ATROPOS
A downloadable game for Windows and Linux
The elders of your coven have tasked you, a lowly atropos, to complete the ritual of ascendance on your own - before the eclipse above you blackens the sky entirely. You have 20 minutes to find all three ancient artifacts the elders desire, but they warn you of a lurking threat deep in the forest...
Before playing, please take a look at the list of controls below - they are not explained in-game.
CONTROLS:
Movement
W, A, S, D to move
Mouse to look
Space bar to jump
Left shift to sneak
Interaction
F to interact with things in the world, characters, or pick up items
You can Hold F on some larger objects to carry them
E to swap hands
Q to place left-hand item in pocket
Scroll the mouse wheel to see your pocketed items
Hold and release middle mouse to throw your left-hand item
Hold right click to examine your left-hand item
While examining an item, move the mouse to rotate it, scroll the mouse wheel to zoom, and hold left + right mouse buttons OR the middle mouse button to pan your view
Press left click to use your right-hand item, if it can be used
Some items require you to hold and release left click
Press 1 or 2 to get a closer look at the status of the markings on your wrists
Other Controls
How do I get out of here?
Press Escape to open the settings menu, which also allows you to exit and restart the game.
ABOUT THE GAME:
ATROPOS is a survival horror sandbox game where the goal is to retrieve all three artifacts, while avoiding whatever lurks in the forest, and enact an occult ritual, before the eclipse blots out the sun.
LIMITATIONS:
Unfortunately, the game does not explain the controls. Hopefully the above descriptions and accompanying visual aid are enough.
FUTURE PLANS:
This game was made in two weeks primarily for Cosmic Horrors Jam 2022, and as such, it is a bug-filled mess. Expect issues and awkwardness.
Currently, the game is not being developed further. However, content updates and bug fixes may come in the future, as there was much I wanted to do with this game that I didn't have time for.
Thanks for taking a look at my game, I really appreciate it. I hope you have fun.
Download
Install instructions
WINDOWS
Step 1:
Download the .zip file.
Step 2:
Unzip the file into a folder of your choice.
Step 3:
Run ATROPOS.exe to start the game. Press Alt-F4 to exit the game.
LINUX
Step 1:
Download the .zip file.
Step 2:
Unzip the file into a folder of your choice.
Step 3:
Execute ATROPOS.x86_64 using your desktop environment.
Alternatively, in the command line, cd to the game directory and run this command:
./ATROPOS.x86_64
Development log
- ATROPOS [1.0.5] Post-Jam Content #1Nov 05, 2022
- ATROPOS [1.0.4] Player movement fixesNov 01, 2022
- ATROPOS [1.0.3] Bugfixes and Linux buildOct 29, 2022
- ATROPOS [1.0.2] Minor Improvements and BugfixesOct 27, 2022
Comments
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Is there 2nd ending? I completed game about 4 times in a row, I noticed that dialogue in the beginning changes a bit after 1st walkthrough. I have found a lot of alternative ways to get to some places. Is there something more to it? Please respond, I need to know.
Cool vibes btw.
Thanks for checking it out ,especially considering you beat it 4 times!
Unfortunately there's only a single ending in the current build, with a slight dialogue change after the first ending to hint to the player that it's a 'time-loop', and an extra dialogue option after 3-4 loops that allows you to skip the intro discussion with the elders.
I was planning on expanding the game with more optional endings but decided to move on to other projects for now. I can't say if I'll come back to ATROPOS but it's not out of the question.
i can rest in piece now....
A great concepts that needs a bit work.
I had a lot of problems with the many controls which were too complex in combo with the puzzles, the time limit and the monsters. So I fully agree with the monotonist, it's too much to take in and learn in such a short amount of time (and in general for this kind of game).
That being said, your concept and environment is so gorgeous that I really hope you keep on working on either this game or other ones because clearly, you know how to tell an engaging story and you have some cool ideas for interesting gameplay. It was just a little too ambitious for such a short indie game.
I got so confused which buttons/mousewheels and whatnot did what action but I really enjoyed everything else. And these are things you can learn and read up on. Creating engaging premises and stories as well as atmospheric environment is what will put you in the spotlight once you nail the gameplay elements.
I really really wanted to like this. I love the concept, and hope this can be refined further! Visuals were great, concept great, but the amount of keybinds was beyond frustrating to play. I think simplifying the controls should be the #1 priority to make this more playable
I streamed the game at 4:57:25
Hello - I'd like to first say thank you for streaming my game.
I'd also like to apologize for the frustrating controls.
The original intention with the 'hands' was to make a system that completely replaced a traditional user interface - your left hand acting as your 'inventory' and your right hand acting as your 'currently equipped item'.
I wanted to experiment with something unique that also required no 'context-sensitive' inputs. I feel that within the genre of survival horror there is a bit more freedom to subvert control standards.
I intended to cause the player to 'fumble' and feel a degree of stress when frantically attempting to use an item while being chased by a creature.
Unfortunately, as you know, I wasn't able to achieve the careful balance of making the in-game management of items just stressful enough without making the control scheme itself deeply frustrating.
I had very little time to improve on this system - due to the game jam's two week duration - and I had precious little feedback during development. I got so used to the way it worked that I didn't even realize it was obnoxious to use.
As far as the world itself being somewhat confusing - the game is not meant to be completed in 20 minutes the first time you play it. You explore, fail, and repeat until you've learned how to do the entire sequence in 20 minutes. Outer Wilds was a big inspiration of mine.
Regarding the issue where the green key was stuck under planks - I'm really sorry. That issue is something I've known about, but haven't been able to fix yet - ATROPOS is on the backburner for me at the moment.
During the stream you mentioned that you wanted to know how others reviewed ATROPOS. Here's a link to the reviews I received during Cosmic Horrors Jam.
I've also recorded a playthrough for you that includes the ending, if you're still curious. There are multiple ways to complete every 'objective' in ATROPOS, so this is only one way you could have completed the game.
Finally - I'm sorry for causing you such frustration. I hope you gleaned at least some enjoyment from the parts that were playable.
I've been a casual fan of yours since your deep rock galactic co-op with Vinesauce years ago - despite the negative reception, I still really appreciate you taking the time to check out ATROPOS.
-Shrine Dynamics
Thanks for stopping by the stream last night! It was fun seeing a full run of the game from your perspective. I read my comment again here and saw I was a bit harsh. In general I really like to see people experimenting with new kinds of UI, especially ones that don't require floating HUD elements on screen. Now that I understand what you were going for, it makes a lot more sense to me. I still think the sheer number of buttons needed to operate everything is tough to get used to though. I totally get the game jam time limit issues, and it's especially rough when you don't have people there to test and give feedback during that time. I'm excited to see where you go with this game or future ones. I'll happily give your future releases a try!
Haha, wrote my comment and while posting saw that we're pretty much on the same page. What a gorgeous little game that is hindered by the sheer amount of things you have to learn within 20 minutes whilst also solving puzzles.