Eversion (video game)
Encyclopedia
Eversion is a short platform game
for Microsoft Windows
by Zaratustra Productions. It features a small flower-like protagonist
named Zee Tee, who is on a quest to rescue a princess, collecting gems along the way, much in the style of early Mario
games. Each level consists of a set of parallel realities, each of which features different hazards, a unique artistic style, and a distinctive soundtrack
. By using Zee Tee's ability to "evert" from one reality to another, the player can navigate him through obstacles to reach his goal.
The opening screen and the first few levels are quite cheerful and colorful, but the environment becomes gradually more deranged and disturbing as the player progresses into other levels of eversion. The game was inspired by a quotation from H. P. Lovecraft
and it features a warning on the intro screen that it is "not intended for children or those of a nervous disposition".
Eversion is free to download, but a high-definition
version can also be purchased on Steam. Later versions of the free game feature an updated soundtrack and a completely overhauled final level, while the high-definition version features additional options and more detailed artwork.
Eversion is possible only at certain points within each level. Upon approaching an eversion point, the music of the possible destination becomes audible. Additionally, the screen becomes slightly darker or lighter. Everting at this location switches between two adjacent realities. Switching to a third requires visiting a different location from the proper starting reality. In total there are eight possible realities, though most levels use only a few.
Eversion allows the player to exploit the properties of the different realities. For example, in the first reality, clouds are visible as scenery, but they are intangible. In the second and third realities, clouds are solid, allowing the player to reach previously inaccessible areas. Plant-based objects also change, becoming solid, passable, or deadly depending on which reality is being visited, and certain bricks change from being solid, to breakable from underneath, to disappearing if Zee Tee steps upon them. Enemies move at different speeds and show very different attitudes from one reality to the next, while certain hazards only appear at certain realities.
Reaching the end of the game, Zee Tee finds the princess, only for the world around him to rapidly warp from the bright, cheery world in which he began to the darkest levels his Eversion has brought him to. Seconds later, Nehema becomes an inky black shadow with a single red eye that slowly makes its way to Zee Tee. While the main character's fate is uncertain, as the program closes when Nehema reaches him, he is almost certainly killed and/or devoured.
Collecting the gems strewn about each level confers no benefit during gameplay, but collecting all of them--over the course of several attempts, if need be--allows the player to access a secret level and, at its conclusion, see a second ending to the game, in which Zee Tee also becomes a dark shadow, and hearts appear in the background to suggest romance between the monstrous princess and her monstrous savior.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
by Zaratustra Productions. It features a small flower-like protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
named Zee Tee, who is on a quest to rescue a princess, collecting gems along the way, much in the style of early Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
games. Each level consists of a set of parallel realities, each of which features different hazards, a unique artistic style, and a distinctive soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
. By using Zee Tee's ability to "evert" from one reality to another, the player can navigate him through obstacles to reach his goal.
The opening screen and the first few levels are quite cheerful and colorful, but the environment becomes gradually more deranged and disturbing as the player progresses into other levels of eversion. The game was inspired by a quotation from H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
and it features a warning on the intro screen that it is "not intended for children or those of a nervous disposition".
Eversion is free to download, but a high-definition
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
version can also be purchased on Steam. Later versions of the free game feature an updated soundtrack and a completely overhauled final level, while the high-definition version features additional options and more detailed artwork.
Gameplay
The player controls Zee Tee by using the arrow keys to move left and right, the Z key to jump, and the X key to evert. Enemies can be dispatched by jumping on their heads; if Z is held down while attacking an enemy, Zee Tee will bounce high off its head, allowing him to reach higher platforms. Blocks with faces on them can be struck from underneath to yield gems.Eversion is possible only at certain points within each level. Upon approaching an eversion point, the music of the possible destination becomes audible. Additionally, the screen becomes slightly darker or lighter. Everting at this location switches between two adjacent realities. Switching to a third requires visiting a different location from the proper starting reality. In total there are eight possible realities, though most levels use only a few.
Eversion allows the player to exploit the properties of the different realities. For example, in the first reality, clouds are visible as scenery, but they are intangible. In the second and third realities, clouds are solid, allowing the player to reach previously inaccessible areas. Plant-based objects also change, becoming solid, passable, or deadly depending on which reality is being visited, and certain bricks change from being solid, to breakable from underneath, to disappearing if Zee Tee steps upon them. Enemies move at different speeds and show very different attitudes from one reality to the next, while certain hazards only appear at certain realities.
Reaching the end of the game, Zee Tee finds the princess, only for the world around him to rapidly warp from the bright, cheery world in which he began to the darkest levels his Eversion has brought him to. Seconds later, Nehema becomes an inky black shadow with a single red eye that slowly makes its way to Zee Tee. While the main character's fate is uncertain, as the program closes when Nehema reaches him, he is almost certainly killed and/or devoured.
Collecting the gems strewn about each level confers no benefit during gameplay, but collecting all of them--over the course of several attempts, if need be--allows the player to access a secret level and, at its conclusion, see a second ending to the game, in which Zee Tee also becomes a dark shadow, and hearts appear in the background to suggest romance between the monstrous princess and her monstrous savior.