GEM HUNTER

About week ago or so, I was arguing with my friend about a game he is developing. He said he'll sell it on IndieVania and possibly other internet gamestores, I said nobody would buy it, as it was supposed to be a game version of old 3D Labyrinth screensaver, except you were looking for red gems, not smile face.

"Well, so play it yourself", he said.

Next day I've received from him a CD with GEM HUNTER written on it with black marker, standard one you'd use for signing CD. I quickly popped it into drive and opened with Windows Explorer. Game was multiplatform - on CD there were MAC, LINUX and WINDOWS versions packed in zip files. Also there was readme, where controls and credits were mentioned (it was also that game requires Java, but I have it anyway as I'm Minecraft player). I've unzipped windows version and started game.

The title screen was very simple. It was just GEM HUNTER with little gradient and two options written in C64-like font on black background:

[N]ew game (1)

[Q]uit (2)

According to readme letters in square brackets were related to keys I should press on keyboard to start game and numbers were related to joypad buttons. Game didn't support mouse as there were no mouselook, so game would feel like wolf3d/3d labyrinth screensaver. I've started game by pressing N.

Suddenly music from cheery music of title screen changed into creepy one. It was very low and morbid. Something wasn't right, but I decided to play game anyway. Additional creepiness was added by fact that the only sfx used in game was character's footsteps. Also there were random pictures on walls. Some were things like "C++ sucks" texts (why it sucks, anyway? It's pretty good language and well-written language. It is also very consistent - in every place you are using pointers, even if normal variable is all you need). Other would be dragons or forests, or... You know, just random pictures.

At least I thought they were random. But in few levels I understood the game is talking to me. Something wasn't right either. The night after I play game was filled with nightmares about dragons in which I was one and killed everyone who I cared for not wanting. I was being possessed or something. Of course I left my computer and game turned on as my friend, of course, didn't thought about implementing saving. I've played game some more. Couldn't take it anymore.

Please help me. I am hunted by dragons. They want to tell me something. I don't want it. Those nice people from the Asylum told me that they will protect me, but I am afraid they'll fail to as dragons are originated from outer space.

I am writing this to warn everybody.

DON'T PLAY GEM HUNTER!

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT BUYING IT WHEN IT WILL BE UP ON INDIEVANIA OR ANYWHERE ELSE!

THIS GAME IS CURSED, GOD HELP YOU IF YOU PLAY IT!

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