线偶Marionette

Operation Mode and Swinging Mechanics

The game introduces a completely new control scheme where players no longer directly command a protagonist. Instead, one or two players manipulate the main character by controlling ropes. Players must cleverly utilize the swing and pull of these ropes to guide the character's movement, jumping, evasion, and attacks.

In single-player mode, the player uses the keyboard to control the left rope and the mouse to control the right rope. As the character moves from the ground into the air, the ropes are affected by forces, building up potential energy. According to the transfer of force, when a rope's force meets an obstacle, the remaining energy transfers through the character's body to the other side of the rope, enabling large, dynamic swings.

In two-player mode, each player controls one rope (via keyboard and mouse respectively). Success requires the two players to be mentally in sync, cooperating seamlessly to overcome challenges. A full playthrough typically takes about 1 to 2 hours to complete.

The game's backstory

The player navigates a virtual game universe, maneuvering a puppet guided only by threads. They explore cavernous ruins and ultimately overcome adversity on a journey to its final destination.

Game Introduction and Genre

This is a lighthearted 2D action-adventure simulation game focusing on movement and manipulation. Players control two ropes, using their swing to guide the character forward, make them jump, dodge obstacles, and attack. Armed with a rope-controlled knife, players explore a vast 2D map to collect special A and D abilities as well as hidden diamonds. Along the journey, they will encounter small mushrooms, cunning Skeleton Guards, archers, and elusive little birds. Deep inside caves, players must navigate moving mechanisms, saw blades, spike traps, enemies in confined areas, and various hidden paths—using both wits and skill to eventually escape the caverns.

Additional Modes & Rewards

After the game's launch, two DLCs will be released sequentially.
One mode takes place in a closed room where players must avoid various mechanisms, obstacles, and enemies. Completion times will be displayed on a leaderboard.

The other mode is a roguelite Vampire Survivors-like experience. Players explore a vast open space, collect weapons, defeat enemies, gain experience, and upgrade abilities—such as lightning, bombs, and arrows. The Puppet can carry and attack with these acquired weapons.

Game Duration

It takes approximately  2 hours for players to complete the game.

Left Rope

The left rope controls the puppet's left arm and can lift the puppet by pulling up its arm. The left rope also has the ability to absorb the power of Item A and Item D. Once the player obtains either Item A or D, they can force the rope to move left or right.

Right Rope

The right rope controls the puppet's right arm and can also lift the puppet independently. The right arm is connected to the puppet's weapon, which deals damage to enemies and causes them to disappear upon defeat.

Item A or D

Items A and D allow the rope to be forced to move left or right for a short duration, thereby influencing the movement of the puppet.

Acquiring Rope Items

The game features a variety of AD items. When players obtain an AD item, they can press the A and D keys to forcibly move the rope left or right.

Cherry

Cherries must be collected directly by the character (not by the ropes). Picking up a cherry restores the player's HP.

Diamond

Hidden diamonds are scattered throughout the game, requiring players to explore carefully to discover them.

Skeleton

Skeleton Guard: Possesses high health and attacks enemies at close range.

Skeleton Archer: Can shoot three arrows in fixed directions and ranges, or fire a single homing arrow.

Spike Trap

Spike traps inflict significant damage to Puppets. Some are fixed in place, some are mounted on wood, and others are set on moving mechanical stones.

Saw Blade

Continuous Damage Saw: These remain stationary or move in a set pattern.

Intermittent Damage Saw: Activates and spins at intervals.

Small Fly

Tiny flying insects that disrupt the movement of ropes and Puppets, causing minor damage to the player. They can be eliminated by swinging the knife.

Enemies and Mechanisms

The game features various enemies and mechanisms. Arrows fired by enemies can alter the player's movement trajectory.

Numerous flying enemies are also present, and contact with them will affect the player's movement. Some mechanisms and traps require careful judgment to avoid.

Four Achievement Modes

These provide players with higher difficulty challenges and achievements, allowing them to complete the game without collecting special abilities to increase the challenge.

Full Collection
Players must find all hidden gems to earn this achievement.

Permanent Death

This game does not feature a save mechanism, meaning that upon death, players will have to start over from the very beginning of the game. The overall playthrough takes approximately 1 to 2 hours to complete.

Inspiration and Development Process

The creator is a 40-year-old homeless man. During eight years of drifting, he recorded many sparks of inspiration. One day, lying on a bunk in a youth hostel, he pondered what regrets remained in his life. He recalled a game concept he had envisioned at 18—one that still had no equivalent in gaming history. So, he returned home and taught himself C#, Unity, and Photoshop.

While struggling with the art, he discovered a pixel art software called Aseprite on Bilibili (a Chinese video platform). Implementing and fine-tuning the force transmission between the rope and the character became an immense challenge, keeping him up night after night for three months before he finally settled on this difficult-to-realize mechanic.

Research was a tortuous journey. You start with a general direction that seems feasible, only to encounter countless smaller problems along the way. You try dozens of methods, hundreds of approaches to solve them. When nothing works, you circle back and reconsider the broader direction—which itself branches into countless alternatives, demanding relentless experimentation.

During this period, the developer fell into severe depression. For four months, he was stuck on the rope physics, making no tangible progress. He genuinely believed it might be impossible to achieve. After a week of lying in bed, lost and helpless, he decided to give up. But then, he resolved to try one more time. After three days of intense effort, he finally succeeded in making the rope gameplay work.

Keep moving forward, never look back. Countless hard days and nights had passed; so many "impossible" tasks had already been accomplished. Future problems would be overcome step by step. The final lines of code ultimately resolved everything: the force, its transfer, its release, damping, resistance, collision response and entanglement between the rope and character, rope clipping, model penetration, and freezing.

This journey also carries a message to all young people: pursue what you truly want to do. Keep moving forward, never look back. Anything is possible.