Game Diary: Corrypt
Developed By: Michael Brough (Mighty Vision) Platform: Mac, Windows, iOS Played: September 26, 2016. http://mightyvision.blogspot.co.nz/2012/12/corrypt.html
Explanation
Corrypt is a top down puzzle game. You initially move from screen to screen through a crypt solving quests for different alien-like creatures that you can talk to, all using a tile- based movement system. Most of these introductory puzzles involve pushing/pulling blocks or using each creature’s quirky movement to press buttons, which open up paths for the players. If you make a mistake that you can’t fix, there is an undo function that takes you back to the moment before you walked into the new room. There are also keys, “score gems”, and mushrooms to collect.
Eventually, certain tiles begin to become “corrupt”. The moment a tile becomes corrupted, it permanently copies the tile from whatever room you were in when it happened. This means that you can bring these corrupt tiles with you to override the tiles on other screens, allowing you to clear paths to new areas. You can also bring creatures or boxes to other screens if they were on the corrupt tile before you moved to a new screen.
In the second half of the game, you gain the ability to buy “magic” with the mushrooms you collected, which allows you to choose a tile you want to corrupt. You make your way through each room on two floors (separated by ladders), and win once you collect all seven score gems.
Verbs
Move, push/pull boxes, touch button, problem solve, use “magic”, collect items, talk to NPC, interact with creatures, undo, use key, buy magic
Dynamics
The player can use magic on a ladder, effectively allowing the player to use it from any room.
Since the player can’t die, and they can undo their actions, there is no way for players to
lose the game.
Players can use magic to completely bypass certain puzzles entirely.
If a player wanted to empty a room of unnecessary “junk” (like extra boxes or creatures), they can do so using the corrupt tiles. This can help simplify certain rooms.
Additional Notes
After completing the game, the very next time you start it up will be a trippy screen of jumbled pixels and strange sounds, which is a neat touch. It further adds to the illusion of you corrupting the game. Starting it up an additional time will take you to the main menu. Upon obtaining your first “magic”, the game gives you your only checkpoint in the game. This is nice because it allows you to continue from this point if you decide to play again.
The music and sound effects sound more and more corrupt the more times the player uses magic or collects “score gems”.
There is no reason to use magic on a wall tile, as it would only hinder progress. Brough stated in a Gamasutra article that had the game been a platformer, it could have made use of both negative and positive space: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/213083/Road_to_the_IGF_Michael_Broughs_Corry pt.php
This is a great insight into the creation and iteration of the game: http://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2014/07/corrypt-post-cariem.html
Similar Games
Zelda (puzzles, and similar movement)
Game Title and Game Title Lost Levels (by the same dev)
Design Ideas
I love several of the concepts presented in the game. The feeling of the game world appearing to become more and more “buggy” is fantastic. It essentially breaks the fourth wall, but makes what you are doing to the world inside the game feel much more impactful.
I also love the “magic” in this game. Permanently locking certain tiles across all screens brings up many interesting puzzle ideas. Especially if used in a platformer, as Brough mentioned in the Gamasutra article.
