don't click here

Meander Forth: Teak's Tall Tale Plus

General Information

itchbannerplus.png

Two tales begin anew!
Welcome to Meander Forth!

screen_plus.png
What is This?
Meander Forth Pilot: Teak's Tall Tale+ (Plus) is a collection of two demos for my upcoming project: Meander Forth. Meander Forth itself is a game about a small town that gets rocked by the resurgence of a strange, magical force that causes all sorts of supernatural phenomenon. It's still in development, though, so you'll just have to wait.

screen_teakgameplay.png

Teak's Tall Tale
The first demo, Teak's Tall Tale, is a revised version of the 2019 demo of the same name. It serves as a relatively self-contained one-level campaign with a beginning, a middle, and an end, though it may explain some details of the full game's story. You take control of Oscar Teak, who must find and retrieve his best friend who has gotten lost in the forest. The gameplay is basic, but the story is packed tighter than the rest of the game.

screen_skate.png

Meander Forth Demo
The other demo is simply a sneak-peak at Meander Forth proper, containing only the first stage: Meander County. In this, you play as Garret Rapids, a 20-year-old otter who suffers from chronic shivers. For the sake of demonstration, all of Garret's main abilities have been unlocked right-off-the-bat. Garret can slide on ice, jump up walls, and charge his blaster's shots using a mysterious dark magic. This demo is short, but there's a lot of depth to your movement options.


screen_splitup.png
screen_forestspirit.png

SAGE 2020 Exclusive?

That's right! This build of the game is exclusive to SAGE 2020. This demo will later come to itch.io, but the SAGE 20 version has some unique stuff.
Here's a funny story: I almost missed the deadline for SAGE 20! I didn't realize the cutoff was August 21st, so by the time I found out I only had five days to make this demo. I really had to hustle, but the end result wound up not being a COMPLETE disaster.

Don't get the wrong idea, though! The folks at SAGE have been nothing but helpful. I just slept in, and I didn't wanna miss the 20th anniversary! I rushed myself because I feel a connection to SAGE. It brings me back to when I was just a kid on YoYoGames (Later the YoyoGames Sandbox) playing all sorts of little fangames and original works made in Game Maker. To me, those clunky games had a spirit to them that AAA or even big Indie releases could never capture. Whereas a bigger game "wows" you and makes you forget how the game was made, amateur games have a humble feeling of "wow, I bet I could do this, myself!" That's the vibe that I wanted to capture in this project.

screen_cherry.png
screen_boss.png

CONTROLS:
(Keyboard and Gamepad controls can be remapped in the Pause Menu)
  • Keyboard (Default)
    • Arrow Keys - Walk/Aim/Navigate Menus
    • Enter/Return - Start Game, Pause
    • Z - Dash (Garret Only)
    • X - Jump, Speed-up text
    • C - Shoot gun, Skip through text
    • Y - Skip cutscene text
    • F3 - Windowed mode
    • F4 - Fullscreen mode
  • Gamepad (Default, Xinput Only)
    • Left Joystick/Left D-Pad - Walk/Aim/Navigate Menus
    • Start - Start game, Pause
    • RT/R2 - Dash
    • A/Cross - Jump, Speed up text
    • X/Square - Shoot gun, Skip through text
    • Y/Triangle - Skip cutscene text
screen_selectGarret.png
screen_selectTeak.png

CONTENT WARNINGS:
  • Very Mild language
  • Some brief references to mental illness and suicide.
  • The opening "message from the developer" contains references to real-world current-events and tragedies and can be skipped with the "Skip Text" button (default Y on pad, S on keyboard.) It asks the player to prioritize supporting the community over supporting this game financially.

Comments

I really enjoyed playing that. The gameplay is straightforward yet fun. I would like it if the game bound a shoulder button or trigger to shooting since as it stands, your right thumb will have to move between jump and shoot buttons even if you're trying to do both. Other than that, it was a breeze to get through, and some very bright aesthetics.

We're thrown into a bunch of colourful character, and graudally get to know them as you play on. They're fun with a nice dynamic to them, and I'd like to hear more of their stories.
 
I really enjoyed playing that. The gameplay is straightforward yet fun. I would like it if the game bound a shoulder button or trigger to shooting since as it stands, your right thumb will have to move between jump and shoot buttons even if you're trying to do both. Other than that, it was a breeze to get through, and some very bright aesthetics.

We're thrown into a bunch of colourful character, and graudally get to know them as you play on. They're fun with a nice dynamic to them, and I'd like to hear more of their stories.
Glad you liked it! If you want shoot to be bound to a trigger, you can use the (admittedly clunky) control settings in the pause menu. I'm also glad the characters interested you. I was worried that their stories would be too obtuse.
 
As simple as it is this game stood out to me last SAGE, so I was happy to see it again this year. It's looking like an endearing little romp so far, with great character design to boot. The only real complaint I have is that Teak's Tall Tale and the Meander Forth demo are too similar to each other, down to the story premise. But I'm curious to see how Garret's abilities will be explored in the full version. Looking forward to it:emoji_thumbsup:

Also couldn't help noticing that the script has been completely reworked. Rip LARP'ing Licorice
 
As simple as it is this game stood out to me last SAGE, so I was happy to see it again this year. It's looking like an endearing little romp so far, with great character design to boot. The only real complaint I have is that Teak's Tall Tale and the Meander Forth demo are too similar to each other, down to the story premise. But I'm curious to see how Garret's abilities will be explored in the full version. Looking forward to it:emoji_thumbsup:

Also couldn't help noticing that the script has been completely reworked. Rip LARP'ing Licorice
Aw man, I dunno why I got rid of the LARP line. Might put that back in the finished game.

As for the story, a great man once said "It's like poetry! They rhyme!" jk, though. I have noticed that, but it's in service to the rest of the plot as a whole.
 
Finally got around to trying this and I really liked it! And then I tried it again because I realized I'd played an old version.
I liked the gameplay - it doesn't feel overly easy or overly hard, and the character designs and art style are both really cute and enjoyable. The story had me wanting to see where it ends up going.
 

Item information

Added by
WhiskerMidi
Views
2,975
Comments
5
Last update

Downloads

More in Original Games

  • Sole Iron Tail
    Slide and charge as fast as you can using your special tail!
  • ChronoVenture
    Overview ChronoVenture is a momentum-based Gameboy-style platformer...
  • AdventNEON
    Action platformer with tons of dashing, smash combos and powerscaling
  • The Great Frebbventure
    An action-platform adventure that combines the best of retro and modern...
  • Skye Revival
    Go through levels and defeat your foes with a wide variety of attacks

More from WhiskerMidi

Share this item