Long ago, something was buried deep inside a remote mountain, something that radiated an unearthly energy. Over the millenia, this energy has leaked out of caverns and grottos all over the world, transforming animals (and a few unfortunate people) into creatures that inspired myths and legends. Some of those creatures went back into the caves and disappeared from their homelands.
Recent tectonic activity has opened a fissure in the original mountain, and an amazing variety of wildlife spilled out into the surrounding lands. Many of these animals are more intelligent, and more aggressive, than their natural cousins. They set traps for the unwary and boldly attack the innocent. There are also rumors of more terrifying creatures emerging from the depths.
All of this has drawn the attention of modern scientists, explorers, and fortune-hunters. As one of these intrepid adventurers, you will descend into the fissure and uncover the secrets that lie at the Heart of the Mountain.
Thank you for checking out this early Alpha version of my game-in-progress. Heart of the Mountain is being developed as both a tabletop board game and a digital version for computers and mobile devices. For simplicity's sake, this version can be played directly in your browser. [Chrome on a desktop computer with a screen that's at least 1200 pixels wide. Smaller screens and other formats will come later.]
I'm going for a light adventure game with a fairly whimsical feel. The game I think it most closely resembles is Talisman. I've always loved Talisman, but it almost never gets to the table because it's just too damn long. I'm aiming to create a Talisman-like experience that you can play in 60–90 minutes. As for the whimsy, think Brendan Fraser's version of “The Mummy” rather than the Tom Cruise version. That will be conveyed largely through artwork, though I hope some of the concepts are fairly amusing by themselves. (Quantum Moles!)
Please remember that this is only a very, very early version. You have to play all of the characters yourself, there are no pictures on anything, everything just kinda happens without much explanation... it's the very earliest point at which I could invite you to start looking at it with me. One of the links on the side here is a long list of features that have not yet been implemented, including artwork, sound, animations, AI, character selection… it has only just reached the point where it's possible to play all the way to the end without crashing or hitting an impassable wall.
So as you play, please try to see past its current state and imagine the game as it will eventually be. Or could be. While I definitely want to hear about any bugs you run into, features that don't work the way you expected, and suggestions for additions or improvements, the most important question is this:
Please don't say that it is just to be nice. It isn't nice to encourage me to spend another six months or a year working on something that, in the end, won't actually be fun and no one will want to play. 🙂