Seiklus
Encyclopedia
Seiklus is a platform game
for Microsoft Windows
. It was created by a single author, cly5m, using Game Maker
over a period of approximately 6 months.
for "adventure") is a puzzle platform game written on GML (Game Maker Language) with an emphasis on exploration. There is no dialogue or literary exposition of the plot. The game consists of various different, loosely connected areas the player has to explore, collecting both items to help on the way and floating "wisps" of various colours; obtaining a 100% collection rate on all levels will unlock the bonus level which is needed to view the ending and credits. Seiklus has no weapons and no violence. There are various "hostile" lifeforms in some areas, but at worst they only set the player back a little. It is impossible to die or get stuck.
s from other artists that are widely available in the Internet, hoping to expose chip music to people who would perhaps never find it otherwise. This style of music recalls the simplicity of music from early computer games, where primitive sound chips forced musicians to rely upon compositional skill and melody rather than orchestration or production values.
The soundtrack of the game consists of:
, the creator of Within a Deep Forest and Knytt, and also by Matthew Thorson, the creator of An Untitled Story.
In its visibility, Seiklus has gone some way to help legitimize software produced with canned game creation utilities, illustrating the benefits of design over rote technology. Its influence has spread to the point where, even in mainstream industry publications, the game has become something of a point of reference: a name drop, to get across various points about game design. It has also featured in some direct capacity in publications as diverse as Edge
and The Gamer's Quarter.
Sulkeis, a demake of Seiklus, by Legendary Creations was recently completed that took second place in the GameJolt Indie Game Demake Contest.
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...
. It was created by a single author, cly5m, using Game Maker
Game Maker
GameMaker is a Windows and Mac IDE originally developed by Mark Overmars in the Delphi programming language. It is currently developed and published by YoYo Games, a software company in which Overmars is involved...
over a period of approximately 6 months.
Overview
Seiklus (EstonianEstonian language
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
for "adventure") is a puzzle platform game written on GML (Game Maker Language) with an emphasis on exploration. There is no dialogue or literary exposition of the plot. The game consists of various different, loosely connected areas the player has to explore, collecting both items to help on the way and floating "wisps" of various colours; obtaining a 100% collection rate on all levels will unlock the bonus level which is needed to view the ending and credits. Seiklus has no weapons and no violence. There are various "hostile" lifeforms in some areas, but at worst they only set the player back a little. It is impossible to die or get stuck.
Music
Cly5m did not compose any of the game's music. Rather, he chose to include various chiptuneChiptune
A chiptune, also known as chip music, is synthesized electronic music often produced with the sound chips of vintage computers and video game consoles, as well as with other methods such as emulation. In the early 1980s, personal computers became cheaper and more accessible than they had previously...
s from other artists that are widely available in the Internet, hoping to expose chip music to people who would perhaps never find it otherwise. This style of music recalls the simplicity of music from early computer games, where primitive sound chips forced musicians to rely upon compositional skill and melody rather than orchestration or production values.
The soundtrack of the game consists of:
- "Believe in Yourself" by Stalker (original by emax/trsi)
- "C64-Driller" by Warwick Gaetjens (original by Matt GrayMatt GrayMatt Gray is a Scottish former footballer, who played for Third Lanark and Manchester City. After leaving City in 1967, Gray emigrated to South Africa, where he continued his football career.- References :...
) - "Puzzle Game 3" by Front 6
- "Rainy Summerdays" by Radix
- "Sanxion" by Dreamfish (original Thalamusik by Rob HubbardRob HubbardRob Hubbard is a music composer best known for his composition of computer game theme music, especially for microcomputers of the 1980s such as the Commodore 64...
in the game SanxionSanxionSanxion is a 1986 side-scrolling shoot 'em up by Thalamus Ltd., developed by Stavros Fasoulas, along with Delta, another shoot 'em up, and Quedex.-Gameplay:...
) - "Wings of Death" by Jochen HippelJochen HippelJochen Hippel is a musician from Kirchheimbolanden in southwest Germany. He played one of the most prominent roles in computer music during the 16-bit microcomputer era, composing the music for tens of games. He was also an experienced Amiga programmer and ported many of Thalion Software's Atari...
- "Yoghurt Factory" by Radix
Impact
Since its release, Seiklus has had a broad and growing influence on certain circles of indie game development (for example, cited as inspiration by NifflasNicklas Nygren
Nicklas Nygren , better known by the handle "Nifflas", is a video game developer. He is known for his freeware games Knytt, Knytt Stories, Within a Deep Forest and the #ModArchive Story series, and is currently developing software for indie publisher/developer Nicalis...
, the creator of Within a Deep Forest and Knytt, and also by Matthew Thorson, the creator of An Untitled Story.
In its visibility, Seiklus has gone some way to help legitimize software produced with canned game creation utilities, illustrating the benefits of design over rote technology. Its influence has spread to the point where, even in mainstream industry publications, the game has become something of a point of reference: a name drop, to get across various points about game design. It has also featured in some direct capacity in publications as diverse as Edge
Edge (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....
and The Gamer's Quarter.
Sulkeis, a demake of Seiklus, by Legendary Creations was recently completed that took second place in the GameJolt Indie Game Demake Contest.
External links
- Official page - includes a download, reviews, and screenshots
- Game Maker Games Download page - includes more reviews
- Gm-Dev Download page
- Planet Freeplay Interview
- Walkthrough
- Seiklus Demake at GameJolt