Realm 1 takes shape · Crystal Dream

Until now Crystal Dream was a box of mechanics. This week it got its first piece of actual game: Realm 1, laid out from start to finish, plus the systems that make a world feel inhabited, such as people to talk to, shops, light and weather.

Realm 1, from the woods to the Mother Tree

Following a walkthrough of the first realm, the whole journey was laid out in Tiled: the Sylvaris woods, the village of Sylvanor, King Barkwood’s castle, the Corrupted Path and the three floors of the Mother Tree dungeon. That’s nine places over eighteen maps. Everything is still placeholder art, and anything not built yet (bosses, cutscenes, quests) is marked by a sign right where it will go.

The old test areas didn’t go away. They became world-test, a permanent sandbox with every mechanic in one place, and a world select screen lets you pick which one to play.

A plain screen titled "Scegli un mondo" with two entries, "Mondo 1: Boschi di Sylvaris" and "Mondo di prova" (the test world) — Choosing between the real realm and the test world.

The beginning of Realm 1: grassy hills and a few platforms in front of purple mountains — The first steps in Realm 1.

People, shops and conversations

NPCs now walk around villages and stop to look at you. Walk up to one, press Up and a conversation opens, with names and portraits for both speakers, each on their own side of the box. The Wizard who will give Ash his first sword already tells his story (at length).

A dialogue box with a placeholder portrait and the name tag "Mago", above the Wizard's hut — The Wizard, still an amber rectangle, already has plenty to say.

The village of Sylvanor: a plain house with a wooden door and two placeholder villagers — Sylvanor, the village of Realm 1, before any real art.

The first shop arrived too, built on the same dialogue box: stand in front of an item on the counter, press Up, read the description and answer Yes or No. Coins finally have something to be spent on. Chests can now hold items, not just coins, and found items go to a new inventory.

The inside of a shop: a counter with items for sale and the shopkeeper behind it — Bran's shop in the test village.

Light, darkness and weather

Torches are real light sources, each flickering on its own rhythm, and dark zones dim everything around them, so a cave is dark and torches matter. Rain builds up gradually from a few drops to a downpour, with fog, lightning and thunder. Entering a new place now shows its name in large letters, the way a film announces where a scene takes place.

Underground galleries lit by torches, with the area name written in large letters in the corner — Torches, darkness, and the area name fading in.

More things to stand on (or sink into)

Crumbling platforms that crack and fall a few seconds after you step on them.
Quicksand that slowly swallows you unless you jump out.
Pushable blocks and breakable crates to smash with the sword.
Springs that launch you higher than any jump.
Secret doors hidden behind bushes.

A pit of quicksand next to a ladder, with pushable stone blocks on the platforms above — Quicksand and pushable blocks in the test world.

Saving the game

Last but not least, the game can be saved. Walking over a checkpoint saves your progress, and there are four save slots to choose from when you start a new game or continue an old one. The font changed too: the game now uses Macondo, the same font as the headings of this website.

By the numbers

79 commits.
Versions 0.9.0 to 0.13.0.
9 places and 18 maps for Realm 1, still waiting for their art.