Time to double up on publishing for the month in this unending task to keep up with uploads. The 2025 releases are slowly coming in as well, and so the candle needs to be burned from both ends here if there's ever going to be a single page of uploads anytime soon.
As we should all be getting used to, most of the files here are from WiL's end of 2024 upload spree. There's the hint of other worlds from the regular unpreserved world queue to add some variety to these WiL-dcard streams as I feel oh so clever for calling them. This time it's one of those fan games you might not expect. Mega Man sure, but specifically the cartoon series? Go for it kid.
And some new for 2025 releases show up here too! More WiL, this time in the present with both a fresh new game, as well as a Weave example world demonstrating various engines seen in the ZZT Encyclopedia in Weave form to better give folks ideas on how one would implement all sorts of things using Weave's shortcuts.
As well as a new release from John Thyer! The first since 2017's Atop the Witch's Tower, which quickly became a modern classic and great example for what newcomers can do with their first ZZT worlds when they're not also attending middle school, as well as the poster child world for asie's ports of ZZT to a few handheld consoles.
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“Worms: A Love Story” by John Thyer (2025)
Part of a series of connected games made for the Tunnels of Vextro 2024 Game Jam. Your girlfriend (a worm), has always wanted to try the dirt the royal worms eat. You (a worm) vow to serve royal dirt for dinner. I played it for a few minutes to get an idea of what to put here, and I found a pair of "worm pants".
From the comments on the Itch page, it's a "sweet story" and "forces you to talk to a bunch of different freaks", so I think it should appeal to a wide audience.
“Oasis: Part One” by WiL (2025)
Program Description
An exploration puzzler set in the universe of Darius Vöd. Locate and recover the seven lost treasures of the Oasis.
Oasis: Part One is a new exploration puzzler set in the universe of Darius Vöd (Rhymes with Rude). Locate and recover the seven lost treasures of the Oasis, an island populated by immortal, often inscrutable beings.
“Weave Example Object Library (W.E.O.L.) v0.1” by WiL (2025)
Program Description
Based on some of the objects from the Z.E.O.L., the W.E.O.L. shows how ZZT's most elaborate engines might be realized more flexibly and (hopefully) easier to integrate into an actual game.
Addressing a common refrain that folks aren't really sure how to get started with Weave. For those familiar with ZZT-OOP who would like some simple examples of things vanilla ZZT can do, but in Weave form to better establish how much faster and modular it can be, WiL presents W.E.O.L.
Inspired by the ZZT Encyclopedia, this world demonstrates a number of previously seen engines, showing how they can be made more easily in Weave, and in many cases in a way that you can actually make a game around them. No more proof of concept ideas that do work, but are accompanied by four disclaimers while requiring three of ZZT's precious few counters, now you can finally have those grenades you've always wanted!
Perhaps as evidence that this stuff is a lot easier to implement, rather than a sprawling world with menus and sub menus and example boards, this one has only a few, easily placing multiple examples on a single screen without them stepping on each others' toes.
“Crystal Cave” by John Fred Pope
Strike it rich in this scribbly looking game about finding gemstones. The game goes all over the place, rarely communicating where you are going or what you are doing, but otherwise playing like a typical beginning ZZTer's adventure. There are some cool designs for fancy mining vehicles to enjoy!
“Mega in Time” by Scott Betts (1997)
A Mega Man fan game. Specifically based on the cartoon rather than the games!
Dr. Light is building a time machine, Mega Man fights a robot, and then when the time machine is ready he enjoys some on-board snacks and drinks before traveling to the future and throwing Dr. Wily off a cliff.
It's got that good chaotic energy seen in ZZT fan games where you'll never guess what the author has in mind for any particular scene.
“Aftermath” by WiL (1998)
Beginning with salvaging artifacts from a planet whose inhabitants destroyed everything in nuclear warfare, you then head back to space to sell the items to the highest bidder, playing personalities off each other to make the most off your wares. Soon though, you are invited to meet Ür, the great man of the universe.
When he tries to force an arranged marriage on you with his daughter, you flee, trying to hide from his men and their deadly slime gas grenades. Would love to see where this game would have gone, as the setup shows the first steps of what would surely have been a very weird journey.
“Blood and Steel” by Lynx, WiL (1999)
What starts as a sci-fi game quickly becomes something else as the captain demotes you and tosses you into purgatory. Here the game turns into one of those "Cool guy versus the stupid newbie" games, with yellow borders and a lack of understanding of ZZT-OOP meant as scathing criticism of some made up guy who can't make a good game to save his life.
“Dillius: The Voyage of Four” by Coward, WiL (2000)
You are sent into the catacombs to become a man. Far from being yet another ZZT dungeon crawler though, this one has a lot going for it that made me wish it had been developed further. The dungeons are presented in an isometric view, which is certainly novel. The combat is designed around learning different attacks and finding which works best on certain enemies (high/low slashes, uppercuts, idk probably like a sword twirl). Includes a detailed bestiary of enemies to fight, but also gives enemies temperament. You can kill the goblins on sight, or you can befriend them and become their sworn brother.
The dungeon crawler engine was originally intended to be part of Voyage of Four, with a noticeable shared style in the cinematic sequences of fleeing a castle and the game seen here.
“The Diplomat (Demo)” by WiL (1998)
Tells the story of Earth, with its two sentient species: humans and the branksy. The latter is abducted and enslaved by aliens, leaving man behind alone on the planet for a half a million years. Until the fateful day when they too reach the stars and can reunite.
Mostly just the back story, other than learning that you'll be playing as a diplomat to bring the two species together again.
“Jabe's Nightmare” by WiL (1998)
Showcasing more of WiL's early puzzle design. A complicated set of switches to toggle walls between a raised/lowered state need to be operated to reach additional boards. You may need to shoot them or use limited bombs as well, so plan your moves carefully! There's also a puzzle to free an object by operating another object that always moves in one of eight directions. Neat stuff! WiL stated the plan was for every puzzle to have multiple goals to solve it, and I am recording that knowledge here.
“Oracle: World of Infinite Possibility” by WiL (2000)
Starting with the fanciest tutorial I've ever seen, with an on-screen keyboard, you learn the skills of a team of four kids who use their abilities (Gun. Magic. Holding things. Psychic Communication With Inanimate Objects.) to have adventures. After the tutorial, you get to observe a treehouse meeting of three of them, debating on whether to adventure or not. The next scene opens, and the game stops with no further text.
“Osk's Opus: The Rise, Fall, and Destruction of Urth, Part I (Demo)” by WiL (1998)
In a domed city, you head to the visions theater where every movie is personalized and learn the tale of Earth's creator, Cresh-Osk, and his battle against Tupperware. After enjoying the film you find a pile of rotting bodies where a magical gridlock has annihilated everything in its presence and need to find a way to dispel it, lest it get set off again.
“TEH #PANDA GAEM” by WiL (2000)
A game filled with FishIg speak that starts with a number of mini games to play to determine starting items. Catch bullets, solve a maze quickly, and shoot targets for better odds at the wacky- wait no I'm sorry, the main component of this game is a city builder. A city builder that's a bit difficult to navigate, and one doomed to eventually break down from duplicating objects and running out of memory, but clearly a game that's more than just a funny way of writing.
“SaMM's Game” by SaMM, WiL (2000)
A progenitor of Banana Quest. That may sound exciting, but what's actually made of this game is a few disconnected island boards with different dude offering to sail you to another island with no story or gameplay to be found. It does have the coastline effect though!
