🪴 Jachére

Poizone

Sep 12, 20245 min read

Basics

Description

1-2 Players have to remove certain blocks to reach the next grid-based level within a given time.

There are blocks that don’t count towards the winning condition, are decorative, and can be fixed or movable. Different blocks counting towards the winning condition have different rules on how they can be removed. Failing to adhere to a specific block’s removal rule leads to being stunned and loosing time. Decorative blocks can often aid in removing blocks. A special type of movable decorative block can be assembled to a 2x2 layout and gives extra score if done so. Other special types of decorative blocks can explode, stunning the player.

NPCs occupy the levels and touching them also stuns the players. The NPCs can be stunned in return by activating the electric fence that frames each level. Only NPCs also touching the fence are affected.

Rules and Mechanics

a. Move

  1. along x and y-axis by pressing move-input if field in walking-direction is free
  2. teleport by walking on teleport field and reappearing at other position in level

b. Remove Blocks

  1. push block according to its rules by pressing the push-input next to it while facing it
  2. use other decorative or removable blocks if rules imply so
  3. or if the blocks-layout doesn’t allow adhering to a block’s rules

c. Push blocks

  1. push secondary blocks to create solvable situation
  2. to hit a NPC

d. Avoid NPCs

  1. move around them
  2. push blocks into them to remove them
  3. stun them by activating fence

e. End

  1. win by removing all removable blocks within time
  2. or remove a certain amount (90%) of blocks before countdown ends
  3. otherwise loose

The rules regarding the blocks are partially explained on the new Itch game page, before the level in the original game, or as a help manual in the ported version.

Examples

Fig. 1: Start of the first level. Only a small portion of the whole level is shown. In this one, the green chemical block and the copper CFC block need to be removed.

b. Remove Blocks

1. push block according to its rules by pressing push-input next to it

  • e.g. from the left and right, or from the top or bottom
  • e.g. must or must not be next to another specific block

The green and copper blocks in Fig. 1 adhere to the following rules.

  • Green blocks have to move at least one field before hitting another solid object to be removed. If they already lean against a solid object during pushing results in being stunned.
  • Copper blocks have to already lean against another solid object and can only be removed by pushing them from the top or bottom. If they move after being pushed, they will not be removed. Pushing them from the wrong side results in being stunned.

2. use other decorative or removable blocks if rules imply so

Fig. 2: Player next to a pushable block. Green NPC-goos swarm around. Ice-blocks are decorative and movable. The blue flag is purely decorative.

Pushing the copper block from this side would result in being stunned. The block right under it is decorative and movable. If the player had moved that block, either accidentally or to hit a NPC, the copper block could not be removed right away. It would move until it hits a solid object, and then could be removed.

3. or if the blocks-layout doesn’t allow adhering to a block’s rules

Fig. 3: First example of a complex layout of blocks whose rules interact to make gameplay more difficult. Grey stones are decorative and movable.

To remove the green block, the grey blocks on the left and right side need to be pushed away. In order to so, first, the copper blocks need to be removed. There is the possibility to make mistakes, since the copper blocks are only correctly removable when pushed from the top or bottom. Several such complex layouts are installed during the game, sometimes necessitating that some other removable or decorative blocks are pushed into the correct position (c. Push blocks).

Ludemes

  • a. Move
    1. move, can't be in same place as block, NPC, or fence (collision)
    2. move, walk on teleport field
  • b. Remove Blocks
    1. until 3. identify block, move, (position, push block] ***or*** [[#c-push-blocks|c. Push blocks]] to solve situation)
  • c. Push blocks
    1. move, position, push block
    2. move, position, timing, push block
  • d. Avoid NPCs
    1. move
    2. c.2
    3. move, position (against fence), timing, push fence
  • e. End
    1. b.1-3, remove all blocks, countdown > 0
    2. or b.1-3, removed blocks >= 90%, countdown == 0 equals going to next level
    3. removed blocks < 90% and countdown == 0 equals game over

See also

Graph View

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