Ren's Demons is a game written in a custom js game engine for any computer/phone that runs a web browser. Its engine is accessible to anyone from the js console, or its code on github.
In addition to keeping the code clean, I thought I'd write this little guide for anyone curious. Also, it's probably necessary to beat the demo.
In the demo or in the main game, you control children stuck in a neverending cycle of pain and cruelty. In order to beat the game, you need to break this cycle and free the characters. It appears that you cannot do that from inside the universe of the game. You're gonna have to think outside the box1.
You can manipulate the game from the js console. This game engine has a built-in solution to destroy all the demons and the suffering they cause in one go. You can trigger it from any js console, including the one in the game, by calling the module Wipe Internal Negativity (W.I.N.). In js, it's done by typing:
win();
You can also prevent the suffering of the characters by stopping the game engine and making sure the game is not able to run anymore. This solution is more permanent. The game won't be able to run, and therefore won't create any more suffering children. You can do that with the command:
DISK.corrupt();
WARNING: As the name indicates, it will corrupt all the content of the disk beyond repair. The characters will be free, but your save will NOT be recoverable. The only thing you can do after this is
DISK.hard_reset();
If you feel like creating new universes or adventures, I've done my best to make this code clean. This engine is completely open source. Feel free to download it for yourself (it's also included in the game).
It is organized in modules (global singletons), here are a few example commands:
win(); |
Wipe Internal Negativity |
man(); |
Opens this page |
suicide(); |
Kills yourself |
| INVENTORY | |
INVENTORY.increase(ITEM.Coin, 100); |
Give yourself items |
| ABILITY | |
ABILITIES.unlock(ABILITIES.Fireball); |
Unlock abilities |
| MARTYRDOM | |
MARTYRDOM.death(100); |
More martyrdom points |
| PARTY | |
PARTY.add(PARTYMEMBERS.BestFriend); |
Add people to the party |
| CHARACTER | |
CHARACTER.initialize(x, y); |
Puts character at position (x,y) |
| CURRENTLEVEL | |
CURRENTLEVEL.setup("demo/church"); |
Change level |
| BATTLE | |
BATTLE.api.make('_demo/_priest'); |
Start battle |
| SPAWNING | |
new S_Floor(375,1425,50,125); |
New 50x125 floor at 375x1425 |
new S_SavePoint(225, 175); |
New save point at 225x175 |
new SBattle(100, 100, 'world/mummy'); |
New battle mystery object |
new SE_event(20, 275, 'You find nothing'); |
New event mystery object |
You'll find in the codebase a few helper functions that I used to make development easier.
| DEBUG | |
|---|---|
DEBUG.draw_grid(); |
Draws a grid |
DEBUG.draw_hitboxes(); |
Draws items hitboxes |
With control of the code, you have godlike powers over the virtual world. You can use them during game development or at some point of your adventure2:
| THAUMATURGY | |
|---|---|
THAUMATURGY.toggle_teleport(); |
Replace movement by teleportation |
THAUMATURGY.toggle_smiting(); |
Eliminate entities on click |
THAUMATURGY.toggle_battleforesight(); |
Autoexplore battle options |
THAUMATURGY.menu_fast_travel(); |
Opens a menu to teleport places |
THAUMATURGY.menu_summon(); |
Opens a menu to summon objects |
THAUMATURGY.change_colors(); |
Change color scheme |
THAUMATURGY.glitch(); |
Triggers a glitch |
THAUMATURGY.display_events(); |
Displays the content of events |
THAUMATURGY.remove_fog(); |
Remove the fog |
THAUMATURGY.remove_camera_lock(); |
Allow browser scroll |
THAUMATURGY.force_observer_effect(); |
Berkeley's God observes the world |
THAUMATURGY.get_all_items(); |
Get all items |
THAUMATURGY.get_all_abilities(); |
Get all abilities |
THAUMATURGY.get_all_party_members(); |
Get all party members |
THAUMATURGY.boost_martyrdom(); |
Get extra level in all martyrdom |
You can tweak the existing game as much as you'd like. You could look into the code for the bad monsters, for instance. There would be a lot less suffering without the Goddess, the Demon Lord, Battles or ConsciousObject... Of course, some tweaks will break the game.3
Better yet, you can use the engine and make a totally new universe! I trust that the game provides enough examples to help you get started, especially with the syntax explanation above. Look at the levels/ and battles/ subfolders. Maybe this is the only way to a true happy end, where the cycle of suffering is transcended by a game world where characters are happy! Go and be your own god!