The Knobbly Crook: Chapter I - The Horse You Sailed In On

Bavolis · Fri 10/04/2015 04:55:02

The Knobbly Crook
Chapter I: The Horse You Sailed In On
Website: Gamejolt Link

The title screen.

The Paincutioner's Court

The Draft Horse

A Royal Guffaloon

Summary: The Knobbly Crook is a 1024x768 game, a talkie, and is set in a completely original fantasy world.

Story: O'Sirus is a simple paper farmer who aspires to be a Knobbcrookian royal guardâ€"a Guffaloon. Stories of their heroic battles against the fearsome Bogold empire echo throughout the Crook. Unfortunately, they're not currently recruiting simple paper farmers. He's going to have to use every dirty trick in his book to cheat his way to the top.

Three key elements factor into the core physics of the Knobbly Crook and surrounding areas. They have a looping hierarchy, with each element proving superior to one of the others and inferior to the third. By understanding this science, the Knobbcrookians have begun to craft powerful machines and build weaponry specific to felling their foes.

Scissors - Though scissors are the most focused of the blade elements (being two blades crossed), any blade or any forged metal will serve a similar role. Blades are the most important element of the Knobbcrookians because each one has elements of metal in their own bodies. This makes any Knobbcrookian a significant threat against creatures that are paper-based in nature and is why the they herd paper animals and harvest paper crop. This also makes them afraid of rock-based creatures such as Bogolds. Since rock is metal at a base form, it trumps any blade.

Rock - The Bogolds of the Gnarled Scar are almost entirely composed of rock, making them massive, intimidating enemies. Of course, rock is everywhere and entirely unavoidable, but inert rock does not frighten a Knobbcrookian as much as animated rock. The stone Bogolds are not invincible. They fear the bred paper animals of the Knobbly Crook as well as the feral paper-based races in the more savage, distant areas of the world. A Bogold will never near the paper sea as falling in would mean certain death. In this world, a rock cannot penetrate a wall of paper, not even a jagged shard.

Paper - The Knobbcrookians know that a paper net will quickly disable the largest bogold and they construct folded paper blades and fearsome whips to fight them. Paper-based races fear the metallic Knobbcrookians as well, but do not view the Bogolds as a real threat. Explorers have returned to the â€˜Crook with reports of vast paper forests beyond the paper sea, inhabited entirely by intricate folded paper beings. This new world has sparked the Knobbcrookians to build massive ships and form exploration parties, headed for lands rich with exploitable paper. The Bogold religion, however, describes these lands as a sort of living Hell.

Various images:

Our Hero
Tarsus Twotalk
The Paincutioner's Court
A Sea Prophet

Eric · Fri 10/04/2015 05:08:36

YESSSSSSS.

Stupot · Fri 10/04/2015 05:26:03

Oh Sweet. Is it Christmas today or something?
Congrats, Bavolis.

Lasca · Fri 10/04/2015 07:17:28

Oh yes!! Congrats on the release!

AprilSkies · Fri 10/04/2015 08:55:26

Congrats for the release!
Is it free? Oh wow!
Great job!

Mandle · Fri 10/04/2015 09:57:43

With The Visitor 3 AND this released today my Sunday is now DOUBLE-BOOKED!!!

Congratulations on what looks like one of the most gorgeous AGS games (or games: period) of all time!!!

I CAN'T WAIT TO PLAY!!!

CaptainD · Fri 10/04/2015 12:25:37

Congrats on the release! I have to say that your graphics style is one of the most striking I've ever seen (not just in AGS games... in ANY game).

Bavolis · Fri 10/04/2015 12:29:41

Thanks, everyone! I hope you enjoy

Fitz · Fri 10/04/2015 15:46:59

You guys have no mercy! The Visitor 3 (which I've been bugging Nick about for months) and AGS's most insanely awesome-looking game released on THE SAME DAY! ARRRGGHH!

NickyNyce · Fri 10/04/2015 16:22:39

Congrats Bavolis. Can't wait to play, it looks amazing. I feel like a giant skyscraper was just built next to my little house...lol

Bavolis · Fri 10/04/2015 23:21:48

Now that I've got it out of the way, I can catch up on some of these releases, too. Also, I feel more like I opened a Mexican restaurant next to your Italian restaurant and now people just have different menus for different days

Congrats on your release as well!

AnasAbdin · Sat 11/04/2015 07:17:46

Congrats Bavolis! Been waiting forever

Mandle · Sun 12/04/2015 13:23:00

I have started playing and I must just say that the mystery of the world you are suddenly plunged into is intense!!!

It is going to take me quite a bit of time to figure out this rock-paper-scissors based mythology...

But I can already see that there are a lot of hints in place within the game to help me...

I'm going to have to leave off for now, but I'm going to be thinking about this weird world's rules during my down-time I'm sure...

Bavolis · Sun 12/04/2015 14:58:12

It shouldn't take you too long to get used to it. Things to keep in mind:

Rock > Scissors
Scissors > Paper
Paper > Rock

Rock things: Bogolds, Gummerlungs, Fossils & Bones.
Paper things: Paper and creatures made out of paper.
Scissor things: Anything with crafted metal components, including Knobbcrookians, Blades, Pots & Pans.

Good luck!

ManicMatt · Sun 12/04/2015 22:29:27

Downloading it just to make sure I have it in my possession! (I have over 50 physically released games over various formats to play first.. it was over 90 a year ago.. it got out of hand..)

Spiffing that you have achieved your goal, releasing Chapter 1! By the time I get around to playing it you'll be making chapter 3 hoho!

Kasander · Mon 13/04/2015 00:03:16

Quote from: Eric on Fri 10/04/2015 05:08:36
YESSSSSSS.

My thoughts exactly. But let me reiterate.
Yes. YES. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

selmiak · Mon 13/04/2015 13:43:30

I haven't quite completed it, but the voice acting is scary and cool at the same time. And the art is very great! Now let's go bowling for gummerlungs

shaun9991 · Fri 17/04/2015 16:39:47

I've been keeping my eye on this one for ages, well done on the release!!! Looking forward to playing it. I always thought it would be a paid game - the art is INCREDIBLE

Bavolis · Sat 18/04/2015 03:06:24

Thanks! I make pay games during my 9-5. I use my downtime to give back to the genre that inspired me

DangerDanger · Wed 29/04/2015 23:17:44

Great game!

It looks like a cross over of Gobliiins (universe with its own rules paper/rock/metal) and the game from Jo99 (organic look / overhelming level of detail).

My only two complains would be:

Why the main character has to be so selfish?
(solving the puzzles is often done by hurting /stolen the other characters)

The cutscene with the thief was too short (I had to replay this part in order to catch /read all the speech text).

Bref!
Thanks for the game!

M.

PS: About patreon, did you think about alternative (patreon per chapters instaed on month or donate/paywhatyouwant instead)?