Crater Song (2024)

a FREE game by ‘John Vanderhoef’ for NES

Written for BrewOtaku #002 by Syed Raza

Don’t be fooled by Crater Song’s sci-fi title! This unique game, which entered the Byte Off IV competition, blends adventure with mind-bending puzzle action.

DESCEND INTO DARKNESS!

Far away in the distant land of Orebody, where a nomadic tribe is settled, the only form of communication is singing songs to each other. Unfortunately, there is a generational curse that gives a set of cursed harmonics to a newborn. This unknowingly mysterious threat is called ‘Nox’. ‘Arco’ and ‘Menuett’ are twins, which were born with this. Both set out on a journey to explore a scared cater that is said to have the power to take away the curse and will allow them to communicate effectively with their family. Travel across space and meet extraterrestrials, just like yourself, who will stop you from reaching the crater. Use your cursed voice to your advantage and call Nox upon your enemies to get rid of them. Once you cross the exhausting run and escape sections, you will have challenging puzzles, where you will have to split up, if necessary, to find the exit.

Exiting the puzzles without getting killed is certainly of advantage, to go forward and get rid of the curse. The control scheme is a bit unusual here and deserves attention, but we won’t go into details here. The game is optimized to run best using original NES controllers or either similar clone, as the creator himself very much recommends playing it with these for the best possible experience. Due to the overwhelming feedback, John is going to make the game even fancier and better.

Conclusion

Wonderful symphonic melodies by Jordan Davis, coupled with a unique storyline, makes this action puzzle game a perfect choice. We can’t wait for the improved version coming in the near future. Hold your breath! (but not too long!)

Link: https://johnvanderhoef.itch.io/crater-song