really cool to see the macventure formula in a sci-fi setting. My favorite parts of beyond were the random non-fantasy locals so this was an absolute treat.
Just a reminder that Beyond Shadowgate, the official sequal to NES Shadowgate, is now available on Steam and GOG. I really hope you enjoy this love letter to the franchise and hopefully a console port is on the horizon.
Only one problem - I think the handle in the cave should respond to OPEN as well as USE. I actually had to look up a walkthrough for this, even though I knew what I needed to do, just not how to do it.
No, unfortunately, but when I complete the remake soon, I'll be making a Nintendo Power-style walkthrough. In the meantime, YouTuber Cranky Templar did a detailed step-by-step walkthrough on his channel
This is such good news. The only issue I ever ran into with Infested was it was over too quick. I can’t wait to re experience it with all these new goodies!
I really enjoyed this game, thank you! It ran perfectly on Steam Deck. I found a small number of minor bugs, but I take it you have a remake upcoming so I suppose it doesn't matter. I'll give Spectacle a try as well eventually. I also came here via the Shadowgate Kickstarter, and I'm really looking forward to it!
This was surprisingly a great experience! Like many others, I heard of this through the Beyond Shadowgate kickstarter. (I can't believe you're working on it!)
I like how many of the puzzle elements played out (especially with the recorder, I thought that was neat) and forging the flame thrower definitely harkens back to when we first made The Staff of Ages. The music is something I can easily hear Kemco doing back in the day. Despite the short length, you can clearly see the passion you have for this genre and I can't wait to see what you do in the future, both in Beyond Shadowgate and your own original projects.
I do have exactly just one complaint: The Deaths.
Most of the deaths are read something like this: "creature ate/attacked you, you died"
I personally found this a little boring or unsatisfying. The thing that made Shadowgate, Uninvited and even Deja Vu's deaths memorable weren't just how creatively dumb your character can bite the dust, but also how morbid and gruesome the details that were given.
To this day, I remember when I first read the Shark death in Shadowgate. Compare having to read "Even before the life has escaped your body, the lake will be filled with your blood" with "you touched the slime, it takes seconds to cover your body and you died painfully" Did it dissolve me like the slime trap in Shadowgate? Is it a living creature that suffocated me? How did it actually kill me? (Especially when I had to collect a sample of the damn thing to solve the plant puzzle)
The environment, the monsters and the item deaths were well thought out (I specifically found the teleporter death to be very creative), but the description of the deaths left a lot to be desired. Even the simplest of the many ridiculous deaths in Shadowgate explained that you couldn't survive, whether it was because you had broken every limb after you fell, or the glass shards from breaking the wrong mirror tore through you.
That being said, I cannot wait to see how the remake of this game improves. I very much look forward to more of your work in the future. Keep up the great work!
Thank you very much. I 100% agree with you about the Deaths being boring. I wrote the game and I am NOT a writer, lol. I admittedly was a tad hasty in my descriptions because at the time I underestimated both the importance of the deaths and the amount of people who would actually play the game.
The InfestedX remake has a professional writer/Shadowgate fan on board (Chris M. from our Beyond Shadowgate team), so he will definitely understand the assignment and make the deaths MUCH more colorful :D
Oh, thank you. They're free simply because I really wanted to get these out there for people to enjoy. We made them on our free time for fun and thought that Shadowgate-style games are a bit too niche right now and what better way to help rekindle the subgenre than to get as many people as possible to play and [hopefully] enjoy them
Coming from the "Beyond Shadowgate" kickstarter here. Glad to discover there is more adventure games to be played here!!!
Unfortunately, I'm running on a Mac, and although it seems you support it for "Infested" (unlike "Spectacle"), it seems that at least for the latest macOS major release (macOS 13 Ventura) it doesn't work. When double-clicking it to launch it says "The developer of this app needs to update it to work with this version of macOS.".
Available for testing to help you solve this! FYI I'm a Mac developer too so I won't shy away from any tech stuff you might throw at me.
Thank you for the heads-up. We may update Infested, but we're currently remaking Infested from the ground up at the same time as Beyond Shadowgate, so we may just focus on that release. We'll try our best to get a Mac version, but the problem is that the neither of us own a Mac and analytics for Infested's Download numbers show that approx. 4% of DLs were on Mac, so that's why we didn't bother with Mac for Spectacle. Either way, we DO want to have as many people as possible play these games, so we're definitely looking into Mac, but it's sadly not a priority right now. We'll let you know if we need anything. Thanks again
I can FINALLY announce the project I've been secretly working on: Beyond Shadowgate, the official sequel to Shadowgate on NES. We'll be launching a KickStarter soon, so stay tuned!
I'm sorry to hear about that happening, but thanks for letting me know about that. Not sure what could be causing that, but I'm sure that won't be an issue in my remake of Infested coming out next year
UPDATE: For anyone curious about our 3rd MacVenture game, Themeire, we've actually cancelled the game indefinitely, BUT that is ultimately for the better because we are working on 2 bigger and better games. One is a top secret project that is an official game that will have a KickStarter launching soon and the other game will be announced this Saturday on my Twitter @GrahfMetal
So, I must say -- I am playing through infested again and I think there is one very vital aspect that goes unnoticed quite a bit that I highly appreciate the effort put into.
The movement screen transitions actually adjust to where you're moving. Like when I moved from the viewing area to the door before the blood monster, move one showed a straight transition upwards and then it showed a leftward transition before releasing the player back to the interactive gaming screen. This is exactly how the character would have moved and it's a neat little "polish" so-to-speak :).
I just had to share. Even the original 3 MacVentures didn't go to that level of attention to detail :). I may not have the exact screen-movement-direction nailed down, but just wanted to let ya know I see what you did there :D
Hello, I made a complete translation of the game in French and I wanted to know if I could share it to introduce this game to more people? If you want I can send you the file.
Thank you, that's very kind of you. You can send the file to grahf.metal@gmail.com if you like. we may revisit the game to add some new options and if we do, we can certainly look at adding the French text as well (with credit to you, of course). We don't have an idea if/when this will happen, but we will try our best :D
No, there isn't, unfortunately. We didn't add windowed mode until our second game, Spectacle. The only way around it is to Alt+Enter for the 1:1 size window and then Alt+Space to Maximize the window or resize from there
Let me start by saying, that I think this project is absolutely fantastic. It's fun and definitely brings back some nostalgia. I grew up in the 90's playing Shadowgate for NES and always found the MacVenture games to be amazing. I was always pretty disappointed that there were so few of them. I was working on a Shadowgate video for my channel and BAM! You popped up! "Infested" is such a great ride and it makes me so happy to see that people are making these style of games again. I was actually planning on learning how to code so I could create my own tribute to the genre.
Grahfmetal, I greatly appreciate the work that your team has done and look forward to playing "Spectacle" next. Please, please, PLEASE, tell me you guys have another project you're currently working on because I'm so geeked on this first game, that you probably have a fanboy for life due to the incredible amount of respect I have for you guys.
(By the way, loved the "Lakmir" and "ICOM" references. Top notch!)
Thank you, that means so much to us that you enjoyed the game as much as you did :D
It's really wonderful seeing so many Shadowgate fans out there that appreciate this niche sub-genre. I also grew up on these games and eagerly anticipated a fourth NES game in the series, which I predicted would be on a space ship, but it never happened, so we figured why not make it ourselves.
Have you played Deja Vu or Uninvited for the NES? Spectacle is actually an unofficial prequel to Uninvited, so if you like references and easter eggs, than that game has plenty!
Thanks again and we really hope you enjoy Spectacle. It would be awesome to see you make a tribute to the genre. There's a few devs out there currently making "shadowgate"-style games, so it would be great to bring this sub-genre back full swing :D
Hey, this game was great! There were some really subtle but cool nods to the old ICOM games in there. I really liked how the power switch killed the synth track in the music, too. Really subtle, but a nice touch.
Came across one bug in the game - if you try to use the self destruct code on yourself, it uses the game-over scene for eating a CHEM.
If you have plans on adding more to the game, you should add another death scene either if you stay on the ship for too long near the end, or if you walk into any rooms you don't need to use between the crypto port and the bay (as a punishment for not making it out IMMINENTly).
Overall, though this game was really fun to play through. The original Kemco games on the NES have been some of my favourite games of all time, and I really appreciate that somebody has taken the time to pay homage to them and create some new games like them! I'm really looking forward to trying out SPECTACLE in the near future :D
Having an actual timer or any sort of scripted death during the escape actually caused a lot of issues when testing, so we figured we'd drop it and let the player assume they need to be as quick as possible. Most players don't even notice :D
The NES trilogy are among our favorite games as well, so we're glad people think we did them justice. I hope to see more and more devs tackle this sub genre, for sure
Just finished this little gem. I might have found a bug, if you use the boots and the suit right after finding them instead of when you're supposed to be able to go outside the ship it's as if you didn't find or equip the boots and you're sucked out in space anyway. I started all over again and i used the items right before going outside and everything worked fine.
Jeff, Jason and Orie — I just want say thank you for this fantastic game. I grew up playing Shadowgate, Uninvited, Deja Vu, as well as countless other point-and-click adventure games. Nothing has haunted me (in a lasting, good way) more than my experiences with Shadowgate. I stumbled upon INFESTED when checking on updates for some horror games I was following. I immediately downloaded and installed INFESTED when I saw the KEMCO influence. I don't like reading about a game's contents or reviews if I can help it — so what followed was a completely blind (no commentary) playthrough of the game:
INFESTED absolutely nails tribute to those NES era games in design, graphics, audio and presentation. To top it all off, it takes place in a unique setting that those games never occupied — unless you include beyond a certain mirror). I felt that same horrifying dread from decades ago return as I stepped into new rooms, never sure when I was safe from harm. Lastly, the music is outstanding and completely nails the "macabre whimsy" that the NES-era games had. If INFESTED is any indication of quality, I know SPECTACLE is going to be quite an experience. I will be doing a blind playthrough of SPECTACLE soon.
I have read every single comment on this page as of this post and it seems everyone shares the same sentiment. If I had any additional criticisms, it'd have to be the following:
The game's setting/atmosphere was so engrossing that the rare typos momentarily took me out of the experience. I'm sure you've moved onto SPECTACLE updates and other projects, but if you are interested, I'd be more than happy to do another thorough pass of INFESTED to grab all the typos I could find if you ever feel like correcting them.
As you can see in my blind playthrough above (at 12:50), I tossed the "BLOOD PACK" at the slime creature but then spent the entirety of my playthrough worrying if there was a hidden time limit. This is because of the one bit of text that says, "It is very focused on the bloodpack, for the moment." The "for the moment" led me to believe that the slime creature was only temporarily distracted ("How many screen transitions or actions can I take until it eats the blood and finds me or kills me when I pass it?"), when in reality, it was in a permanent state of 'occupied until disturbed'. I felt like my time limit worries were justified because, in addition to the above, my suspension of disbelief could only stretch so far: This thing rips me apart and devours me whole — with that kind of ferocious hunger, a "BLOOD PACK" shouldn't last that long! It would have been really helpful if after tossing the "BLOOD PACK" at the slime creature that the text said something like, "Satiated, it seems to have stopped moving. Better not get too close." (I wouldn't dare suggest an additional sprite of the slime creature with its eyes closed, though that would be amazing.) That way, if a player does any of the wrong things the game currently has programmed, it can 'wake up' per usual and attack the player when 'disturbed' from eating the "BLOOD PACK".
As you can see in my blind playthrough above (at 18:06), I end up tossing in "CHEM.A" before I even knew there was a mixture that would need to be made — I especially didn't know that there was a specific formula. To top it off, I didn't even know why I was putting "CHEM.A" in there, just that I thought I could maybe kill the man-eater plant in the vent that I found in the beginning. My point is, I hadn't even seen the actual roots in the Lab yet, nor that there was a sprinkler in there. I feel as though there isn't a logical reason that the player's character would think to dump chemicals in there so soon (and arguably even less-so for players themselves). I think it would be more effective if the player said, "I think it's best not to mess with this yet," when attempting to OPEN or USE the nutrient injector — or at the very least, when they are trying to put things into it. Then, when the player investigates the "SLIME SLIDE" and the formula is revealed, they could then be able to USE the nutrient injector or put things into it. I know that this adds a few mandatory steps in order to complete the game but this would only affect speedrunners as a new player would need to find out the formula anyways. Ever since I put in that first "CHEM.A", I spent the entirety of my playthrough, up until I finally killed the plants, worrying if I had broken the game or created a "walking dead" scenario.
I know these suggestions add a lot more work to the game (especially the last two), but they had a profound impact on the game's feel for me. While my criticisms take up more than half of my post, it's only because I wanted to be as descriptive and thorough as possible. This game is absolutely phenomenal, and like others have stated, I would gladly pay money for continued games of this genre & caliber.
Thank you for your hard work, dedication and passion. You've made such a phenomenal creation.
Thank you so much. It brought us so much reading your comment. It's so amazing meeting so many passionate Shadowgate fans on here. When I (Jeff) was younger I eagerly anticipated the 4th entry in the NES series and predicted it would be on a space station, but when it never came, I was sad that the sub-genre kinda died off. Cut to many years later and we decided lets make it ourselves for fun and take a nostalgic trip. We actually thought that only a handful of people would play it and we never thought we would get so many amazing messages from awesome people :D
As for the criticisms and suggestions; they're all spot on and excellent ideas. We LOVE receiving constructive criticism and feedback, it's made us want to revisit Infested for a while now in order to do some tweeking here and there, which we may yet still do. We actually considered reworking the Chemical puzzle so that you NEED to use a slime sample on the slide and microscope first before dumping any of the chemicals.
The blood pack "...for the moment" quote is actually something I never really thought of beyond "This'll make the player sweat". But I like the idea of it being satiated and stop moving unless you disturb it.
As for the typos; no need to do a pass, we've already done that, but we really appreciate the offer. That means a lot
Thanks again for your comment, it means the world to us to read stuff like this and hear about other fans of the sub genre. Also, thanks for the video, I'll be checking that out very shortly.
Hope you enjoy Spectacle, if you're a fan of Uninvited than there's a few treats in there for you :D
I just finished playing this, and I wanted to say that I had a lot of fun. The music, the artstyle, and the gameplay were great, and I really enjoyed the game. I also liked the little details, such as the music changing slightly when the power is turned off. I also liked that dying only sends you back one room instead of forcing you to replay chunks of the game, as I felt that I could try out more things just to see what would happen.
I was really excited to check out this game. The description and comments led me to think it was a modern addition to the very niche menu-based point and click genre. But unfortunately, I was disappointed with what I found. The lack of an EAT verb (a staple of "MacVentures") soured my experience right from the start. And when I discovered I could not defeat the slime monster with the stethoscope (a classic trope), I knew this was a shallow attempt at recreating "MacVenture" games. I couldn't bring myself to play beyond that point.
jokes aside, this game was awesome, as literally every other person has pointed out :) excellent work. i look forward to spectacle's release!
That's very kind of you, thanks, but we're not going to add a payment option until our next game that's coming out in the new year. In the meantime if you would like to donate than how about purchasing the soundtrack on Bandcamp. That would mean a lot to us :D
Awesome write-up. Thanks a lot and I'm glad you like it! Stay tuned for our next game "Spectacle", another MacVenture style adventure game, but in 16-bit with mythological themes, mainly Arabian Nights with a few Greek Mythos peppered in ;)
My first experience was watching an older person play through Shadowgate at a house party. I was just a kid but others sat around and watch the guy go through it. We were all captivated. I loved the cryptic puzzles, creepy isolated vibe, and how the castle became deeper and more mysterious. *spoiler* In Infested, I was just killed by the pilot and didn't see it coming. That is also a major element I think you nailed.
Thank you very much! Always glad to hear that we captured the feel of the originals. We were planning on making it more challenging with stuff like moon logic and unwinnables, but figured we'd tone it down to introduce newer gamers to the genre while maintaining the nostalgia
You could probably fit the moon logic and one-pixel-clickables into an optional hard difficulty setting -- introducing a few additional puzzles that only come up for people who are actively going for the Full Experience. Maybe one of the keycards is broken, so you have to glue the two pieces together with partially-chewed gum that's stuck to the bottom of one of the magboots, or the chemical recipe is found only in a PDF manual as copy-protection, or ....
The game we're working on now actually does have a, well, sort of moon logic puzzle. It literally involves the moon and it's pretty logical...so I guess it's a "logical moon puzzle"? ;)
I post occassionally on Twitter @GrahMetal. No ETA yet, but the graphics, story, design, etc. Are all complete, now we're putting it all together whenever have free time :D
← Return to game
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Wonderful game! Just found out about you through Beyond Shadowgate. Awesome work with that too!
now off to Spectacle!
Awesome! Thanks a lot for playing our games. We really appreciate it! :D
10/10, honestly just as fun as beyond shadowgate! I guess just missing a map but the small size didn’t really need one.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it :D
really cool to see the macventure formula in a sci-fi setting. My favorite parts of beyond were the random non-fantasy locals so this was an absolute treat.
Just a reminder that Beyond Shadowgate, the official sequal to NES Shadowgate, is now available on Steam and GOG.
I really hope you enjoy this love letter to the franchise and hopefully a console port is on the horizon.
hi! I was wondering if the remake is still a ways away or if I should just wait? I just discovered this after playing beyond shadowgate!
The remake won't be finished until early next year. I had to put it off for now in order to work on several official titles in the meantime
Only one problem - I think the handle in the cave should respond to OPEN as well as USE. I actually had to look up a walkthrough for this, even though I knew what I needed to do, just not how to do it.
Good point! Noted for the remake. Thanks :D
Oh yeah? That's unfortunate, but we're remaking the game from the ground up, so it'll be an updated, 16-bit version that will work, for sure
This is really cool. What engine did you use to make it?
Thanks! We used Game Maker Studio.
Will these be on steam?
The remake I'm working on now should hopefully be on Steam. Fingers crossed
is there a walkthrough somewhere
No, unfortunately, but when I complete the remake soon, I'll be making a Nintendo Power-style walkthrough. In the meantime, YouTuber Cranky Templar did a detailed step-by-step walkthrough on his channel
InfestedX, coming out in 2024!
It's a 16-bit remake of Infested, with updated graphics, tons of animations and featuring new rooms, reworked puzzles and multiple ending.
This is such good news. The only issue I ever ran into with Infested was it was over too quick. I can’t wait to re experience it with all these new goodies!
I really enjoyed this game, thank you! It ran perfectly on Steam Deck. I found a small number of minor bugs, but I take it you have a remake upcoming so I suppose it doesn't matter. I'll give Spectacle a try as well eventually. I also came here via the Shadowgate Kickstarter, and I'm really looking forward to it!
Awesome. Thank you for playing and I hope you enjoy Spectacle :D
This was surprisingly a great experience! Like many others, I heard of this through the Beyond Shadowgate kickstarter. (I can't believe you're working on it!)
I like how many of the puzzle elements played out (especially with the recorder, I thought that was neat) and forging the flame thrower definitely harkens back to when we first made The Staff of Ages. The music is something I can easily hear Kemco doing back in the day. Despite the short length, you can clearly see the passion you have for this genre and I can't wait to see what you do in the future, both in Beyond Shadowgate and your own original projects.
I do have exactly just one complaint: The Deaths.
Most of the deaths are read something like this:
"creature ate/attacked you, you died"
I personally found this a little boring or unsatisfying. The thing that made Shadowgate, Uninvited and even Deja Vu's deaths memorable weren't just how creatively dumb your character can bite the dust, but also how morbid and gruesome the details that were given.
To this day, I remember when I first read the Shark death in Shadowgate. Compare having to read
"Even before the life has escaped your body, the lake will be filled with your blood"
with
"you touched the slime, it takes seconds to cover your body and you died painfully"
Did it dissolve me like the slime trap in Shadowgate?
Is it a living creature that suffocated me?
How did it actually kill me? (Especially when I had to collect a sample of the damn thing to solve the plant puzzle)
The environment, the monsters and the item deaths were well thought out (I specifically found the teleporter death to be very creative), but the description of the deaths left a lot to be desired. Even the simplest of the many ridiculous deaths in Shadowgate explained that you couldn't survive, whether it was because you had broken every limb after you fell, or the glass shards from breaking the wrong mirror tore through you.
That being said, I cannot wait to see how the remake of this game improves. I very much look forward to more of your work in the future. Keep up the great work!
Thank you very much. I 100% agree with you about the Deaths being boring. I wrote the game and I am NOT a writer, lol. I admittedly was a tad hasty in my descriptions because at the time I underestimated both the importance of the deaths and the amount of people who would actually play the game.
The InfestedX remake has a professional writer/Shadowgate fan on board (Chris M. from our Beyond Shadowgate team), so he will definitely understand the assignment and make the deaths MUCH more colorful :D
??? Why are these games free? Is that a mistake or are you really that cool?
Oh, thank you. They're free simply because I really wanted to get these out there for people to enjoy. We made them on our free time for fun and thought that Shadowgate-style games are a bit too niche right now and what better way to help rekindle the subgenre than to get as many people as possible to play and [hopefully] enjoy them
FINE. I just pledged for Beyond Shadowgate. Best wishes for the future and be well!
Coming from the "Beyond Shadowgate" kickstarter here. Glad to discover there is more adventure games to be played here!!!
Unfortunately, I'm running on a Mac, and although it seems you support it for "Infested" (unlike "Spectacle"), it seems that at least for the latest macOS major release (macOS 13 Ventura) it doesn't work. When double-clicking it to launch it says "The developer of this app needs to update it to work with this version of macOS.".
Available for testing to help you solve this! FYI I'm a Mac developer too so I won't shy away from any tech stuff you might throw at me.
Seems others are having the same issue with Gamemaker Studio: https://forum.gamemaker.io/index.php?threads/steam-games-wont-launch-on-macos-13-ventura-but-do-work-on-macos-12-monterey.99348/
Thank you for the heads-up. We may update Infested, but we're currently remaking Infested from the ground up at the same time as Beyond Shadowgate, so we may just focus on that release. We'll try our best to get a Mac version, but the problem is that the neither of us own a Mac and analytics for Infested's Download numbers show that approx. 4% of DLs were on Mac, so that's why we didn't bother with Mac for Spectacle. Either way, we DO want to have as many people as possible play these games, so we're definitely looking into Mac, but it's sadly not a priority right now. We'll let you know if we need anything. Thanks again
Just heard about the Shadowgate Kickstarter. The money is now yours. Can't wait, and the Uninvited bonus fills me with joy. Thanks for all you do.
Thank you. I really appreciate that :D
Really liked this game, I'm looking forward to your kickstarter
Thank you very much :D
I can FINALLY announce the project I've been secretly working on: Beyond Shadowgate, the official sequel to Shadowgate on NES. We'll be launching a KickStarter soon, so stay tuned!
Awesome
Just backed this on KS, loved the original, can't wait to play Beyond Shadowgate and to try out Infested and Spectacle!
I think I've encountered a bug! It has to do with the space suit and boots and opening the door for the monster? **SPOILERS AHEAD**
I am wearing the space suit and mag boots, but when I throw the rock at the hatch control I still get sucked out and game over? What gives?
I'm sorry to hear about that happening, but thanks for letting me know about that. Not sure what could be causing that, but I'm sure that won't be an issue in my remake of Infested coming out next year
UPDATE: For anyone curious about our 3rd MacVenture game, Themeire, we've actually cancelled the game indefinitely, BUT that is ultimately for the better because we are working on 2 bigger and better games. One is a top secret project that is an official game that will have a KickStarter launching soon and the other game will be announced this Saturday on my Twitter @GrahfMetal
I am just finding out about this now. What game was announced? I'm trying to search through your twitter to find it.
Really enjoyed this game! Even though I was extremely dumb throughout it XD Look forward to playing Spectacle some time too uvu Great job!
Thank you so much, I really appreciate that. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Spectacle :D
So, I must say -- I am playing through infested again and I think there is one very vital aspect that goes unnoticed quite a bit that I highly appreciate the effort put into.
The movement screen transitions actually adjust to where you're moving. Like when I moved from the viewing area to the door before the blood monster, move one showed a straight transition upwards and then it showed a leftward transition before releasing the player back to the interactive gaming screen. This is exactly how the character would have moved and it's a neat little "polish" so-to-speak :).
I just had to share. Even the original 3 MacVentures didn't go to that level of attention to detail :). I may not have the exact screen-movement-direction nailed down, but just wanted to let ya know I see what you did there :D
Just found this wonderful little gem of an adventure. Are there any options for adjusting the in-game sound/volume?
Thank you. Unfortunately no, we only added that in our follow-up game. Sorry about that
:here's a walkthrough made by Seclusionloner
also record 1500 on green wall machine
and put chemical A twice in vent machine and then put chemical B once in vent machine and then put chemical C twice in the vent machine
Hello,
I made a complete translation of the game in French and I wanted to know if I could share it to introduce this game to more people?
If you want I can send you the file.
Thank you, that's very kind of you. You can send the file to grahf.metal@gmail.com if you like. we may revisit the game to add some new options and if we do, we can certainly look at adding the French text as well (with credit to you, of course). We don't have an idea if/when this will happen, but we will try our best :D
is there a windowed version?
No, there isn't, unfortunately. We didn't add windowed mode until our second game, Spectacle. The only way around it is to Alt+Enter for the 1:1 size window and then Alt+Space to Maximize the window or resize from there
ok thanks
i was just clicking around and ended up jumping out the lab window and dying on accident. lol
Let me start by saying, that I think this project is absolutely fantastic. It's fun and definitely brings back some nostalgia. I grew up in the 90's playing Shadowgate for NES and always found the MacVenture games to be amazing. I was always pretty disappointed that there were so few of them. I was working on a Shadowgate video for my channel and BAM! You popped up! "Infested" is such a great ride and it makes me so happy to see that people are making these style of games again. I was actually planning on learning how to code so I could create my own tribute to the genre.
Grahfmetal, I greatly appreciate the work that your team has done and look forward to playing "Spectacle" next. Please, please, PLEASE, tell me you guys have another project you're currently working on because I'm so geeked on this first game, that you probably have a fanboy for life due to the incredible amount of respect I have for you guys.
(By the way, loved the "Lakmir" and "ICOM" references. Top notch!)
Thank you, that means so much to us that you enjoyed the game as much as you did :D
It's really wonderful seeing so many Shadowgate fans out there that appreciate this niche sub-genre. I also grew up on these games and eagerly anticipated a fourth NES game in the series, which I predicted would be on a space ship, but it never happened, so we figured why not make it ourselves.
Have you played Deja Vu or Uninvited for the NES? Spectacle is actually an unofficial prequel to Uninvited, so if you like references and easter eggs, than that game has plenty!
Thanks again and we really hope you enjoy Spectacle. It would be awesome to see you make a tribute to the genre. There's a few devs out there currently making "shadowgate"-style games, so it would be great to bring this sub-genre back full swing :D
Hey, this game was great! There were some really subtle but cool nods to the old ICOM games in there. I really liked how the power switch killed the synth track in the music, too. Really subtle, but a nice touch.
Came across one bug in the game - if you try to use the self destruct code on yourself, it uses the game-over scene for eating a CHEM.
If you have plans on adding more to the game, you should add another death scene either if you stay on the ship for too long near the end, or if you walk into any rooms you don't need to use between the crypto port and the bay (as a punishment for not making it out IMMINENTly).
Overall, though this game was really fun to play through. The original Kemco games on the NES have been some of my favourite games of all time, and I really appreciate that somebody has taken the time to pay homage to them and create some new games like them! I'm really looking forward to trying out SPECTACLE in the near future :D
Thanks you very much, glad you had fun :D
Having an actual timer or any sort of scripted death during the escape actually caused a lot of issues when testing, so we figured we'd drop it and let the player assume they need to be as quick as possible. Most players don't even notice :D
The NES trilogy are among our favorite games as well, so we're glad people think we did them justice. I hope to see more and more devs tackle this sub genre, for sure
Just finished this little gem. I might have found a bug, if you use the boots and the suit right after finding them instead of when you're supposed to be able to go outside the ship it's as if you didn't find or equip the boots and you're sucked out in space anyway. I started all over again and i used the items right before going outside and everything worked fine.
Weird, just played through the game today and it worked fine for me. Maybe it's been patched recently?
Thanks for the heads up on that bug, we'll definitely check that out. Glad you enjoyed the game :D
Hello, will we have the chance to see this game translated into French?
I can help if needed.
Hi, unfortunately there are no plans on updating Infested for the time being, but we appreciate the offer, thanks.
If sometime in the future we do revisit the game we'll certainly consider adding languages for sure :D
pt-br brazil? :D
Jeff, Jason and Orie — I just want say thank you for this fantastic game. I grew up playing Shadowgate, Uninvited, Deja Vu, as well as countless other point-and-click adventure games. Nothing has haunted me (in a lasting, good way) more than my experiences with Shadowgate. I stumbled upon INFESTED when checking on updates for some horror games I was following. I immediately downloaded and installed INFESTED when I saw the KEMCO influence. I don't like reading about a game's contents or reviews if I can help it — so what followed was a completely blind (no commentary) playthrough of the game:
INFESTED absolutely nails tribute to those NES era games in design, graphics, audio and presentation. To top it all off, it takes place in a unique setting that those games never occupied — unless you include beyond a certain mirror). I felt that same horrifying dread from decades ago return as I stepped into new rooms, never sure when I was safe from harm. Lastly, the music is outstanding and completely nails the "macabre whimsy" that the NES-era games had. If INFESTED is any indication of quality, I know SPECTACLE is going to be quite an experience. I will be doing a blind playthrough of SPECTACLE soon.
I have read every single comment on this page as of this post and it seems everyone shares the same sentiment. If I had any additional criticisms, it'd have to be the following:
I know these suggestions add a lot more work to the game (especially the last two), but they had a profound impact on the game's feel for me. While my criticisms take up more than half of my post, it's only because I wanted to be as descriptive and thorough as possible. This game is absolutely phenomenal, and like others have stated, I would gladly pay money for continued games of this genre & caliber.
Thank you for your hard work, dedication and passion. You've made such a phenomenal creation.
Thank you so much. It brought us so much reading your comment. It's so amazing meeting so many passionate Shadowgate fans on here. When I (Jeff) was younger I eagerly anticipated the 4th entry in the NES series and predicted it would be on a space station, but when it never came, I was sad that the sub-genre kinda died off. Cut to many years later and we decided lets make it ourselves for fun and take a nostalgic trip. We actually thought that only a handful of people would play it and we never thought we would get so many amazing messages from awesome people :D
As for the criticisms and suggestions; they're all spot on and excellent ideas. We LOVE receiving constructive criticism and feedback, it's made us want to revisit Infested for a while now in order to do some tweeking here and there, which we may yet still do. We actually considered reworking the Chemical puzzle so that you NEED to use a slime sample on the slide and microscope first before dumping any of the chemicals.
The blood pack "...for the moment" quote is actually something I never really thought of beyond "This'll make the player sweat". But I like the idea of it being satiated and stop moving unless you disturb it.
As for the typos; no need to do a pass, we've already done that, but we really appreciate the offer. That means a lot
Thanks again for your comment, it means the world to us to read stuff like this and hear about other fans of the sub genre. Also, thanks for the video, I'll be checking that out very shortly.
Hope you enjoy Spectacle, if you're a fan of Uninvited than there's a few treats in there for you :D
Can I port this awesome game to the NES?
That would be amazing, but sadly the file is too big and it doesn't use the NES' colour palette :(
No problem, I think I can handle it. Do I have your permission to try it at least?
As of right now, I'd rather not, but we'll see how things go down the road, for sure.
It's a pity that we can't play this game on a real NES console. Anyway, if you change your mind, send me an email to andre.paris@gmail.com
You know it would be quite funny that if someone ended up making a doom mod about this game.
I would definitely be fine with that :
Is the game finished and needs no more updates?
yes, its finished
I just finished playing this, and I wanted to say that I had a lot of fun. The music, the artstyle, and the gameplay were great, and I really enjoyed the game. I also liked the little details, such as the music changing slightly when the power is turned off. I also liked that dying only sends you back one room instead of forcing you to replay chunks of the game, as I felt that I could try out more things just to see what would happen.
Thank you very much. Glad you enjoyed it :D
I was really excited to check out this game. The description and comments led me to think it was a modern addition to the very niche menu-based point and click genre. But unfortunately, I was disappointed with what I found. The lack of an EAT verb (a staple of "MacVentures") soured my experience right from the start. And when I discovered I could not defeat the slime monster with the stethoscope (a classic trope), I knew this was a shallow attempt at recreating "MacVenture" games. I couldn't bring myself to play beyond that point.
jokes aside, this game was awesome, as literally every other person has pointed out :) excellent work. i look forward to spectacle's release!
I don't think any of the NES ports had the EAT option (though I could be wrong). As I recall, it was replaced by [USE]ing an item on [SELF]
Would love to be able to donate to you. Can you make that an option?
That's very kind of you, thanks, but we're not going to add a payment option until our next game that's coming out in the new year. In the meantime if you would like to donate than how about purchasing the soundtrack on Bandcamp. That would mean a lot to us :D
https://oriefalconer.bandcamp.com/album/infested-original-soundtrack-2
Oh didn't know there was a soundtrack. Will gladly get that. Thanks!
Just stumbled across this and had a blast. Just like the old classics (but slightly more forgiving). Did a quick write up:
https://newretrogames.wordpress.com/2019/10/02/infested/
Awesome write-up. Thanks a lot and I'm glad you like it! Stay tuned for our next game "Spectacle", another MacVenture style adventure game, but in 16-bit with mythological themes, mainly Arabian Nights with a few Greek Mythos peppered in ;)
I'm on a trip and playing this in my van at night. It's really nice to feel like this micro genre is still alive. I'm stuck and I like that? :)
I'm really glad you're enjoying it. We wanted to keep this sub genre alive cause it meant so much to us when we were younger :D
My first experience was watching an older person play through Shadowgate at a house party. I was just a kid but others sat around and watch the guy go through it. We were all captivated. I loved the cryptic puzzles, creepy isolated vibe, and how the castle became deeper and more mysterious. *spoiler* In Infested, I was just killed by the pilot and didn't see it coming. That is also a major element I think you nailed.
Really nice work. It captures the feel of those games without the frustration of accidentally-unwinnable situations.
Thank you very much! Always glad to hear that we captured the feel of the originals. We were planning on making it more challenging with stuff like moon logic and unwinnables, but figured we'd tone it down to introduce newer gamers to the genre while maintaining the nostalgia
You could probably fit the moon logic and one-pixel-clickables into an optional hard difficulty setting -- introducing a few additional puzzles that only come up for people who are actively going for the Full Experience. Maybe one of the keycards is broken, so you have to glue the two pieces together with partially-chewed gum that's stuck to the bottom of one of the magboots, or the chemical recipe is found only in a PDF manual as copy-protection, or ....
The game we're working on now actually does have a, well, sort of moon logic puzzle. It literally involves the moon and it's pretty logical...so I guess it's a "logical moon puzzle"? ;)
Hah, cool! Where's the best place to keep updated about your next game? Still too early for ETAs?
I post occassionally on Twitter @GrahMetal. No ETA yet, but the graphics, story, design, etc. Are all complete, now we're putting it all together whenever have free time :D
How?