2005 · Platformer · Puzzle

Narbacular Drop

Narbacular Drop is an environmental puzzle video game developed by Nuclear Monkey Software. It was released for free online in 2005 for Microsoft Windows. It was the senior game project of students attending DigiPen Institute of Technology. The gameplay consists of navigating a dungeon using an innovative portal system.

Released: 2005
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Platformer Puzzle Shooter
Developers: —
Publishers: DigiPen Institute of Technology
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: First person Third person
Themes: Action Fantasy Historical
Country: United States
Age ratings: ESRB E

About

Narbacular Drop is a 2005 puzzle-platform game developed by Nuclear Monkey Software. It was the senior game project of students attending DigiPen Institute of Technology. The gameplay consists of navigating a dungeon using an innovative portal system. The player controls two interconnected portals that can be placed on any non-metallic surface (wall, ceiling, or floor).

Gabe Newell, managing director of Valve, took interest in the team's work and employed the whole staff at Valve. The developers went on to develop the critically acclaimed Portal using many of the same concepts.

›Story

A princess, called No-Knees due to her inability to jump, was admired by her entire kingdom. A demon, imagining her kidnap would help in his quest to conquer the world, captures Princess No-Knees. He then locks her inside a cage in his mountain lair, under patrol of his minion, Impy. However, Wally, the spirit of the mountain, was mad at the Demon for creating his dungeon lair inside his home. He tells No-Knees he would assist her in escaping as long as she helped him to defeat the demon and allows her to use his power of portal creation.

Keywords

medieval
female protagonist
freeware
portals
student project
turtle
no jumping
platform exclusive
polygonal 3d
goblins
royalty
puzzle games with stories

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

While Narbacular Drop features a 3D world reminiscent of such first-person shooters as Quake, the unique portal element and the character's lack of a jump ability makes navigation and puzzle-solving very unconventional. The player can open a single pair of interconnected portals at a time, each styled as a huge face with flaming eyes (orange or blue to tell them apart as the player repositions one or the other) and an open mouth big enough to see and walk through. Positioned with a point-and-click interface controlled by the mouse, portals are allowed only on natural surfaces and are prohibited from any metal, lava or other artificial surfaces in the game. Aside from the portals, important game elements include switches, boxes, huge rolling boulders which can crush the character, and "lava turtles" that help the player traverse stretches of magma.

The player cannot save game progress. Because of the lack of a save feature, the game is actually quite short, comprising only six levels (including an unfinished boss level) and a bonus "showroom" exhibiting the game's art assets alongside unused material.

Story

The plot involves the plight of a Princess "No-Knees", so named because she is unable to jump. Captured by a demon, the imprisoned princess discovers that the dungeon she is held in is actually a sentient elemental creature named Wally. Using Wally's portal-making ability, the princess sets out to escape and defeat the demon.