Game Manual

• 1: A Word From the Developer
• 2: Life in Vallas
• 3: Game Overview
• 3.1: Gaining Experience
• 3.2: Surviving Vallas
• 3.3: Armor
• 3.4: Hearts
• 3.5: Weapons
• 3.6: Books
• 3.7: Saving
• 3.8: Vital Statistics
• 4: Navigating Vallas
• 4.1: Alternative Routes
• 4.2: Cast of Characters
• 4.3: Marika's Reputation
• 4.4: Vallan Technology
• 4.5: Tips and Tricks
• 5: Controls
• 6: Credits
• 7: Support

1 - A Word From the Developer

A Brief History of Idosra

Long-time members of the Stencyl developers community may recall a handful of games in the Vallas series dating back to 2013. The series began with a game meant to promote the soon-to-be-published An Ember in the Wind—an idea taken from how the game Nation States promoted Jennifer Government. This idea was soon abandoned. First, it wasn’t helping me finish the book. It also dawned on me that I never read Jennifer Government despite there being its associated game.

I hastily renamed the game to Vallas and brushed it aside. The protagonist was renamed Marika, a name borrowed from a character from a sample script in Jerome Stern’s Making Shapely Fiction. Vallas was a name randomly generated from the website Chaotic Shiny’s service.

From time to time, particularly when I needed a game world for a game jam game, I pulled Vallas out. It didn’t have a consistent story until my entry into Stencyl Jam 16: Temple of Idosra. This was the seed of an idea based on the imagined far future of North Carolina’s Outer Banks coast.

The COVID-19 Lockdown

Originally called Rogue of Vallas, the Idosra project began shortly after the COVID-19 lockdown started in March 2020. The project was meant to fill some free time and be a fun distraction. As the characters and their stories began to take shape, I decided it was finally time to give the world of Vallas a proper story.

Some of the events in the game are loosely based on U.S. elections in 2012, 2016, and 2020. Marika, like myself I suppose, isn’t too interested in regional politics—but knows she should be. None of the characters are meant to represent any particular U.S. candidate. However, much as in real life, the Vallan election is consuming everyone’s attention while something more sinister brews.

This game pushed my artistic and level design skills, but I don’t think anyone can argue learning something new isn’t a good thing. I thought of several different types of games to tell the Vallas story. I chose to write an action-adventure RPG because this type of game makes best use of my skillset as a programmer and mathematician. Action-based games require fast math, physics, and AI-handling routines. These are the types of programming problems I most enjoy solving. I also implemented my own flavor of the BASIC programming language to power NPC dialog sequences—so enjoy talking to the cast of characters!

Influences

The look and feel of Idosra is heavily inspired by the 90’s DOS games—particularly those from Apogee and Epic Megagames—that my brother and I regularly downloaded from the Houston area BBS HAL-PC. Jill of the Jungle and Prince of Persia were two significant influences. To a lesser extent, so was Executioners.

However, certain game mechanics—especially those where Marika needs to figure out how to infiltrate a Vallan compound—are inspired by the games my brother and I would make up while waiting the hour our 2400-baud modem took to download a single game. The escape room-like fort games were often more fun than whatever demo we ended up downloading. I like to think I captured that special combination of imagination and impatience.

Another significant influence were MUDs (Multi-User Dungeons). Although Idosra is a single-player experience, many mechanics of MUDs found their way into the game. The two most influential MUDs were Cardinal Syn and Realms of the Lost Dimension, both running the ACK!MUD codebase.

Enjoy!

Behind the Scenes

Idosra: The Electric Renaissance was developed using the Stencyl development environment, built on top of OpenFL using the Haxe programming language. About half of the code was “written” using Stencyl’s visual design blocks, and half using typed Haxe code.

The game implements a dialect of BASIC dubbed “VDS BASIC” (short for Vallas Dialog BASIC, named after its original purpose).

Most of the artwork was drawn using Aseprite, GIMP, and Krita. Eadweard Muybridge’s work was particularly helpful for animation studies.

All of the levels were created using the Tiled map editor.

All of the .tmx and .tsx Tiled files, .bas VDS BASIC program files, and other miscellaneous data files are exposed. All of the levels can be edited, or new ones patched into the map.

Of course, this means you can easily cheat. However, my general philosophy on computer games is that they are toys, both to enjoy and also learn from. I don’t feel like telling people how to enjoy the game. If anyone wants to pick the data files apart and see how they work, go for it.

Still—I would encourage you to at least try the game the way it was meant to be played first. Once you peek behind the curtain, the magic and mystery is gone and there is no undoing that.

2 - Life in Vallas

Elections in Vallas

The City-State Lyrika is currently being annexed by Vallas, but most of the Lyrikans don’t mind. Vallas may bring new prosperity to a struggling city. Some Lyrikans are wary of Vallas and its high chancellor, Golga. They suspect he may be trying to cement his ruling position and build an empire. However, the prospect of a resistance is proving unpopular with traders, craftsmen, and scholars looking for new economic opportunities. A few question Vallas’ motives, but most of the citizens can’t afford to do so. Instead, they look forward to voting in their first election—for the governor of the new Lyrika province of Vallas. Narzch and Zara are the two favorites for governor. Despite his shortcomings, Golga is the favorite for high chancellor.

Marika

When Lyrikans leave primary school at age 15, they find a teacher who will mentor them in their chosen profession. At age 25, they enter adulthood.

For Marika, age 25 came and went before she found her calling. Furthermore, the Lyrikan custom of a mentor-protege relationship is seen as old-fashioned by Vallans. Marika’s mentor, Rayda, is still trying to guide her–but she finds herself in a professions limbo. She also isn’t all that interested in the upcoming election. Instead, she spends her time exploring the woods around Lyrika. She comes up with fanciful stories about her encounters, giving her a somewhat poor reputation with her more serious-minded friends.

Our story opens with Marika lost in the woods, pursued by an unknown device. She then stumbles upon a Vallan encampment, and questions their activity. Neither Rayda, nor her friends, seem to take her seriously.

The Emerging Cities

Marika’s claims do have some merit. The sea levels are falling, revealing ancient coastal cities. The ruins at “the digs” contain what scholars are dubbing “black boxes”—devices that produce a power that some think might be what the ancient Carolinians called “electricity”. These boxes produce odors and sounds that puzzle the scholars. The Lyrikan scholars are taking a cautious approach, but the Vallan scholars are far more eager to put the “black boxes” to use. They are using them to generate lights and power mechanical devices. Could they be producing weapons as well? Marika suspects they may be, but if only she could find some evidence…

3 - Game Overview

Your Objective

You take on the role of Marika, with the initial goal of escaping the encampment and finding Rayda. Additional objectives will reveal themselves as the story unfolds.

Your general goal is to help Marika gain new skills and abilities. She will need them to surivive in increasingly dangerous Vallan compounds.

3.1 - Gaining Experience

Experience Points

Marika gains new skills and abilities by earning and spending experience points (EXP). Experience points are spent by reading books. To learn from a book, Marika will need to both find the book and earn the require EXP. Higher-level books may have other requirement, such as meeting an intelligence level, accomplishing a feat, or having learned a prerequisite skill.

Marika earns experience points by completing the game’s levels (referred to as areas). The total amount of experience points she can spend is the sum of the high scores in each area. Hence, if an area is replayed, the previous high score must be exceeded before more experience points are awarded.

Gaining Experience

Completing the area’s objectives and collecting EXP orbs significantly add to the score. Being victorious in combat also adds to the score—but sometimes Marika may be better off by avoiding a fight.

EXP orbs are often arranged in groups. Quickly collecting the entire group of orbs will add a bonus. Cool!

There are many other ways to gain experience that you’ll learn as the game progresses. Some bonuses that seem minor when you first encounter them may become very significant later.

Style Bonuses and Rogue Rating

Marika can earn style bonuses at the end of the level. Style bonuses are feats, such as quickly collecting every group of EXP orbs, not taking any damage in the area, completing the area within a short time frame, or finding all of the books and gold. Style bonuses can add a hefty bonus—so much so that they may even double the area score!

Marika will also receive a “Rogue Rating” rank at the end of the level. An “A” or “S” rank awards a large bonus. Can you help Marika earn a perfect rank, “P”, of 800 points? Rogue Rating ranks also contribute to other factors in the game, such as Marika’s reputation with key NPCs.

Style bonus points contribute the most to Rogue Rating, while deaths lower it.

Tip! Don’t be discouraged by a low Rogue Rating rank! You have to clear the area to take any permanent collectables (like books) out of it. Taking permanents out of the area is the highest priority. Areas can be replayed at any time. If you want to earn a high rank, it will be easier to make another attempt after Marika gains new skills.

Some collectable items, such as books or gold that award permanent bonuses, can only be taken from an area once. These items are replaced with “dummy variants” when an area is replayed so that their points and style bonuses can still be earned.

3.2 - Surviving Vallas

Staying Healthy

Marika is counting on you to keep a close eye on her health.

Hitpoints (HP) determine how many hits Marika can take before she dies. The skill “Sanctuary” will let her take one additional hit at 0 HP, except from falling.

Endurance (MV) determines how hard Marika can push herself before she needs rest. Certain skills can mitigate many of the negative effects of tiring out, but her better moves will still be less effective.

Death is Inevitable?

If Marika dies, your choices are to rebirth or accept fate. Accepting the fate will drop her back to the world map. From there, you can try another area or retry the failed area—starting from the beginning. Rebirth will allow you to return Marika to the last Save Point Ankh Statue she used. Marika will be restored to full health and endurance, but her Rogue Rating rank will be penalized.

Marika will be injured if she falls from a height greather than 2/3 of a screen, so be careful with those jumps!

Elixirs

There are four common elixirs that Marika can find. These items are added to her inventory when collected, and can be saved for use in any area. The elixirs have both temporary and permanent effects. Elixirs can only be taken from an area once, so use them wisely!

The Emerald Elixir restores health. If Marika has a lot of HP, she may need to drink multiple emerald elixirs to regain full health.

The Sapphire Elixir restores health to full and raises maximum life by 3 HP. These elixirs are especially valuable early in the game!

The Ruby Elixir restores energy to full and raises maximum energy by 1 MV.

The Gold Elixir temporarily raises Marika’s strength. Gold elixirs are rare, so they should be saved for urgent situations!

These are other, rare elixirs that Marika can find. Keep an eye out for them!

Strategic Tip!

Healing elixirs restore health over time. If Marika has learned the skill “Sanctuary”, this effectively gives her near-immortality. When she takes a fatal hit and is dropped to 0 HP, she will quickly be brought up to 1 HP. She can then take another fatal blow and be dropped to 0 HP instead of killed. As long as she doesn’t take two fatal blows in very quick succession, she will be immortal until the healing effect wears off.

3.3 - Armor

Equipping Marika

Marika can find and wear armor. Armor reduces damage by a certain percentage, up to a certain limit.

Example: An armor item could reduce damage taken by 50% up to 25 points. If she were to take 100 HP damage, this armor would only protect her from 25 of those points, leading her to take 75 points damage.

Certain enemy NPCs also wear armor! Trial and error will eventually reveal which enemies are armored. She can also find and learn a high enough level of the skill “Scry Enemy”.

Wearing armor encumbers Marika, thus reducing her maximum endurance (MV). Marika’s maximum MV cannot be reduced below half of its unencumbered value. This means Marika may need to gain MV to wear the heavier armors. Don’t forget that ruby potions raise Marika’s maximum endurance!

The most common armor items protect Marika’s legs (boots), torso (tunic), and arms (bracers). She cannot wear more than one item for each of these parts of her body. The armor also only protects against damage to the part of her body that it covers. Bracers won’t do any good if she stubs her toes on the stairs!

Some armor items have negative effects, so be sure to inspect each item carefully! Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

Rings

Eventually, Marika will find rings. Unlike other equipment, she can wear as many rings as she wants. As is with armor, rings have both positive and negative effects, so she may want to shuffle them around when necessary.

3.4 - Hearts

Healing Hearts

The heart collectable restores Marika’s health. Unlike the Emerald and Sapphire Elixirs, the heart is consumed when Marika touches it. Each heart is worth 6 “ticks”. Each tick will heal Marika by one HP. Once her health is full, each extra tick awards 50 points.

Heart ticks that are not needed for healing also add to the area’s style bonus—so you must decide if you want to consume a heart for health or for points.

Upgrading the Heart

Marika’s friend Desaka runs a store in Lyrika Village. One of the upgrades she sells will increase the number of HP each heart tick restores.

The first heart upgrade costs 5 Denarii (or one gold coin). The cost \(C\) of the heart upgrade at level \(L\) is computed using a variation of Binet’s Formula.

Tip! Upgrading the heart to level 2 (healing 12 HP instead of 6 HP) is a good first purchase to make.

In high level areas, Marika will find hearts that have a higher number of ticks.

Tip! While at the beginning of the game the maximum point value of a heart is modest, eventually hearts become a significant source of EXP. Be sure to level up the heart so that there will be more leftover ticks to contribute to score.

3.5 - Weapons

Special Weapons

A variety of special weapons can be found in almost every area. They come in two basic types: thrown and shot.

The number of special weapon uses can be seen in the weapon card display on the lower-left corner of the screen. The figure above shows that Marika has no special weapon equipped (so, her fists), and an infinite number of uses.

Special weapons can be selected from the inventory screen.

Bookmarking Weapons

Special weapons can also be “bookmarked”. Bookmarked weapons are shown in the small tiles next to the weapon card.

Bookmarks are automatically assigned the first time a weapon is collected until all bookmarks are used. They can also be reassigned to your preferences in the inventory screen. Select the weapon in the inventory screen, then select one of the bookmark buttons to reassign the bookmark.

Bookmarked weapons can be selected by using the [cycle-select] button. If you’re playing with a keyboard, you can also select a bookmarked weapon using the number keys 1-8.

Thrown Weapons

Thrown weapons travel in an arc trajectory. You can hold down the [action 2] button to begin a throw. The angle Marika will throw the weapon at will increase. When you release the [action 2] button, she will throw the weapon. The throw is cancelled if the angle exceeds 90 degrees.

The most common type of thrown weapon is the axe. The axe is invaluable, but will take some time to master!

You’ll discover the rest of the thrown weapons with time.

Shooting Weapons

Shooting weapons travel in a straight line. The most common type of shooting weapon is the throwing knife. Like with axes, there are other kinds of shooting weapons that you will discover later.

Shooting weapons must be aimed. To aim, hold down the [action 2] button. Then use the [left] and [right] buttons to pan the camera (if able to). Use [up] and [down] to aim. You can cancel the shot by aiming completely to the floor.

Useful Skills

In Chapter 1, there are two skills which are very useful for making effective use of thrown weapons.

Algebra will help her do the mental math needed to better predict where the weapon will go.

Aiming will allow her to both throw and aim while running. Without that skill, she can only use weapons while standing still.

Scout also adds the ability to pan the camera while aiming a shooting weapon

Purchasing Weapons From Shops

At the completion of an area, leftover special weapons contribute to the style bonus score. They do not contribute to the Rogue Rating rank, though.

Marika cannot take special weapons out of an area, so be sure to use them!

Various shops will sell special weapons. Marika will start each area with the weapons she has purchased.

These purchases are permanent. That means, for instance, if Marika buys an iron axe from Desaka then she will begin every area with an iron axe.

Strategic Uses

As you might expect, the special weapons are useful for both defense and offense.

However, special weapons are also useful for manipulating the environment! Axes and knives can be used to take out sensors and defensive structures.

In the illustration above, you may figure that Marika will want to take out the turret. However, she should take out the sensor that is to its lower-left. The turret is well armored, but the sensor is fragile. The more you, and Marika, learn about Vallan technology, the easier it will be to find ideal targets.

Projectile weapons can also take out gas lamps. (They cannot take out electric lamps, though). Sensors and enemy NPCs cannot see Marika if she is in the shadows, so use light (or its absence) strategically!

3.6 - Books

With Experience Comes Wisdom

Books are among the most valuable special items. To spend her hard-earned experience points, Marika will need to find books to read. The EXP cost to read from a book is listed in its page in the inventory screen. Some books have other requirements, such as a minimum intelligence stat or prerequisite skill.

All books are permanent items. Like elixirs and gold, they can only be retrieved from an area once. (On area replays, “dummy books” will be available so that the style points for collecting books can still be earned).

Marika does not have to read a book as soon as she finds one. Unread books can be carried out of the area. This is one reason why you should prioritize clearing an area regardless of score.

Early in the game, Marika should read every book she can find. Eventually, the EXP costs may prohibit her from doing that.

There is no grinding for experience points in Idosra. It is possible to read every book in the game, but probably not without clearing every area with a respectable Rogue Rating rank.

Gaining Wisdom and Intelligence

Wisdom and intelligence are two other common requirements to learn from a book.

The Wisdom (WIS) stat is levelled up via milestones. As Marika learns more about the world, she will gain wisdom.

You can see what objectives Marika currently has by looking in the Status page of the inventory screen. Marika will learn more about the world when she completes objectives. Talking to NPCs is the best way to gain new objectives. If Marika currently has no objectives, then she should find NPCs to converse with!

The Intelligence (INT) stat is increased by spending EXP. She will gain her first additional point in intelligence when she spends 1,000 EXP. Subsequent points in intelligence are gained each time the amount of EXP she has spent doubles.

Tip! Early in the game, Marika will gain intelligence points with every book she reads. This also forces a particular order the first few books must be read in. After the first few areas, she (and you, too!) will have more choices on what order to learn new skills in.

3.7 - Saving

Try, Try Again?

The game is automatically saved any time an area begins, or when Marika enters the Vallas Map. The game is also saved automatically when she purchases items from a shop, new areas are unlocked, or when key events occur.

The game is not saved when quit is selected from the options menu!

There are two ways you can save the game mid-area. The most common is to find a Save Ankh statue. Almost every area contains at least one of these statues. These statues act as checkpoints. If Marika dies, she can “rebirth”" to start at the last ankh she used.

Ankh statues can be used multiple times. There is no penalty for saving, but her Rogue Rating rank will be penalized if she rebirths.

If Marika touches an ankh statue that she has not saved at, she will save automatically. If you want to update the save state at the same ankh, you can activate it again with the [use] button.

In cases where it is too dangerous to return to the nearest Save Ankh statue, Marika can read a special Saving Book. These books act like a “portable Save Ankh statue”.

Saving books can only be read once. These books are rare, so use them with great care!

Rebirth vs Accept Fate

If Marika dies and you accept the fate instead of rebirthing, the game is restored as if the area was never attempted. This means any permanent items that were used, such as elixirs, are also restored. Any other actions that took place during the failed attempt, such as reading a book, are also undone.

Accepting the fate behaves as if you saved the game before entering the area, then restored that save.

Failed attempts at an area are considered non-canon. It wouldn’t make sense to the story if Marika actually died and came back to life. She isn’t a zombie!

3.8 - Vital Statistics

Numbers Game

Marika’s key statistics are (STR)ength, (INT)elligence, (WIS)dom, (DEX)terity, and (CON)stitution.

Strength primarily affects how hard Marika can hit, and thus her effectiveness in combat. It is raised by reading books that teach her how to strengthen herself.

Intelligence is the primary requirement to learn new skills. It is raised by spending EXP. She gains one point in intelligence when she spends 1,000 EXP, and another point each time that amount doubles.

Wisdom is a common requirement to learn the most powerful skills. It is raised by learning more about the world. Completing a set of levels is the best way to raise Marika’s wisdom statistic. The first chapter has three level sets: Lyrika, Empire Outposts, and Intriguing Activities.

Dexterity determines how much endurance Marika has, as well as how much armor she can wear before becoming encumbered. It is raised by learning certain skills.

Constitution determines how many hitpoints Marika has. It is also raised by learning certain skills.

As you might expect, Marika starts out weak, with each stat at 3 points. Each stat can be levelled up to around 23 points, give-or-take.

Tip! Intelligence is probably the most important statistic, because the others (wisdom aside) are levelled up by reading, which requires intelligence. While Idosra doesn’t feature a “character level” as in most roleplaying games, Marika’s intelligence stat can be viewed as such.

Therefore, intelligence can be seen as a way to gauge Marika’s overall strength.

4 - Navigating Vallas

Welcome to the Vallan Empire

Marika begins her story in the woods outside Lyrika Village, in the upper-left corner of the map. Once she escapes from the Vallan encampment, she will enter the Vallas Map Screen.

She can then navigate to any revealed levels—marked as points of interest. Initially, only the village and encampment are shown. Additional levels are unlocked as the game progresses.

Points of interest come in several varieties:

• Villages are safe areas. Marika will find most of the friendly NPCs to converse with in villages. She may also find shops, and other services.

• Outposts are small areas. Some outposts are hard to clear, and are effectively bonus areas.

• The remaining varieties are all larger areas. The EXP bonuses for earning a high Rogue Rating rank are approximately double that earned from clearing outposts. Larger areas may also include branching areas, referred to as “alternative routes”.

4.1 - Alternative Routes

Secret Areas and Alternative Routes

Marika’s world is full of secret areas—some easy to find, and some less so. Secret alcoves may contain bonus items, such as rare elixirs and gold.

More importantly, larger areas may contain entirely different routes. In the first few areas you may see doors that Marika cannot reach. As she gains additional abilities, she will be able to reach them. Alternative routes count as entirely different areas in the high score table, so these routes will go a long way toward helping Marika gain experience.

Once Marika enters an alternative route, none of her actions in the original area count toward the Rogue Rating rank—neither for or against.

Tip! In the first two chapters, every area (except outposts) have two alternative routes. In the third chapter, every area (except outposts) has one alternative route.

Exception! One special area breaks this trend by having an extra alternative route! Marika will learn where it is eventually…

4.2 - Cast of Characters

Meet the Cast

Marika will meet a variety of characters throughout her journey. Not everyone is against her!

We won’t list all of the characters, but here are the first three key characters you will meet.

Conversing with characters is essential. Marika will gain new objectives, and unlock new areas, by talking to NPCs.

Rayda, Marika’s Mentor

Rayda is Marika’s mentor, a role he should have relinquished four years ago. He is trying to help her find a trade, but grows increasingly frustrated that she doesn’t appreciate his efforts.

Rayda will guide Marika, but he would like to see her find her place in the world.

Desaka, Marika’s Childhood Friend

Lyrikans are not raised in individual families. Instead, the entire village cooperates in raising their youngest in the Halls of Children.

Desaka was Marika’s best friend in the halls. She now runs a shop in Lyrika and has married a Vallan merchant.

Desaka’s husband, Mazen, doesn’t understand Lyrikan culture. In Vallas, children are raised in traditional families. As Lyrika is annexed, a culture clash is inevitable.

Marika can purchase supplies from Desaka’s store. She can also talk to her about her adventures.

Note! Marika can only buy items that she has learned about through her explorations. For instance, the throwing knife will not be available in Desaka’s shop until Marika finds one in an area—and, of course, also clears that area at least once.

The receipts item in her inventory will list all of the purchases that have been made.

Tip! There is enough gold in the game to max out every purchase. However, there is not enough easily obtainable gold to do this! To purchase everything, Marika will need to find money in the hard-to-reach places.

Karada, the Bully

Karada grew up in the halls with Marika. He bullied her through childhood, then disappeared for several years. He has now returned. Marika doesn’t trust him.

Character Names Fun Fact

Vallan names are nothing special. Lyrikan names, on the other hand, follow a specific rule: Masculine names end with -da. Feminine names end with -ka. The names of scholars, who are expected to stay celibate, end with -ta.

4.3 - Marika's Reputation

R-E-S-P-s’vee-T

Marika’s reputation affects how friendly NPCs interact with her. If they are dismissive, she will need to gain reputation.

Marika’s reputation with Lyrika, her home city-state, rises as she gains Rogue Rating ranks. A perfect rating contributes more than a lower rating, but any rating other than E contributes something.

Marika’s reputation with Golga, the head of Vallas, rises as she completes areas. She starts off as unknown, but can quickly make a name for herself! She gains one point toward this reputation per area completed, regardless of rank.

Shopkeepers tend to care more about Marika’s city-state reputation, as do NPCs that may reveal bonus areas.

Other NPCs, such as those that unlock key progression areas, care more about Marika’s reputation with Golga and Vallas.

Tip! If you are playing especially well, you may earn a high reputation with Lyrika early, thus unlocking hard levels before Marika is well-equipped to clear them. In the first chapter, one such level is Oil Well. However, there are powerful rewards for completing hard levels early!

4.4 - Vallan Technology

Much Ado About Oil and Gas

Marika’s world is powered by coal, gas, and steam, so she is used to seeing pipes sprawling every which way. But the Vallan Empire is implementing something new, sourced from the ruins revealed by the sinking sea.

The new Vallan technology is powered by “black boxes”, sealed power generating devices whose secrets even the Vallans themselves don’t understand.

Marika’s ability to comprehend how the technology works is essential to her survival in Vallan compounds.

Vallan technology grows increasingly sophisticated as Marika ventures deeper into Vallas. Can you help her learn how to circumvent defensive structures?

It is up to you to help Marika learn how switches, buttons, triggers, “automatic eyes”, and alarms interact with the environment—so study these devices closely when Marika encounters them! Keep in mind that the Vallans are learning how to use these devices, too—so they may not use them consistently. They may not even use them correctly!

Tip! Study where the pipes lead. Some pipes are buried behind walls, so you may need to infer where they go. Most of the time, though, pipes are retrofitted onto older structures, and so mounted directly to the walls.

4.5 - Tips and Tricks

Things to Keep An Eye Out For

You’ll want to pay close attention to the environment! As mentioned in the Vallan Technology section, watch where pipes go.

Also keep an eye out for warning signs. The Vallas Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires known hazards to be clearly marked. Sometimes, Vallan engineers even comply with this law. When Marika encounters warning placards, take a moment to scout the area.

Scout, in general, is an invaluable skill. Neither Vallas nor Lyrika are liable if Marika blindly charges into a dangerous area like a nitwit.

Finally, don’t forget to use light and shadows to your advantage. “Automatic eyes” and enemy NPCs cannot see Marika if she is hiding in the shadows. (Note: Enemy NPCs can still hear her footsteps, though—and they will react!)

Axes and knives are particularly useful for turning off lights—albeit they are less useful for turning them back on. Some lamps are built out of stronger housing than others, so take note of which kind are most resilient and use limited weapon resources wisely. When Marika ventures into secured Vallan compounds, she should keep a few axes and throwing knives on-hand for dispensing with alarms.

Turrets are built tough, but the sensors are much weaker. Taking out the sensors is a more effective way of dealing with turrets than taking out the turrets themselves.

Stand back from gas lamps if you have Marika take them out! They will explode and drop flaming debirs in their vicinity.

Good luck!

5 - Controls

Marika’s Actions

You can choose between playing with a game controller or the keyboard. All of the control keys can be redefined to your liking. The default keys are listed here.

Moving

Holding the [left] or [right] keys will make Marika run, while merely tapping them will make her take a single-step sashay.

If Marika brushing up against a ledge, hold [left] or [right] to push her into the ledge. She will then grab onto it when her hands are aligned with the ledge. Keep holding the button until she finishes her climb.

When you release the [left] or [right] keys, Marika will take a moment to slow down. She is smart enough to not slide off the edge of a cliff, though! As long as you are not holding these buttons down, she will stop before she tumbles.

You can also sashay right up to the edge of a cliff. If you attempt to sashay when Marika is right at the edge, she will look down instead.

The [up] button, by itself, will make Marika enter an open door.

The [down] button, by itself, will make Marika crouch.

Jumping

Use the [action1] button to make Marika jump. If she is not already moving, she will just jump straight up in the air. You can hold the [action1] button down for a bit to make her jump higher. If she is running, she will do a long-jump.

Once she learns the appropriate skills, you can make Marika do a few more things.

Marika can jump straight up and grab ledges directly below or above her. This may take a little bit of practice, but by the time you find the appropriate skill, you will have already mastered the basics.

Climbing Down (Requires Climb Skill Level 1)

To climb down from a ledge to the ledge below:

1. Sashay to the edge. You don’t have to be pixel-perfect, but Marika does need to be close to the edge.
2. Turn facing away from the edge.
3. Crouch down.
4. Press the [action1] button.

Climbing Up (Requires Climb Skill Level 1)

To climb up onto a ledge above:

1. Sashay to the edge again, and turn around—just like you had to do to climb down.
2. Press the [action1] button to jump.
3. Hold the [left] or [right] button to push Marika into the ledge.
4. Marika will grab onto the ledge when her hands are aligned properly, then begin to climb.

Dropping Through Semi-Solid Floors (Requires Climb Skill Level 1)

To drop through a semi-solid floor:

1. Press the [down] button to crouch.
2. Press the [jump] button to drop.

Note! Marika can also jump up through a semi-solid floor. If you are holding [up] while doing so, she will grab onto the floor and begin to pull herself up. Of course, if she jumps so high that her feet clear the semi-solid floor, she will just land on it.

Scouting (Requires Scout Skill Level 1)

The [scout] button, in conjunction with a direction button, will pan the camera in the desired direction. Scouting is crucial to navigating Vallan compounds safely, especially at the beginning of the game when she is relatively weak.

Marika can also scout while aiming a shooting-type weapon, such as the throwing knives. Marika can only scout left or right while aiming a weapon, though.

Higher levels of Scout will enable Marika to see even farther ahead. Keep holding [scout] + [direction] until the camera has panned as far as you want it to.

Somersault (Requires Roll Skill Level 1)

If Marika is running, you can press the [down] button to make her roll.

While Marika is crouching or rolling, she will be much harder to hit. Vallan guards are trained to aim for the head, so there’s a good chance they’ll aim too high if she ducks. She will also be harder to spot, making it a bit easier for her to be sneaky!

Primary Attack

Use the [action2] button to perform Marika’s primary attack. This is the attack selected from her special weapons, or fists.

See the weapons page for a description of how to use these attacks.

Secondary Attack

Press the [action3] button to perform Marika’s secondary attack. This will be some type of kick. Kicks, in general, are slower, but more powerful.

Marika’s starting ability is a simple standing-kick. Eventually, she’ll learn all kinds of fun varieties of kicks!

Cycle-Select

The [cycle-select] button will cycle through Marika’s bookmarked special weapons. Weapons that have not been bookmarked can be selected from the inventory menu. The [cycle-select] button just makes it more convenient to find your favorites.

Use

The [use] button is used to interact with the environment. Use this button to activate buttons and switches, activate Save Ankh statues, talk to friendly NPCs, investigate background objects when a prompt appears, and more.

Inventory

Use the [inventory] button to access Marika’s inventory. The motion keys can be used to navigate the menus. The [action1] key can be used to select an inventory category or card. The game’s options are also accessed from the inventory screen—under the menu category.

6 - Credits

Idosra: The Electric Renaissance Credits

• Game Design; Level Design; Artwork; Programming by R. Watson

• Music by Nicole Marie T

• Miscellaneous Contributions by E. Watson

• Special Thanks Stencyl Community—Feedback, etc. Including: Akemi, Bombini, Cory Martin, Ginge, Krimm, Jon, Justin, Konstantin Soul (Wolf), Leon (BittyBigStudio), Luyren (Penguin)

7 - Support

Technical Support

For technical questions or issues, please click here to send an e-mail to support.