first letter in each word indicating a direction, i.e. S S E S W S W S S S or South -> South -> East -> South -> West -> South -> West -> South -> South -> South. So by taking these directions through the desert will see you safe the the other side.
The second part to the puzzle is knowing that North, East, South, West is NOT Up, Right, Down, Left as one might presume, but rather it's Left, Up, Right, Down according to both the giant compass on the ground near the desert and because the Sun rises from the East.
Also, dying in that area in the nighttime is simply from being lost and exhausted.
Hopefully this helped. If not, please don't hesitate to let me know and I can certainly give more or different details
Thanks for responding! I did end up gathering at least the part in the book from another family member who is also quite impressed with your work :)
Yes, that is the puzzle (wasn't sure how much could be said in public comments) and I think your response does help put into perspective the kind of feedback I was looking to provide. To some, that may seem logical, but especially in ICOM-type games, that's kind of misleading. With the game having a number of Shadowgate-esque spells (and Shadowgate being famous for spells within a book - especially the NES version), the hint seems to indicate that this is literally a spell you need to determine how to learn/chant to prevent dying/getting lost in the desert (this was also loosely implemented in Uninvited when using the spell to get out of the maze you get stuck in). Logically, when one tries to pick up the book, use the "spell thingy" on it etc. (trying to limit spoilers - sorry LOL, couldn't think of a better vague name), if that's not the intent, then the ICOM game nature was usually to give at least some very (and possibly VERY) vague hint along the lines of "What you think this means may not be the real meaning" or perhaps another item (such as one of the scrolls) being a little more descriptive in what to do next- something like that. Something that tells the astute player that they really should be paying better attention to the meaning behind this item. Instead, the response is very stock such as "what did you expect", or "you don't need that here" or something.
Like I was saying in my previous post, I just feel these types of games should never leave a player with almost no choice but to use a walkthrough because of vagueness (the scrolls and other lore in the game didn't help with this piece either because they refer to them solely as the Southern Lands - parody that to Deja Vu II when you need to go to the mafia's laundromat. The direction to reach it given in the game is the literal and only direction you need to take - no others). Most important reason for this in my opinion is because you only get to experience them as intended once and that experience is extremely watered down when the answer has to be given to you. There are many players out there who are vehemently against walkthroughs who may end up feeling the same.
The reason I say these things is nothing other than to help out and share my opinions, so please always know it's in complete friendliness. You have a great talent for making these types of games and I think if the puzzle system met somewhere in the middle of Infested and Spectacle, you would probably have something you may even be able to sell at this point (I know I'd buy it). You've proven the quality of your work overall - I honestly wondered why this game was free itself ;)
If you're done with this conversation, not a problem at all - I just hope maybe some of what I said makes sense and helps when designing your next awesome adventure. Take care!
Thanks for more feedback and suggestions. It's always welcomed and we appreciate the continued support for sure. Don't hesitate to give future criticism or feedback if you find anything else either. We definitely consider everything you're saying and in future patches may tweek thing or two here and there.
Well, thanks for being receptive and respecting the point I was trying to make :)
Overall though - this community loves your games - including me. It's rare you see such dedication to re-creating those classic games with brand new content in such a sharp way and clever way (and holy cow, the Spectacle soundtrack is catchy indeed - that overworld theme especially. Amazing stuff). I must admit, at first I was slightly turned off by the lack of 8-bit music, but the soundtrack is just so good it totally overshadows that and fits perfectly.
From the bottom of my heart - thanks for all you do and I only hope anything i've suggested is helpful at some point.
Also, I did read a little below - interesting. I've been struggling to get the fruit as well and I thought I cleared the monastery already (maybe I didn't though - I still get flattened like a pancake when trying to go over the balcony ledges). No spoilers please :) - i've decided to give it another run and want to try and figure this one out - there has got to be something I missed because all of those puzzles were really neat in my opinion (especially the levers).
Ended up figuring out how to get the fruit (can't believe I didn't think how before-hand. There was a very clear clue in the general area).
Evil stitch is a pain in the a** though XD, definitely gonna need to think about this one.
After that one puzzle, it definitely got a lot better again. The subtle (even vague but still clear if you pay attention) hints are back and it feels much more appropriate in my opinion :)
/edit - aha. So evil stitch can be defeated. Nice one there. That was clever and took a minute but again, paying close attention pays off :D
Congratulation GrahfMetal for this marvellous game! Unfortunately I'm stuck in the southern region.. I took the polearm from the guardian and cannot do anything else, there are no spells i can learn and i can not seem to understand how i can get the red fruit.. A little help please? Thanks!
Thanks! You've completed the Azure Palace, hence the path the the South. Note that there's 3 spells hidden within that palace, one of which will help you in the southern land, and there are 2 spells in the North field. Your next step (Red Fruit) will be done as you solve the mysteries of the Calming Monastery (the palace on the river in the north lands), so the Monastery is your next destination. If you're still stuck after this I can tell you exactly what to do on here
I found the one in the chamber with the book and the eye and the one on the stairs, so I'm missing one.. Will check again! I also thought I finished with the monastery but it seems not! I love this adventure!
There is a suggestion in the area where the fruit is present. Review the area in it's entirety - you may find something worth examining that you haven't beforehand, which will suggest what you'd need to get it.
No problem at all. There's no plans just yet. I have an idea for a setting, design and story in my mind, but not really any gameplay/puzzle ideas that stand out.
First of all, was linked to this via PC Gamer. I enjoyed Infected a few years ago so it's good to see you're still doing games. Noticed this was built using GameMaker, it's a nice showcase of what the engine can do.
Enjoying this, but may have discovered a bug. When first entering the desert, I sometimes see what looks like a piece of cloth with some balls to the right of it sometimes, and I cannot interact with it. It later disappears when I go off-screen.
One thing that might be a little odd is how some items interact. I'd figured the halbeard could be used to get the fruit per the description, but I can't. Similar story with the loose rock. I'd assume if it's loose, then I could just take it. (Edit, just used it, that did the trick). Simirally, some spells have effects on certain parts of the screen, but not others (the reveal spell).
Also, what are you meant to do with the sun coin? I've gotten rid of the spirit guarding the chalice, but after that, I'm stuck.
The cloth in the desert is an Easter Egg referring to the protagonist, the wanderer, from the game Way of the Passive Fist. Although getting to the screen with the cloth should also be a screen that kills you, sop we'll look into that for sure
What Halberd are you referring too exactly?
After defeating the fire spirit there's a hidden room just past him.
Yes, some spells are immediate area spells and some require a specific target.
The SUN COIN is used after a series of puzzles in the calming monastery (the palace on the river)
Thanks for the clarification. Got the hidden room and that opened up the desert region properly. The first note made me think I had to do something similar with what I did to the moon coin to the sun coin.
Meant to say polearm. I got it from the statue in the southern region.
Also, possibly another bug I've found? In the calming monastery, there's the mosaic of a falcon protecting a ship. There's a door outline there. I did figure out how to open it, but there's no text to say something like if you use the opening spell, something along the lines of there's a door there, but the spell won't work on it.
One final thing. Ended up brute-forcing the engine room puzzle in the calm monastery., so I don't know if there was a guide somewhere I missed. How do you open the left-side door with the head above it (if you can)? I got a picture that looks like there should be a space to put the sun coin in the engine room, but I can't do so.
With the left side door with the head above it, just look at the position of the head
Solution:
[SPOILERS]
When the MARBLE HEAD is placed on it's original bust in the TRIREME CORRIDORE, click USE on the head to turn it around facing left, this will open the gate blocking the left doorway
Really enjoying this. I played Infested about a year back, which I enjoyed quite a bit, but this one really nails the creepy nature of Shadowgate and Uninvited (and to a lesser extent, Deja Vu), with a little bit of Myst of all things thrown in. This feels like an instant classic.
And the soundtrack is wonderful! At first, I thought the not-exactly-NES style music would be better off if it were more in the style of NES chiptune stuff, but the two "field" themes in particular are so good and atmospheric that I can't imagine it any other way.
One suggestion I might add: Shadowgate had a feature where if you pressed Select it would give you (sometimes) a vague context-sensitive hint based on the room you were in. I think that'd be neat here.
Anyway, I'm stuck at the Guardian just to the right of the throne room. I thought the solution was obvious based on The Uninvited (and I have something in my inventory that should do the trick and get him to go away) but alas, it's not that simple. What should I do? I know there are some items you need to USE on SELF (and I've got two of them), and I feel I'm missing a third that's necessary.
The soundtrack was originally going to be 8-bit, but when we heard the first pass on a couple of the songs and SFX we felt it didn't fit. Glad you like it
The hint idea is a really good suggestion. Maybe down the road on a future update we can work something like that in, thanks :D
As for the Guardian; the solution may not be the bird, but it's still linked to Uninvited. When you get the item needed, you'll know what it is.
Solution:
[SPOILERS]
USE the SHOVEL on the loose earth in the room called ALFALFA CLEARING. You'll dig up a chest with a SCROLL III and the BLOTHNY GEM. USE the BLOTHNY GEM on the guardian to make it fly away.
Check your watch for the current time (when standing at the Cicada Lock) and place the GOLD CICADA on the current hour and the SILVER CICADA on the current minute
I'm kinda stuck. I've made it into the Azure Palace and obtained the instrument but i've been completely lost for an hour since trying to get the full moon in hyleg well room, trying to get the bottle in the river and also trying to get the fruit in that tree,
Plz help
Thanks
Edit: I just found the rosetta stone and got 2 of the spells but i'm still struggling with what to do next
O. CLOCK spell will allow you to freeze time in order to line up the Moon in the Hyleg well room. Another spell will allow you to open the well An item in the Azure palace will help you get the BOTTLE.
I'm writing because I'm stuck, but before I figure out how to encode that, thank you for this game. What makes classics classic in any genre is they use the medium to tell a story in a way that wouldn't be possible without that specific format, and that's what makes your point and click feel old school more than the pixelated aesthetic. This is a great combination of timing, wordplay, and visual detail, and the puzzles feel 'real' -- enough of the puzzles tell a story that nothing feels like it's randomly been dropped in the wrong room just to add to the gameplay time.
Going to try to give hopefully non-spoilery clues to where I'm stuck.
- I have red, blue, and grey keys, but not yellow. I've used two keys so far.
- The guardian is still guarding, the stars are obscured, and nothing's solved with beast and bird. I can see the cosmos, and I've gotten zapped.
- I've found and correlated a few clues about the time, but aside from taking notes haven't found out their purpose.
If that's not enough to explain where I'm stuck I can answer more. As an aside, does gameplay require people to click on a fast traveler? I've spent way too long trying to get the timing of that to work.
Thank you for the kind words! Glad you're enjoying the game so far.
[SPOILERS]
Your next step appears to be getting the bird to help you. If you have the FALCON GLOVE than you can USE it on SELF when the bird does a fly by. You dont need to click on the moving bird sprite himself
A very fun game, and I'm enjoying playing it. I've gotten stuck a few times just because I couldn't see that there was something I could interact with, but managed to figure it out from seeing the few hints in the comments here.
[SPOILER] I'm completely and utterly stuck on how to transport the oasis water, sadly.
This was super fun! I really enjoy old-school aesthetic games and this definitely scratches that itch. The world was fun to explore, and had a lot of interesting things going on. Having 6 different commands to do in each room really gives you a lot of options! I was pleasantly surprised by the music as well, there were quite a few great tracks. There's just something I love about being dropped in a new world and just told to explore. I definitely recommend this if you like older style point and click games!
Just finished watching. It's always fun watching people play these kinds of games for the first time without having played any other titles in the 'macventure' series. Things like seeing you discover what the bottom left corner 'X's mean is always enjoyable. Thanks a lot for playing and for uploading that video :D
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First off, I love playing this game. It is a fantastic concept will amazing graphics, wonderful music, and a game that makes one feel they are in the game! I have to ask one thing... I have almost completed all achievements that the game has to offer. I'm puzzled by an accomplishment titled, Nice Try. I have tried everything and, I still come up short. Please help..., What am I missing why this reward hasn't been completed? Above all, this game is wonderful! As always, have a fantastic day!
Thank you for your kind words, I really appreciate that and I'm glad you enjoyed the game so much.
As for NICE TRY! It involves trying to escape the magical kingdom early on in your adventure
SOLUTION: Try using the ALAKAZAM spell (reveal hidden doors) on the wall in HESPERIDES PATH where the door that spit you out in the magic land used to be before it vanished
Thank you for replying. Out of all that I tried, that was not one of them lol! Thank you again for this Outstanding game! As always, have a fantastic day!
Awesome game dude!
Do you have another games in the works or something coming soon?
Thanks you so much. Yup, we're working on our next MacVenture game, Themeire, which takes place in a settlement in the new world. It's not really "coming soon", but hopefully it won't take too long :D
Hi. I loved the game, the art, the mechanics, the sound and the gameplay.
But something that has fascinated me has been the cursor that is used in the game. Is there any chance that I can get it so that I can adapt it for use in windows 10? Thanks.
Thank you. So happy you enjoyed it :D
Sure, here's the curser/hourglass spritesheet. Hopefully you know how to turn that into a custom curser, cause I've never tried doing that before
Thanks a lot! Today i'm gonna play your other game, INFESTED (I'm really Hyped :D). Anyway thanks again for the cursor pack, i'm using it now as my cursor for windows, was easy to convert as the size fits perfect.
Ah, another thing, i saw some days ago about your new incoming game called Themeire, there is not a release date still, im correct? Im anxious to try it out too.
Best regards, Volpest.
Cool, glad that worked :D
Hope you enjoy Infested
No release date yet for Themeire, but probably late next year.
I've completed this game (also wrote an article on it on TV Tropes: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/Spectacle) and I'd say it's amazing, feels just like the NES ports of MacVentures without the hardware limitations affecting the graphics/sound/gameplay and with more modern design principles.
Kinda wish there were some extra lines for stupid actions like "TAKE SELF", though, just for laughs. Also kinda disappointed there's only one savefile, but I get it was done to not make the challenges too easy. I will play Infested as well. It'd be interesting to see how a third GrahfVenture could top this one someday.
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed it and I hope you have fun with INFESTED. Thanks for the article as well. It was really fun reading all of the tropes found in our games :D
Also, "GrahfVenture" genuinly made my day. That's awesome!!!
We started work on our next GrahfVenture game, so I'm really excited for you to play it!
Hey, I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your games. They are absolutely pitch perfect pastiches of the classic ICOM NES adventures. This one reminded me a lot of Uninvited, which was my personal favorite of the three. I can really tell a lot of love went into this. Do you have any plans for sequels or a third game?
Thank you so much, we really appreciate it. I'm glad you were reminded of Uninvited cause we made this to be an unofficial prequel to the classic with a few obvious tie-in's and some not-so-subtle implied connections between the two :D
There's a couple of ideas for a 3rd game, with one being in the early [literal] pen & paper stages. I wish we could make these games more frequent, but we only do this part-time for fun and we also work on non-itch,io titles as well, on the side.
If there's any concrete plans for a 3rd game we'll definitely post some ideas on here :D
Are you still planning on posting a walkthrough and/or giving hints through this page?
I can certainly give hints on here anytime. Otherwise I just posted the complete step-by-step walkthough in the comment section on the "Welcome to the Spectacle" page. Thanks for reminding me :D
https://grahfmetal.itch.io/spectacle/devlog/145212/welcome-to-the-spectacle
Thank you! Yeah, back in the day they were very easy to get immersed into for hours. My friend and I would play them for hours and find all the different ways to die and then we'd try to beat the games faster than each other :D
Are you planning on releasing Linux version? I'd love to play it. It looks very unique and reminds me of my childhood at the same time.
There's currently no plans for a Linux or mac version, sorry about that :(
Looks amazing! Will play when I get home from Work !
epic gamer old school styled game
any walkthroughs or hints?
We're going to post a walkthrough shortly, in the meantime I can give you a hint on here, if you'd like
ok sure! i met the hooded stranger in the palace and they told me to head south. i have scroll 1 and 2, moon coin, sun coin, broken instrument, eye gem and red key. tried going south in the desert but i keep dying. and the piranhas keep eating me by the waterfall
Your next big step is getting rid of Yajna, the blue flame beast and entering a secret room. You have everything you'll need, but you'll also need a few spell hidden in the palace and out in the field. It involves the Hyleg Well
Solution (SPOILERS):
Step 1: USE ROSETTA STONE on the wall scribblings behind the tapestry hanging up in the spiral staircase (Sorcerous' Spiral) to get the NIAHC spell
Step 2: USE ROSETTA STONE on the Scribblings found on either side of the stone structure outside (where you first appeared in the world) and Learn the SAF and O. CLOCK spells
Step 3: Move around outside until the moon in the night sky is glowing bright (USE SAF to speed up time by 6 hours). USE O. CLOCK spell to freeze time while the moon glows and go the room with the well and the moon will be lined up with the lunar phase mural on the wall in the back
Step 3: USE NIAHC spell (Chain spelled backward) on the chains to lift up the well cover and USE the MOON COIN on the glowing well to have a gust of powerful wind blow
Step 4: USE ROSETTA STONE on the wall in the Scholar's Repose (the room with the Red Book) to learn the ALAKAZAM spell
Step 5: During the day head up the stairs and Yajna will be blown away by the well's gust of wind
Step 6: USE ALAKAZAM on the outline door on the back wall to access a hidden room
edit: sike i got it all! thank you so much!! love the game!! :D
Is there a 32 bit?
Sorry, I don't understand. Are you asking if there's a 32-bit version?
yes
No, there isn't, sorry
I played it for a bit. I must say it's great! https://www.twitch.tv/videos/664998334
I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Hope you continue to have a good time. Thanks :D
I made some progress https://www.twitch.tv/videos/666086449
It took me many hours but I was able to win. Very nice game.
gamejolt trophies?
Sorry, I don't know what that means
gamejolt trophies its similar to playstation trophies or achievements
This looks RIGHT up my lane I am SO excited to play it!
Awesome! Hope you enjoy it :D
I streamed this on twitch last night. I don't think it's particularly my style, but I did enjoy the circus/carnival theme at the start.
Thank you. Sorry to hear it's not your style, but to each their own :D
Have you per chance played any of the games that this style is based on? namely Shadowgate, Deja Vu and Uninvited on the NES?
I've never played any of those.
Our previous game, Infested, was saspiritual sequel to Shadowgate, while Spectacle is an unofficial sequel to Uninvited. I highly recommend Shadowgate as it's an absolute classic and one of the best puzzle games ever made. I think the best way to play it is the NES port which can be found on the "8-Bit Adventure Anthology Volume 1" which came out on PS4 and Steam. Of course you can also get an original NES cart for like $8
https://raphael-hawk.itch.io/vicious try this if yoy can
A_M_A_Z_I_N_G game ! I think the only down side is the UX (many many clicks to get through the game). I understand thats the type of games, but nowadays, it always feels a bit tiring after a while
Thank you! Although it IS a "Point & Click Adventure" game, so plenty of pointing and clicking while adventuring ;)
Also there's controller support, so there's the option for plenty of "pressing" if clicking not your thing :D
In all seriousness, we're glad you enjoyed it
This game looks amazing! My mind can't fathom that it's free :O
Thank you! It's a hobby/side project of ours so we wanted to make it for fun and for free just to make people happy and we would love to introduce this oft-forgotten sub-genre to a new audience or bring people back to the past whom grew up on these style games in the 80s :D
Thank you, very generous! I love the genre :D
This looks awesome, thanks!
Thank you so much :D
What is this game
It's a point & Click Adventure game in the style of the cult classic "Macventure" series that came out on the NES made up of Shadowgate, Deja Vu and Uninvited. Essentially it's a sub-genre of Point & Click games in which you explore environment and solve puzzles using a array of command verbs and item inventory
Ooooh boy I'm sorry for you if you only ever got to play them on NES.
I've played them on every platform. I just chose to adopt the NES style
Yours looks AND plays a hundred times better than the NES versions (controlling them with a controller was absolute trash back in the day, and it's even harder with an emulator and a keyboard). Your game actually seems much closer to my favorite versions, which were on the Commodore 64 . The graphics and animation, like yours, were far superior. There's something to be said for the black and white Mac graphics, too, which looked like pencil sketches. Really good job here, very well done and super nostalgia-inducing.
I actually made a mock up B&W Mac screen for our previous game, Infested, for fun. Might make one up for Spectacle one of these days. In a perfect world with more time, money and interest we would have loved to have made a retro Mac version :D
I finished Spectacle yesterday and Infested today, they are both wonderfull games. You made me discover this genre, I already had a try at Shadowgate on emulator a long time ago, but got quickly discouraged. Now I guess I will have another try on these nes classics, it will help me to wait until your third adventure game !!
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed them. Shadowgate had always been one of my all-time favorite games, I think it's definitely worth a revisit. The Uninvited is also really awesome, but is a bit more convoluted. As for Deja-Vu, as much as I genuinely love the game, I usually recommend people play it with a walkthrough cause it's rather open ended and requires a LOT of patience and trial and error, but with a walkthrough it's good to simply experience the game straightforward
Holy crap this game is good
Thanks :D
oooh thx!
:-o ... I, too, loved the Shadowgate style games. This looks incredible! Thank you for making it!
Thank you for playing it :D
I love the game layout and engine. I would love to use it for other projects. Would you sell the game engine?
Hi, glad you like it! The game engine is actually GameMaker Studio 2 by YoYo Games
https://www.yoyogames.com/
Thanks. I know that part. But did you guys build some sort of template . Where you just have to pop in different graphics and story lines. Or is each game designed from the ground up?
Designed from the ground up
How do you maneuver the lost desert
The directions are found written in a book in a library. The directions are cryptic, but if you wish for know the solution, then...
[SPOILERS]
The directions are written in the Blue Book in the Chamber of Knowledge. The song "Sacred Sons Enter Sun Weathered Sands Weielding Sourcerer Slaying Scimitars"
Further hint...
[SPOILERS]
The first letter in each word S S E S W S W S S S are the directions to take through the desert. The compass on the ground near the desert entrance will orientate you (as well as the sun rising from the East)
Congrats on releasing another game GrahfMetal! I had a blast with Infested and so far it's been the same with Spectacle. These games always hook me after playing the NES version of Shadowgate.
One very minor issue I noticed: Examining the writing at the Hesperides Path gives a spelling error of "decifer".
Also, my apologies but I appear to have been stumped and could use a hint. I have the red, blue, and gold keys and believe I've done everything in the Northlands. I've reached the palace gate in the Southlands but don't have the correct key. There's a boulder I can't move and the shah statue accepts one item, but there's no reaction. The loose dirt in the area tells me I need a shovel but I don't seem to have seen one in any of the places I've been.
I did initially run into a roadblock with finding the blue key from not noticing the spot to place the item so I'm likely just being unobservant or not understanding Scroll II. I have gone back through each screen to see if there was an item or writing for a new spell with no luck. Much appreciated for any help!
And best of luck with whatever project you work on next!
Thank you very much! You next step is to find a hidden Spell in the Azure Palace (first palace ) that will help you with the boulder to the south. Look closely, you'll notice something is out of place ;)
Thanks for the hint! I must be very unobservant here as I went back and examined/used anything that looked remotely out of place and still have turned up empty. This will undoubtedly be one of those moments where the answer will be so obvious I wondered how I could have overlooked it.
If you would like the answer...
[SPOILERS]
In the Chamber of Knowledge (the library in the Azure Palace) the wall on the left has a mural of clouds and one of the wall tiles is upside-down TAKE the upside-down cloud tile to remove it and USE the ROSETTA STONE on the writing to learn the spell OPEN SESAME. USE O. SESAME on a rock leading into the tower
Thanks for the answer. That had me completely stumped.
I finished the game and greatly enjoyed it!
I have uploaded a playthrough of the game:
Thank you for the enjoyment and the help.
I'm also looking for all the ways to meet a terrible end as that's also part of the fun with these games but I haven't completed the challenge to be killed by every monster so I'll be hunting down what has to hunt me down first.
Awesome! Thank you so much! We'll definitely check out the video when we get the chance :D
Before continuing, I will give you all lots of credit in general. This is a well constructed game overall with a great soundtrack and mostly solid content. I will always have a place in my heart for these types of games and please don't take any of this as anything other than constructive criticism - the overall quality of stuff you put out is very good and I hope you keep going in the future.
----------
With that being said, once you get the yellow key and move onto the next part of the game (which will remain unnamed to prevent spoilers - the devs will know what I am talking about), it becomes completely illogical. The "hint" provided in the piece of reading material you find along your way is not indicative one single bit of how you're actually supposed to apply it. It's not a tune or sound when it comes to to apply it in-game, so why say it is, or even act as if the player can use it in that fashion? Also, how does one logically die in said area in nighttime conditions...? The directional "hint" given is completely irrelevant as well, as traveling in that direction will always bring death because it's a multitude of directions in a specific order (with limited chances and forced back to start each time), not just one as the hint indicates.
This brings back lots of memories of puzzles like "throw spider at dead butler with no hint - just use until something works after 75 deaths" from Uninvited.
That really did turn me off to the game honestly, because as much as I love Uninvited, I loathed the handful of completely ridiculous and illogical puzzles in that game. Puzzle games should be winnable without walkthroughs or obscenely cryptic hints. The puzzles previously were very tough in many cases, but none of them were like this which is why I still had the determination to keep trying and got through them all until now. Hints so cryptic that they will require a walkthrough in most player's cases should never be a necessity in games like this, as you only truly get to play them as intended once.
I may pick it back up again in the future, but that's gonna be it for me for now. That type of gameplay isn't engaging - it just makes you lose interest very quickly. All of the others puzzles were challenging but fair. If this is an indication of how the game ends, it's gonna be tough to find the motivation to finish it.
----------
My honest, overall opinion (hey - this is the kind of feedback you guys ask for) is that this game is solid, but missed the mark in this very vital way. I think you did so much better in terms of a well constructed puzzle game overall with Infested. It may not have been as flashy or have as nice of a soundtrack (fantastic soundtrack in Spectacle, by the way - especially the outdoors track. Catchy stuff!), but the puzzles clues made sense (even if slightly confusing to begin with).
I'd probably give the following number scores to each game.
Spectacle - 7/10
Infested - 10/10
As I said originally though - don't stop! I'm one person sharing one opinion and not everyone will approve of everything you make. Your attention to detail and quality productions I've seen so far will ensure I will be interested in the next game you create. I just wish some things had been done differently in Spectacle - it started off amazing and then lost it's spark rather quickly for a player like me who's not interested in needing a hint system to beat the game.
Cheers!
We really appreciate the criticism (not sarcastically), so it's all good. Thanks for the feedback. Just to be clear, are we talking about the path required to get through the desert? The idea behind that puzzle is;
[SPOILERS]
According to the book Theives would sing a song "Sacred Suns Enter Sun Weathered Sands Weilding Sorcerer Slaying Scimitars" to navigate the desert. This is meant to show that they needed a tune in order to remember the direction to take. The tune of course having the first letter in each word indicating a direction, i.e. S S E S W S W S S S or South -> South -> East -> South -> West -> South -> West -> South -> South -> South. So by taking these directions through the desert will see you safe the the other side.
The second part to the puzzle is knowing that North, East, South, West is NOT Up, Right, Down, Left as one might presume, but rather it's Left, Up, Right, Down according to both the giant compass on the ground near the desert and because the Sun rises from the East.
Also, dying in that area in the nighttime is simply from being lost and exhausted.
Hopefully this helped. If not, please don't hesitate to let me know and I can certainly give more or different details
Thanks again!
Mind. Blown.
Thanks for responding! I did end up gathering at least the part in the book from another family member who is also quite impressed with your work :)
Yes, that is the puzzle (wasn't sure how much could be said in public comments) and I think your response does help put into perspective the kind of feedback I was looking to provide. To some, that may seem logical, but especially in ICOM-type games, that's kind of misleading. With the game having a number of Shadowgate-esque spells (and Shadowgate being famous for spells within a book - especially the NES version), the hint seems to indicate that this is literally a spell you need to determine how to learn/chant to prevent dying/getting lost in the desert (this was also loosely implemented in Uninvited when using the spell to get out of the maze you get stuck in). Logically, when one tries to pick up the book, use the "spell thingy" on it etc. (trying to limit spoilers - sorry LOL, couldn't think of a better vague name), if that's not the intent, then the ICOM game nature was usually to give at least some very (and possibly VERY) vague hint along the lines of "What you think this means may not be the real meaning" or perhaps another item (such as one of the scrolls) being a little more descriptive in what to do next- something like that. Something that tells the astute player that they really should be paying better attention to the meaning behind this item. Instead, the response is very stock such as "what did you expect", or "you don't need that here" or something.
Like I was saying in my previous post, I just feel these types of games should never leave a player with almost no choice but to use a walkthrough because of vagueness (the scrolls and other lore in the game didn't help with this piece either because they refer to them solely as the Southern Lands - parody that to Deja Vu II when you need to go to the mafia's laundromat. The direction to reach it given in the game is the literal and only direction you need to take - no others). Most important reason for this in my opinion is because you only get to experience them as intended once and that experience is extremely watered down when the answer has to be given to you. There are many players out there who are vehemently against walkthroughs who may end up feeling the same.
The reason I say these things is nothing other than to help out and share my opinions, so please always know it's in complete friendliness. You have a great talent for making these types of games and I think if the puzzle system met somewhere in the middle of Infested and Spectacle, you would probably have something you may even be able to sell at this point (I know I'd buy it). You've proven the quality of your work overall - I honestly wondered why this game was free itself ;)
If you're done with this conversation, not a problem at all - I just hope maybe some of what I said makes sense and helps when designing your next awesome adventure. Take care!
Thanks for more feedback and suggestions. It's always welcomed and we appreciate the continued support for sure. Don't hesitate to give future criticism or feedback if you find anything else either. We definitely consider everything you're saying and in future patches may tweek thing or two here and there.
Well, thanks for being receptive and respecting the point I was trying to make :)
Overall though - this community loves your games - including me. It's rare you see such dedication to re-creating those classic games with brand new content in such a sharp way and clever way (and holy cow, the Spectacle soundtrack is catchy indeed - that overworld theme especially. Amazing stuff). I must admit, at first I was slightly turned off by the lack of 8-bit music, but the soundtrack is just so good it totally overshadows that and fits perfectly.
From the bottom of my heart - thanks for all you do and I only hope anything i've suggested is helpful at some point.
Also, I did read a little below - interesting. I've been struggling to get the fruit as well and I thought I cleared the monastery already (maybe I didn't though - I still get flattened like a pancake when trying to go over the balcony ledges). No spoilers please :) - i've decided to give it another run and want to try and figure this one out - there has got to be something I missed because all of those puzzles were really neat in my opinion (especially the levers).
Anywho - hope you have a great weekend!
Ended up figuring out how to get the fruit (can't believe I didn't think how before-hand. There was a very clear clue in the general area).
Evil stitch is a pain in the a** though XD, definitely gonna need to think about this one.
After that one puzzle, it definitely got a lot better again. The subtle (even vague but still clear if you pay attention) hints are back and it feels much more appropriate in my opinion :)
/edit - aha. So evil stitch can be defeated. Nice one there. That was clever and took a minute but again, paying close attention pays off :D
Congratulation GrahfMetal for this marvellous game! Unfortunately I'm stuck in the southern region.. I took the polearm from the guardian and cannot do anything else, there are no spells i can learn and i can not seem to understand how i can get the red fruit.. A little help please? Thanks!
Thanks! You've completed the Azure Palace, hence the path the the South. Note that there's 3 spells hidden within that palace, one of which will help you in the southern land, and there are 2 spells in the North field. Your next step (Red Fruit) will be done as you solve the mysteries of the Calming Monastery (the palace on the river in the north lands), so the Monastery is your next destination. If you're still stuck after this I can tell you exactly what to do on here
I found the one in the chamber with the book and the eye and the one on the stairs, so I'm missing one.. Will check again! I also thought I finished with the monastery but it seems not! I love this adventure!
There is a suggestion in the area where the fruit is present. Review the area in it's entirety - you may find something worth examining that you haven't beforehand, which will suggest what you'd need to get it.
I promse I'll stop bugging you, but are there plans for a third game?
No problem at all. There's no plans just yet. I have an idea for a setting, design and story in my mind, but not really any gameplay/puzzle ideas that stand out.
First of all, was linked to this via PC Gamer. I enjoyed Infected a few years ago so it's good to see you're still doing games. Noticed this was built using GameMaker, it's a nice showcase of what the engine can do.
Enjoying this, but may have discovered a bug. When first entering the desert, I sometimes see what looks like a piece of cloth with some balls to the right of it sometimes, and I cannot interact with it. It later disappears when I go off-screen.
One thing that might be a little odd is how some items interact. I'd figured the halbeard could be used to get the fruit per the description, but I can't. Similar story with the loose rock. I'd assume if it's loose, then I could just take it. (Edit, just used it, that did the trick). Simirally, some spells have effects on certain parts of the screen, but not others (the reveal spell).
Also, what are you meant to do with the sun coin? I've gotten rid of the spirit guarding the chalice, but after that, I'm stuck.
What Halberd are you referring too exactly?
After defeating the fire spirit there's a hidden room just past him.
Yes, some spells are immediate area spells and some require a specific target.
The SUN COIN is used after a series of puzzles in the calming monastery (the palace on the river)
Thanks for the clarification. Got the hidden room and that opened up the desert region properly. The first note made me think I had to do something similar with what I did to the moon coin to the sun coin.
Meant to say polearm. I got it from the statue in the southern region.
Also, possibly another bug I've found? In the calming monastery, there's the mosaic of a falcon protecting a ship. There's a door outline there. I did figure out how to open it, but there's no text to say something like if you use the opening spell, something along the lines of there's a door there, but the spell won't work on it.
One final thing. Ended up brute-forcing the engine room puzzle in the calm monastery., so I don't know if there was a guide somewhere I missed. How do you open the left-side door with the head above it (if you can)? I got a picture that looks like there should be a space to put the sun coin in the engine room, but I can't do so.
Thanks again for an excellent game.
With the left side door with the head above it, just look at the position of the head
Solution:
[SPOILERS]
When the MARBLE HEAD is placed on it's original bust in the TRIREME CORRIDORE, click USE on the head to turn it around facing left, this will open the gate blocking the left doorway
That did the trick, and makes a lot of other things make sense. Thanks again.
Really enjoying this. I played Infested about a year back, which I enjoyed quite a bit, but this one really nails the creepy nature of Shadowgate and Uninvited (and to a lesser extent, Deja Vu), with a little bit of Myst of all things thrown in. This feels like an instant classic.
And the soundtrack is wonderful! At first, I thought the not-exactly-NES style music would be better off if it were more in the style of NES chiptune stuff, but the two "field" themes in particular are so good and atmospheric that I can't imagine it any other way.
One suggestion I might add: Shadowgate had a feature where if you pressed Select it would give you (sometimes) a vague context-sensitive hint based on the room you were in. I think that'd be neat here.
Anyway, I'm stuck at the Guardian just to the right of the throne room. I thought the solution was obvious based on The Uninvited (and I have something in my inventory that should do the trick and get him to go away) but alas, it's not that simple. What should I do? I know there are some items you need to USE on SELF (and I've got two of them), and I feel I'm missing a third that's necessary.
Thanks, glad you're enjoying it :D
The soundtrack was originally going to be 8-bit, but when we heard the first pass on a couple of the songs and SFX we felt it didn't fit. Glad you like it
The hint idea is a really good suggestion. Maybe down the road on a future update we can work something like that in, thanks :D
As for the Guardian; the solution may not be the bird, but it's still linked to Uninvited. When you get the item needed, you'll know what it is.
Solution:
[SPOILERS]
USE the SHOVEL on the loose earth in the room called ALFALFA CLEARING. You'll dig up a chest with a SCROLL III and the BLOTHNY GEM. USE the BLOTHNY GEM on the guardian to make it fly away.
Hallo Grahfmetal,
May I ask you the tip for the Cicada Lock? I'm a bit stuck with the Gold and Silver Cicada there, don't know what to do.
Thanks before and have a good day.
Sure, no problem
Hint:
The time to solve the puzzle is now!
Solution:
[SPOILERS]
Check your watch for the current time (when standing at the Cicada Lock) and place the GOLD CICADA on the current hour and the SILVER CICADA on the current minute
The download link in the Itch launcher says it's "Not available on Windows". :(
To be clear, I grabbed it on the website. It would just be cool if I could get it through the launcher. Excited to try it out!
Not sure just yet how to setup the launcher. We'll get back to you soon, thanks
Made a video
Hey Grahfmetal,
I'm kinda stuck. I've made it into the Azure Palace and obtained the instrument but i've been completely lost for an hour since trying to get the full moon in hyleg well room, trying to get the bottle in the river and also trying to get the fruit in that tree,
Plz help
Thanks
Edit: I just found the rosetta stone and got 2 of the spells but i'm still struggling with what to do next
[SPOILERS]
O. CLOCK spell will allow you to freeze time in order to line up the Moon in the Hyleg well room. Another spell will allow you to open the well An item in the Azure palace will help you get the BOTTLE.
I'm writing because I'm stuck, but before I figure out how to encode that, thank you for this game. What makes classics classic in any genre is they use the medium to tell a story in a way that wouldn't be possible without that specific format, and that's what makes your point and click feel old school more than the pixelated aesthetic. This is a great combination of timing, wordplay, and visual detail, and the puzzles feel 'real' -- enough of the puzzles tell a story that nothing feels like it's randomly been dropped in the wrong room just to add to the gameplay time.
Going to try to give hopefully non-spoilery clues to where I'm stuck.
- I have red, blue, and grey keys, but not yellow. I've used two keys so far.
- The guardian is still guarding, the stars are obscured, and nothing's solved with beast and bird. I can see the cosmos, and I've gotten zapped.
- I've found and correlated a few clues about the time, but aside from taking notes haven't found out their purpose.
If that's not enough to explain where I'm stuck I can answer more. As an aside, does gameplay require people to click on a fast traveler? I've spent way too long trying to get the timing of that to work.
Thank you for the kind words! Glad you're enjoying the game so far.
[SPOILERS]
Your next step appears to be getting the bird to help you. If you have the FALCON GLOVE than you can USE it on SELF when the bird does a fly by. You dont need to click on the moving bird sprite himself
A very fun game, and I'm enjoying playing it. I've gotten stuck a few times just because I couldn't see that there was something I could interact with, but managed to figure it out from seeing the few hints in the comments here.
[SPOILER]
I'm completely and utterly stuck on how to transport the oasis water, sadly.
Glad you're enjoying it :D
[SPOILER]
USE the EMPTY BOTTLE on the Oasis. The EMPTY BOTTLE is received from using OPEN on the GLASS BOTTLE with the TORN NOTE found by the JASMINE WATERFALL
This was super fun! I really enjoy old-school aesthetic games and this definitely scratches that itch. The world was fun to explore, and had a lot of interesting things going on. Having 6 different commands to do in each room really gives you a lot of options! I was pleasantly surprised by the music as well, there were quite a few great tracks. There's just something I love about being dropped in a new world and just told to explore. I definitely recommend this if you like older style point and click games!
Just finished watching. It's always fun watching people play these kinds of games for the first time without having played any other titles in the 'macventure' series. Things like seeing you discover what the bottom left corner 'X's mean is always enjoyable. Thanks a lot for playing and for uploading that video :D
I felt so stupid once I realized that! Glad you enjoyed, thanks for the cool experience!
No need to feel stupid at all. It's part of discovering the way these games work. This sub-genre is charmingly dated