Fractal Burst

Fractals are repeating patterns, often found throughout nature. Time is one. Follow Isaac and his android partner in an attempt to alter the neverending fractal of time.

Fractal Burst was created for the 6th Annual Driftwood Gaming Jam and is my first attempt at game development. I chose the themes

  • Not what it seems
  • Time Travel
  • Babies (You'll understand by the end)

I had a lot of fun making this game, from writing the story and dialogue to creating the soundtrack. RPG Maker MZ is a nifty little engine and I appreciate how fast it let me get a game up and running. The plugin system is also great, and I enjoyed writing some custom JS code (The major one being the four corner battle screen).  In future endeavors, I may branch out to game engines like Unity or the Unreal engine, but for now, I'm happy with RPG Maker MZ.

The game was designed to be completed in under 30 minutes, and will most likely clock in at about 20 minutes. At the bottom of this readme is a guide to get you through the puzzles and some combat strategy, if you need it.

Soundtrack

Credits

Game: Dan Lungaro 

Music: Dan Lungaro 

Assets: RPG Maker MZ RTP, Visustella Horror School, Horror City Hospital, Cyber Sci-Fi SFX, Crystal Cavern Asset Pack, Cyber City Exterior Pack, Tyler Warren

Game Engine: RPG Maker MZ 

Strategy Guide

General Tips

  • Every corner room has a Time Crystal, so don't feel too apprehensive about saving and healing up. 
  • Make sure to investigate your surroundings, there are free items about. 
  • Don't forget about the vending machine! Those items can help you through tough battles. 
  • The recommended path is 

    Bottom Right Corner -> Bottom Left Corner -> Top Left Corner -> Top Right Corner

Combat Tips

  • Teff is a support android, so use him like one! He can be used to heal and give items (such as soda) to Isaac. This lets Isaac use his big damage attacks, specifically the Time Bullet you gain at level 5. 
  • Teff's rocket launcher ability he gains at level 3 is an area effect, so it's highly effective against a group of enemies. 
  • If you are struggling at any point, make sure to buy additional items at the vending machines. An easy strategy to beat most enemies is to have Isaac use his special attacks while Teff gives him soda to replenish his MP.
  • If you want additional experience, defeat all the enemies in the top left corner room. If you defeat all of them and the nightmare creature boss, you will be at level 7, making the final boss a bit easier.

Puzzle Answers

  • Seconds in a year: 31,536,000 
  • Computer Quiz Answer #1: "what is undone is undone" (This answer is found on the statues in the top right corner of the initial room).
  • Computer Quiz Answer #2: "An infinitely repeating pattern" 
  • Computer Quiz Answer #3: "SU-T3F" 
  • 8 is the number you seek in the top left corner room. 

Download

Download
Fractal Burst_Windows V1.0.zip 126 MB
Download
Fractal Burst_Mac V1.0.zip 286 MB

Install instructions

Unzip the file and select the Game application file.

Development log

Comments

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This was fun, a nice debut game. Suitably challenging but not frustrating, and good writing. I really liked the soundtrack you personally produced, great job on that!

My  only critique would be the tileset clash in this spot:

The lofi POP! chipset looks awkward with the crisper regular sprites- I mention this mainly because I got flack for doing this same thing before I knew any better :)

Overall well done, it was a fun playthrough.

(+1)

Thanks for playing!

Glad you brought up the tileset. I honestly was very iffy on keeping it in or not. I was trying to have it as “another dimension”, but I agree it’s a bit jarring visually. In future projects, I’m definitely going to keep assets in the same style or at least very similar. I’ll most likely keep it in for the game, but have it as a lesson learned.

I had a lot of fun making the game and the soundtrack, so I’m glad you were able to enjoy it. I appreciate you taking the time to play it and for the feedback!

Hah, I wondered if that might have something to do with it. My reasoning was similiar in my game Haroldry- the protagonist has a fever at the beginning, so I thought it would be cool to use the Time Fantasy Japan tileset to make the world look feverish, much like your idea for another dimension. That did not alas save me from comments about the clash :) 

Sure thing, thanks for making a game and music. Good luck in the Jam!