IVAN (Iter Vehemens ad Necem, Latin for "Violent Road to Death") is a roguelike game known for its dark humor, high difficulty, and complex mechanics. Its unique blend of procedural generation, limb-based damage mechanics, and ASCII-style graphics makes it a memorable and challenging experience. You play as an adventurer on a cursed journey to fulfill a perilous quest. The world is unforgiving, the gods are fickle, and death is inevitable. Whether you're slaying monsters, solving bizarre problems, or merely surviving starvation, your choices (and luck) shape your violent path to the end. Gameplay Mechanics: Objective: Navigate through procedurally generated dungeons, survive enemies and environmental hazards, and complete objectives for various quests. The ultimate goal varies depending on the playthrough, but most involve escaping or defeating a powerful final boss. Core Gameplay: Exploration: Procedural dungeons filled with traps, treasures, and enemies. Diverse biomes: caves, forests, underground labs, temples. Hidden rooms and environmental puzzles to discover. Combat: Turn-based with limb-specific damage: Damage specific body parts (e.g., sever a leg to cripple enemies). You can also lose limbs and continue fighting with reduced capability or prosthetics. Use melee weapons, ranged weapons, or even improvised tools. Resource Management: Manage food, water, and healing supplies. Inventory system with weight limits; pack wisely for survival. Gods and Prayers: Gain favor with different gods by offering sacrifices or fulfilling their whims. Prayers can result in divine aid or curses, depending on your relationship. Crafting and Items: Combine materials to create weapons, armor, and tools. Rare items have magical properties but may have side effects. Unique Features: Limb System: Every character, including the player, has individual health for limbs. Severed arms make weapon use harder; severed legs reduce mobility. Prosthetics: Replace lost limbs with magical or mechanical substitutes. Permadeath: Death is permanent, and every run is a new adventure. High difficulty means learning from mistakes is part of the gameplay. Dark Humor: Absurd encounters, comical deaths, and unpredictable outcomes. Dynamic World: Environments can be manipulated: burn trees, collapse walls, or flood areas. NPCs have independent behaviors and can react unpredictably. Multiple Endings: Achieve different outcomes based on player decisions and quests completed.
11/3/2023