Menacing Earthworks

You arrive in a strange desert wasteland. The sun blinds your eyes and burns your skin. Ominous fields of massive spikes pierce through the sand. Something tells you this land is cursed, but you explore anyway.

Menacing Earthworks is a short environmental puzzle game with light elements of horror and action. 

Controls

• Arrow Keys: Move
• X: Interact
• X + Left/Right: Strafe
• Z: Cancel/ Cycle item
• Z + Arrow Keys: Free look
• Enter/P: Pause Menu

Game pad highly recommended 

About this project

Menacing Earthworks is heavily inspired by "nuclear semiotics," e.g. studies on how we can warn future civilizations of the hazards of interacting with nuclear waste. One such concept within nuclear semiotics are the Menacing Earthworks - fields of giant concrete spikes built above nuclear waste sites whose goal is to scare away trespassers before they can get too close. Of course, as history has shown, humans are simply too curious.

This game was initially a demo to test the 3D capabilities of Pico-8, with the Earthworks' spikes used as simple geometry to test object placement and movement. After recently revisiting horror titles such as Silent Hill and Yume Nikki, we decided to try our hand at a complete, albeit short, experience. We hope you enjoy.

• Programming/Art: Raf
• Music/ SFX: Ryan
• Game Design: Raf + Ryan
• Level Design: Ryan
• Original Game Idea: Raf + Evan
• Playtesting: Jacob + Nick + Jane + Ana

BBS Link: https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=157297