Elven Curse

A minimalist non-field RPG: Escape the cursed forest!

Prologue: You're the village's best hunter, heading to a national hunting tournament near the royal capital. Upon waking after your first night camping, you discover something unsettling: the camp is deserted. All the other hunters have vanished. National guards usually oversee the tournament, but they're nowhere to be found. Your attempts to return to the starting point prove futile; you're hopelessly lost. This isn't just disorientation; something strange is afoot.

The Elven Curse: Aided by a mysterious quarter-elf, you, the hunter, must escape a cursed forest. Gameplay is incredibly simple, using at most three buttons outside the main menu.

Character Creation: While character customization is limited, you can freely reroll your stats. Stat increases upon leveling are only visible on this screen; this information isn't accessible during gameplay. Losing all your life force means game over. You'll need at least two "talismans" to avoid this fate.

Foria, the Peddler Quarter-Elf: A seemingly young quarter-elf who claims to be older than you. He secretly assists your escape using the forest's ancient spirits.

Game Setting: The prologue unfolds like a visual novel. Foria's dialogue is cheerful, contrasting with the game's overall quiet and evocative atmosphere.

Exploration: Progress through the forest by exploring unexplored areas. The success of each exploration attempt depends on the area's "fog depth," influenced by your character's stats. If your life force depletes, use poison or rare "talismans" to recover, or return to Foria.

Beast Encounters & Hunter Battles: Wild animals, from wolves to frogs, will attack. Killing them yields hides for trading with Foria. Unlike most RPGs, combat doesn't provide experience points. The goal is escape, not victory over bosses. All battles are avoidable (though this requires luck or skillful play). As a hunter, you use a bow and arrow. Maintain distance to attack safely; closing the gap risks a one-sided assault. You can use wound medicine to heal at a distance, or use a "flash" ball (provided by Foria) to escape a close encounter. Otherwise, attempting to withdraw relies on your skills.

Cloak System: Craft a cloak from gathered materials (branches, resin, leather). Layering up to three cloaks enhances your abilities. Cloaks can even restore vitality. Note that your outer cloak may tear and become unusable. This is the only equipment modification in the game.

Game Features: This game emphasizes gameplay over complex mechanics. It features:

• Simple, intuitive controls.
• Random skill selection.
• Challenges requiring reflexes, strategy, skill, and luck.
• Material collection, synthesis, and alchemy.
• Thorough preparation before each stage.
• Auto-save (though not during battles). Save frequently via the base menu.

Version 1.2 Update (Dec 18, 2024): Fixed a bug causing unexpected transitions to the character creation mode. Previous versions included bug fixes, typo corrections, and credit additions.