As Within

About

Content Warnings: This game features body horror, depictions of blood, gore, depictions of self-harm and mental health issues, depictions of death, and art that may be disturbing to those with trypophobia.

Have you ever felt weak? Pathetic? Like a worm crushed under civilisation’s heel? Like you’re missing something, that little spark of life that lets warmth into the barren wasteland that is existence?

Well, maybe you just need to learn from someone stronger.

Your miserable hunt for self-actualisation has led you to a mirror that hides more than just the ghosts of photons past. Confront what holds this mirror hostage, and enter into a battle of cards against the demon beyond its glass. Use your wits to outsmart them, and take their power as your own.

Abandon the meat and bones that cage in your soul. They serve you no longer.

Become strong. Become perfect.

Become what lies within.

As Within Gameplay:

• Battle the mirror demon across 16 rounds
• Use the abilities of your cards and relics to plan your moves and survive
• Sacrifice parts of yourself to gain the mirror demon’s power and achieve perfection

Controls

Left click - interact with environment and UI

Right click - show card abilities

Escape - close the game

How to Play

Setup Phase

You start the game with five cards. Play up to four cards on the game board, and then select the draw pile to draw back up to five cards.  Cards can be played by selecting a card in your hand, and then selecting a card slot on the board to play a card. 

Select the outstretched hand on the table to end the setup phase.

General Gameplay

After the setup phase is complete, each round starts with your turn. On your turn, you may draw up to 1 card as long as you have less than 5 cards in your hand, and play a card. You may also discard cards. Your turn will end when you select the hand on the table.

Your cards will then attack your opponent's cards. If their attack is higher than the opposing card's defence, the opposing card will lose 1 durability. If a card reaches 0 durability, it will die, and deal 1 damage to your opponent. 

After this round of combat, your opponent has their turn. All cards will lose 1 durability, and your opponent will play a card. Their cards will then attack yours.

Dealing Damage

If any of your cards die, you will be dealt 1 damage. Cards die when their durability runs out, or when you play a card on top of a pre-existing card. This is also true for your opponent. 

If your opponent's health drops to 0, you win the round. If your health drops to 0, you must restart at the start of the stage.

Upgrades

At the end of each stage, you will have the opportunity to select upgrades to improve your cards. Each upgrade grants you a unique relic, that will buff your cards in some way.

Credits

This game was made in a year by a team of 5 as our university final project!

rat_with_a_keyboard - 2D Art, Music, Post-Processing Effects

SSJBlueBen - Supplementary programmer, Narrative manager

pandasharkmiles - 3D character art, 3D animations (unreal vertex based, and maya)

Jo - 3D Environment Art and Textures, Audio Engineer and Sound Design

Jam-alade - Lead Programmer, Game/Level Designer

Music Plugins

• Cello sound font (https://ethanwiner.com/ewsf2.html)
• LABS (Phillip Glass sound font) (https://labs.spitfireaudio.com/glass-piano)
• Sforzando (https://www.plogue.com/products/sforzando.html)
• Vital (https://vital.audio/eula/) 
• FMOD (https://www.fmod.com/)

Music Sound Effects:

• 'Bones and Flesh movement', by Aurelon (https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/bones-and-flesh-movement-98677/)
• 'inhale-exhale', by Amber2023 (https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/inhale-exhale-230173/)
• 'oak planks creak low end lom geofon', by Garuda1982 (https://freesound.org/people/Garuda1982/sounds/640784/) (License: Attribution 4.0)
• 'Oniric Voices', by IENBA (https://freesound.org/people/IENBA/sounds/701052/)