Narbacular Drop
Encyclopedia
Narbacular Drop is an environmental puzzle video game developed by Nuclear Monkey Software. It was released free online in 2005 on PC
(DX9
). It was the senior game project of students attending DigiPen. The gameplay consists of navigating a dungeon using an innovative portal system. The player controls two interconnected portals that can be placed on any non-metallic surface (wall, ceiling, or floor). The developers went on to write the critically acclaimed Portal using many of the same concepts.
The word Narbacular, which does not exist in any dictionary, was chosen primarily to aid in internet search engine results.
creature named Wally. Using Wally's portal making ability, the princess sets out to escape and defeat the demon.
s as Quake, the unique portal element and the character's lack of a jump ability makes navigation and puzzle-solving very unconventional. The player can open a single pair of interconnected portals at a time, each styled as a huge face with flaming eyes (orange or blue to tell them apart as the player repositions one or the other) and an open mouth big enough to see and walk through. Positioned with a point-and-click interface controlled by the mouse, portals are allowed only on natural surfaces and are prohibited from any metal, lava or other artificial surfaces in the game. Aside from the portals, important game elements include switches, boxes and huge rolling boulders which can crush the character. The player cannot save game progress.
A notable difference from similar games such as Portal is that portals can be created through portals, significantly increasing the complexity of possible puzzle solutions.
Being mostly a proof of applied concept, the game itself is quite short, containing only six or so puzzles. However, members of the Narbacular Drop forum community are creating a growing catalog of custom maps.
, developers of the Half-Life
series, discovered Narbacular Drop after its release and hired the entire development team to work for them. The team developed Portal, a spiritual successor to Narbacular Drop, using the same basic concept. In Portal, the player takes the role of a test subject tasked with trying out the "Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device", and along the way discovers that the test facility has been mysteriously abandoned. The main antagonist is a sentient artificial intelligence named GLaDOS, similar to the demon in Narbacular Drop. The game was released on October 10, 2007 on PC, Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3
, as part of The Orange Box
, to critical and commercial success.
A sequel, Portal 2
, was released on April 19, 2011. One achievement and trophy in Portal 2 is called "Narbacular Drop".
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
(DX9
DirectX
Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,...
). It was the senior game project of students attending DigiPen. The gameplay consists of navigating a dungeon using an innovative portal system. The player controls two interconnected portals that can be placed on any non-metallic surface (wall, ceiling, or floor). The developers went on to write the critically acclaimed Portal using many of the same concepts.
The word Narbacular, which does not exist in any dictionary, was chosen primarily to aid in internet search engine results.
Plot
The plot involves the plight of a Princess "No-Knees," so named because she is unable to jump. Captured by a demon, the imprisoned princess discovers that the dungeon she is held in is actually a sentient elementalElemental
An elemental is a mythological being first appearing in the alchemical works of Paracelsus in the 16th century. Traditionally, there are four types:*gnomes, earth elementals*undines , water elementals*sylphs, air elementals...
creature named Wally. Using Wally's portal making ability, the princess sets out to escape and defeat the demon.
Gameplay
While Narbacular Drop features a 3D world reminiscent of such first-person shooterFirst-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
s as Quake, the unique portal element and the character's lack of a jump ability makes navigation and puzzle-solving very unconventional. The player can open a single pair of interconnected portals at a time, each styled as a huge face with flaming eyes (orange or blue to tell them apart as the player repositions one or the other) and an open mouth big enough to see and walk through. Positioned with a point-and-click interface controlled by the mouse, portals are allowed only on natural surfaces and are prohibited from any metal, lava or other artificial surfaces in the game. Aside from the portals, important game elements include switches, boxes and huge rolling boulders which can crush the character. The player cannot save game progress.
A notable difference from similar games such as Portal is that portals can be created through portals, significantly increasing the complexity of possible puzzle solutions.
Being mostly a proof of applied concept, the game itself is quite short, containing only six or so puzzles. However, members of the Narbacular Drop forum community are creating a growing catalog of custom maps.
Awards and honors
- IGFIndependent Games FestivalThe Independent Games Festival is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference, the largest annual gathering of the indie video game industry. It was founded in 1998 to assist and inspire innovation in video game development and to recognize the best independent video game developers...
Student Showcase Winner (2006) - SlamdanceSlamdanceSlamdance may refer to:* Mosh, a form of dance associated with punk rock and other musical genres* Slamdance Film Festival, an annual event featuring the work of independent filmmakers...
Guerrilla Gamemaker Competition Finalist (2006) - GameShadowGameShadowGameShadow is a gaming community website and an advertising-supported software utility that keeps PC gamers up-to-date with patches, game demos, trailers, mods and other content for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 games. GameShadow identifies the product version of supported games installed on a user's PC,...
Innovation In Games Festival & Awards Nomination (2006) - Game InformerGame InformerGame Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
The Top 10 Games You've Never Heard Of - EdgeEdge (magazine)Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
Internet Game of The Month (March 2006) - GamasutraGamasutraGamasutra is a website founded in 1997 for video game developers. It is owned and operated by UBM TechWeb , a division of United Business Media, and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine Game Developer...
Quantum Leap Awards: Most Important Games "Honorable Mention" (2006)
Portal
ValveValve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
, developers of the Half-Life
Half-Life (series)
The Half-Life series of video games share a science fiction alternate history. Nearly all of the games are first-person shooters on the GoldSource or Source engines, and most are linear, narrative, single-player titles....
series, discovered Narbacular Drop after its release and hired the entire development team to work for them. The team developed Portal, a spiritual successor to Narbacular Drop, using the same basic concept. In Portal, the player takes the role of a test subject tasked with trying out the "Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device", and along the way discovers that the test facility has been mysteriously abandoned. The main antagonist is a sentient artificial intelligence named GLaDOS, similar to the demon in Narbacular Drop. The game was released on October 10, 2007 on PC, Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, as part of The Orange Box
The Orange Box
The Orange Box is a video game compilation for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, Mac OS X and PlayStation 3. The Windows and Xbox 360 versions were produced and published by Valve Corporation and released on October 10, 2007 as a boxed retail copy...
, to critical and commercial success.
A sequel, Portal 2
Portal 2
Portal 2 is a first-person puzzle-platform video game developed and published by Valve Corporation. The sequel to the 2007 video game Portal, it was announced on March 5, 2010, following a week-long alternate reality game based on new patches to the original game...
, was released on April 19, 2011. One achievement and trophy in Portal 2 is called "Narbacular Drop".
See also
- Half-LifeHalf-Life (series)The Half-Life series of video games share a science fiction alternate history. Nearly all of the games are first-person shooters on the GoldSource or Source engines, and most are linear, narrative, single-player titles....
- Portal