Ascended

IMPORTANT NOTICE

v2.4 MASSIVE quality of life additions. An the next update will be the working on a save system. I need more time but its almost here.

A discord server was made to directly report bugs, seek help, or show-off. I know a tiny amount of people will use it. But its easier then dm's everytime.

https://discord.gg/xnawyBT6

THE EXE IS UP. A MOUSE IS REQUIRED!!

This is a difficult game. The real playthrough begins once you learn how it works. 
Please try not to spoil the ending.

I put my heart and soul into this project. I made almost everything myself, except sound effects and ambience. The art and music are the best I could do within the timeframe while focusing heavily on code.

The core game and main loop are complete. I will continue updating bug fixes, quality of life updates, and then releasing already completed but unused content.
I will be releasing an updated version every other week  during the weekends.  This is hard to consistently do without a pc. So this is my goal but not always accurate.

Handcrafted Features

• Moves and information that reward alternate playstyles and punish assumptions
  Some moves are intentionally filler. Reading matters.

• Two completely different endings

• Five or more stages with puzzles and unlockable NPCs

• Every move and system is intentional, I tried to think of everything

• This version has no level cap, you just need to farm longer as you level up.

Recommendations

• The game is built to be spam clickable
  Click the left or right side of the screen to skip dialogue
  Clicking the center may accidentally select options

• Attempt Greek Stage

• Attempt Japanese Stage

• Finish Greek

• Finish Celtic

• Finish Norse

• Beat the game

Game Description

A mysterious glowing obelisk brought the books to life.

Stories and mythologies awakened, taking form within the library’s walls. Markings hidden upon the obelisk began to glow, foretelling a clash between two great powers, where the victor would rise beyond anything even fiction has imagined.

Bookkeepers across the world rushed to act. They bound the living stories, now known as spirits, and wielded them as weapons. One by one, they failed or vanished. The spirits coming to life was not a gift, but a challenge, as if something unseen had placed a sword in your hands and waited to see who would survive.

You are a child Bookkeeper, inheriting only what others left behind.
Only one shall be ascended beyond the limits of recorded knowledge.

About Me

There is more information on my profile.

This is my first fully solo developed game, and I wanted it to matter. My only formal game development experience comes from three semesters in school. I chose to make this a 2D game because it allowed me to fully meet my scope and focus on systems, design, and completion. I don't have a pc but I always worked on it even without. Which is why there so much text.

During development, I used Aseprite for all art assets, which I have been working with throughout all three semesters. I have two semesters of coding experience(intro-c++ and html/css), and I did the best I could while continuing to learn throughout the project. I learned BandLab for music barely during the 7th day of this game development but many youtube videos and friends with that as their core passion helped me learn the bare minimum I needed. 

I am currently focusing on a meaningful update every other week. This is how the game will be however. My goal is to update a final version eventually that fully implements unused but completed content and remaining assets with polish.

I am not walking away from this project. But i'm not investing years. I intend to see it through with all planned content with polish. Once it is finished, I will step back and let it exist as it is meant to. 

Game Jam Version

This game was created using the Kraken game engine by Durk.

It was developed as a 30 day class assignment and was completely independent and solo. All code, art, music, dialogue, and design were created by me. Only sound effects/ambience were sourced from free assets, as required.

Due to community request, this version will remain downloadable forever as is. This is for fellow game developers. Its super jank not in the fun way.

Jam Version Severe Issues

Please read before playing.

• Do not use the fourth character slot in a solo only run
  If they die, the game will crash
  

• If you leave the Norse area after fighting the boss, he cannot be fought again
  This results in a hard lock, A debugging hotkey remains active
  Press the O key to progress if needed, Speedrunners may abuse this

• Audio overlap is a known issue. Music layers may stack indefinitely
  To avoid this, mute scenes before they end

• If you run out of FP on every move during a fight and cannot die, the game must be closed and reopened. Progress will be lost.
  To avoid this, always heal at NPCs

I am genuinely sorry for these issues. It was a time crunch.