Download Rhapsody of the Ancients (Chapter One)
(4.5 MB, right-click to save)

Rhapsody of the Ancients is a 2D action/adventure game in the style of classic 16-bit platform games. You play Justus, a warrior fighting for revenge against the evil gods who destroyed his homeland. The chapter one demo follows his journey through the harbor town of Portofino up to the epic confrontation with Hypnos, the god of sleep.           Rhapsody is powered by a robust 2D physics engine, and the player can freely manipulate virtually every object in the world. Justus is equipped with a mighty sword and possesses telekinetic powers with which he can push and pull anything that's not nailed down. The player is encouraged to explore all the possibilities of this open-ended system-based gameplay.           Rhapsody was developed in two months as a first-term project at the Guildhall at SMU. My emphasis is on software development, and I worked alone to develop the engine and editor tools for the game. I also produced the art and music myself. Notable programming features: Unified 2D physics engine with realistically-modelled velocity, acceleration, friction, and collisions Full-screen motion blur (in "bullet time" mode) DirectInput gamepad input implementation (tested with a Logitech RumblePad 2) Title logo lighting demo featuring two colored light sources, bump mapping (with normal maps), and diffuse and specular material models

Screenshots:

    
Bricks, crates, and even corpses--everything is a weapon!    "Focus drinks" slow time and enhance your psychic abilities!

    
Your trusty broadsword will slay all enemies in your path!    Use your magical powers to control the world around you!

Each level in Rhapsody of the Ancients was developed in the Architect map editor.