This weird game Cruel World

[robert]

Maybe you may not know about this game. Its name is Cruel World, and it's very similar to POP, the guy you control is almost exactly the same (although it wears more clothes ). Instead of fighting with a sword you fight with your own strength. Controls are quite different, you have to press other keys to make long-jumps and other stuff. Your health is represented by red bottles, like POP2, and guards health is represented by their specific colour. You can find something like a parchment, which will tell you an important thing you must bear in mind. Something curious, whenever you fall down, you fall so slightly and in a straight line. This makes a diffence between long jumps in this game and POP. The guards can be skeletons, (really ugly) monsters, and normal guards, and some of them are very hard to beat, even in level 1, which I never passed... Here are some pictures.




It is really a weird game, you might be interested at first sight, but when you test it you won't ever want to play it again... unless you're a very patient person
If you are interested I can post a download link, or attach the game (if I am permitted), or via PM.

Also, if you ever played this game, or maybe you are playing it, please post a reply of the game, a walkthrough or whatever you consider appropiate. It'll be usefool.

[Norbert]

Those screenshots aren't being shown to people who didn't visit old-games.com.
Here are some alternatives you could use:

http://i.imgur.com/SyGec6K.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/yj2Dlfp.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Ey4E8ur.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/LpGH1p0.jpg

[robert]

Thanks Norbert!, I didn't noticed that.

Here is a video:

[David]

Here is the old-games page: http://www.old-games.com/download/1981/cruel-world
However, the free download is *slow* (few kB/sec, and the game is ~900kB), so try this instead: http://www.myabandonware.com/game/cruel-world-2f6

So we have yet another fan-made PoP-like game, in addition to Arabian Nights 2D and prince of persia 3.

[Norbert]

I have also created a page about this game at popot.org.
I've been playing it for a couple of hours and noticed a bunch of things.
From the web page:

Use the numeric keypad to control the character. It takes time and patience to get used to the controls. Unlike Prince of Persia, the game doesn't help you when you're making a running jump.
When fighting, kick to keep distance and punch to inflict more damage. It's possible to survive much further falls than in Prince of Persia, by grabbing a ledge while falling. Press up ("8" on the keypad) to grab the ledge. When not in fighting mode, use "," to go to a previous level (1 will go to 30) and "." to go to the next level.

I also made a couple more screenshots than those already available on the Internet.
(See the page.) A cruel world indeed...

[Norbert]

I've actually started creating a map for level 30, which I assume to be the last level of this game.
Here is what I've got so far:
http://i.imgur.com/1Jjr8gP.png
Mirror: http://s21.postimg.org/pnc12xkgl/level30.png
As you can see, I'm currently stuck.

[robert]

Didn't know about the special keys to skip level...

Did you pass any level?
What do you think personally about the game?

As you can see, I'm currently stuck.

If by one of life's little coincidences I find a way to reach that top, I'll let you know

[Norbert]

What do you think personally about the game?

Once you've gotten used to the controls and figured out how to run-jump over/passed traps, it's not bad.
The game doesn't help you when you try to run-jump or climb to platforms, which is annoying at first.
On the other hand, you can fall really far down and still live if you grab a ledge, which gives you more freedom.
Some of the traps are interesting (like the turning wall) and I like certain details (e.g. rooms being brighter if there are more lights; see the map).
Maybe I need to practice more, but fighting the enemies (kicking and punching) seems to be difficult from the start (not including the first enemy).

[David]

I tried to complete level 1.
One annoying thing is that there is no standing jump.
However, it seems to me that there is no way co complete it unless I use the "teleport" cheat. (see below)
Using the teleport, I made a map, and it seems that the level consists of multiple parts that are inaccessible from each other.


Here is a list of keys that I found to work:

intro: (except the logo)
Esc: skip intro

menu:
enter: select
up,numpad8: up
down,numpad2: down

playing: (both when fighting and when not fighting, but not while falling)
alt-R: goto level 1
alt-D: restart level
shift-left/4,right/6,up/8,down/2: teleport to other room (buggy if you're fighting!)
Esc: back to main menu

not fighting:
left,numpad4: turn/run left
right,numpad6: turn/run right
down,numpad2: crouch
up,numpad8: jump up / jump while running
end,numpad1: step left
pagedown,numpad3: step right
shift-, : goto previous 10th level
shift-. : goto next 10th level
, : goto previous level
. : goto next level
alt-L: load game
alt-S: save game

fighting:
home,end,numpad7,numpad9: punch forward
up,numpad8: punch up
left,numpad4: go left
right,numpad6: go right
end,pagedown,numpad1,numpad3: kick forward
down,numpad2: crouch

falling:
up,numpad8: grab edge

[Norbert]

However, it seems to me that there is no way co complete it unless I use the "teleport" cheat.

Does your map of level 1 by any chance have any passages in certain walls similarly to those (four) passages in my partial map of level 30?
I'm starting to think that maybe these can be used to reach other sections of the level.

Nice find on some of those keys, particularly the teleport and load/save combos.
Those will come in handy.

[robert]

Good to know that this game has more similiraties with PoP

However, it seems to me that there is no way co complete it unless I use the "teleport" cheat.

Evidently, this game is not so well done. Apart from this, I can't use the teleport cheat, because the key combinations don't work for me

[David]

Does your map of level 1 by any chance have any passages in certain walls similarly to those (four) passages in my partial map of level 30?
I'm starting to think that maybe these can be used to reach other sections of the level.

I'm not sure what you mean.
There are some walls I can go through, but only from right to left, and only when the wall ends at the right edge of a room. (Perhaps it's a bug?)

Anyway, I attached the map to this post.

[robert]

Looks like the level works with 41 rooms. There's no way except teleporting to get some inaccessible areas. Apparently some rooms are not well linked, apart from the "empty" rooms.
I've been testing the "goto next level" key. What I could see is that every ten levels the scene (and the music) change. Each scene has "subscenes", for example, in levels 20-30 the scene changes colours between 3 (or 4) levels.
Also, in some levels the sections are closely resembled to other levels sections. What is different is the starting point. For example, comparing level 30 with levels 10 and 11 the starting points are in different rooms, but the level structure is almost the same, ignoring the fact that the scenes are distinct.
One curious thing is that when the guy gets off a tile, and if there is the a tile without a wall below he will fall off, and to stop falling you have to grab the tile using the up key repeatedly or he will loose health or the life. Otherwise, if there is a tile with a wall below he won't fall off from the edge... So, to sum up my opinion, this game could have been better done.

David, are the teleport keys you wrote before right? Because they don't function for me

[David]

Looks like the level works with 41 rooms.

The top-right two rooms are part of the cutscene between two levels.
What I think is that all levels are 8 rooms wide and 5 rooms high.

Apparently some rooms are not well linked, apart from the "empty" rooms.

I'm not sure what you mean.
Do you mean that sometimes the edges of adjacent rooms just don't match?

Also, in some levels the sections are closely resembled to other levels sections. What is different is the starting point. For example, comparing level 30 with levels 10 and 11 the starting points are in different rooms, but the level structure is almost the same, ignoring the fact that the scenes are distinct.

Perhaps the authors were lazy?

David, are the teleport keys you wrote before right? Because they don't function for me

Yes, you need to hold shift and press an arrow key.

[robert]

Apparently some rooms are not well linked, apart from the "empty" rooms.

I'm not sure what you mean.
Do you mean that sometimes the edges of adjacent rooms just don't match?

Exactly (sorry, that was the best I could explain despite my poor english)

Maybe the version that Norbert uploaded in popot and my version are different. I'll download the game from popot and see if the teleport cheat functions.