Worlds Within Worlds
A downloadable game for Windows
Site-lock error: Sorry about this! I need to update the game since Itch.io has updated their back-end. In the meantime, you can play the game on Armor Games
Worlds Within Worlds is coming to Steam! Wishlist the game now: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2944340
Controller support only works in Firefox; sorry, this is an engine limitation, and not something I have control over
Collect Golden Leaves to restore Trees in this retro platformer. Play the entire game for free, in-browser, or buy the EXE to support further development.
Run for a Record: Every level is designed with a special speedrun path in mind, challenge yourself to beat the game in less than 7 minutes!
Submit your run to Speedrun.com
- Novelty in every World: 5 World featuring a unique batch of obstacles / hazards with a total of 5 fast-paced levels
- A Commitment to Accessibility: Worlds Within Worlds is built with Motor and Visual assist options and an Assist mode (best enjoyed with two players!)
- Asymmetrical two-player co-op: Assist the primary player with a magical Butterfly that can freeze enemies and hazards
Accessibility options: Adjust the color palette, configure jump behavior, and more
- Asymmetrical two-player co-op: Assist the primary player with a magical Butterfly that can freeze enemies and hazards
Support development by buying the EXE to get these additional features;
- Infinite Descent Bonus Game: Features a looping set of levels which ramp up the difficulty each time you complete a cycle (More info below)
- Saving / Loading
- Vote on Upcoming Features: Owners of the game can participate in a survey to dictate which new features are added first
- Improved graphics: Extra particle effects, and everything gets a nice drop-shadow
- Fullscreen (Sorry; GameMaker HTML5 builds literally can't be full-screen)
- Move: WASD / Arrow Keys / Left Joystick
- Jump: Space / Gamepad-South
- Pause: Escape / Start
- Adjust Music / SFX Volume from the Pause Menu
- Restart: R / Select / Back (Restarts at most recent check-point, dropping any leaves that aren't banked)
- Toggle Fullscreen: F4 (Desktop EXE only)
- Summon support Butterfly: Right-Click / Gamepad-North
- Butterfly Bubble: Left-Click / Gamepad-East (Creates a bubble which freezes enemies / fire)
- Supports Gamepad!
- You can set Gamepad to Ignore from the Start Menu
Music by Mark Sparling from the Album "Daily Songs Vol. 45 (March 2020)", used with permission. Tracks Used (In order of occurrence):
- Daily March 7 2020 #1330 (LSDJ + Piano) | Mark Sparling (Title Screen)
- Daily March 1 2020 #1324 (LSDJ) | Mark Sparling (World 1)
- Daily March 5 2020 #1328 (LSDJ) | Mark Sparling (World 2)
- Daily January 6 2020 #1269 (LSDJ) | Mark Sparling (World 3)
- Daily March 13 2019 #970 (LSDJ) | Mark Sparling (World 4)
- Daily March 11 2019 #968 (LSDJ) | Mark Sparling (World 5)
- Daily March 24 2019 #981 (LSDJ) | Mark Sparling (Final Screen)
- Infinite Descent is a Bonus Game accessible via the Menu in the Premium Edition of the game
- Developed using the same engine as Worlds Within Worlds for Ludum Dare 48
Give Feedback on the Game via this Google Form
Watch me make new levels on Twitch! (Mon - Friday, 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM [GMT-4])
Recent Changes;
v1.2.3:
- Speedrun Menu Options: Added a new Menu with the following options
- Timer: You can enable a timer and set it's position between Bottom-Right, Top-Right, and Top-Left
- Use the "T" key as a shortcut to toggle this
- Speedrun Mode: Use the Number "9" key as a shortcut to toggle this
- Clear the fire in the Level 1-1 2nd screen to make it easier to complete without the butterfly
- Shows Best-Times for levels (see below)
- Speed up level transitions
- Individual Level Mode: When you're trying to get the best time on a single level, the Timer will show only the time in the current level and Restarting a level will reset you back to the initial Checkpoint
- Enter / Exit Level Button: A dedicated button to enter / exit levels; "Shift" by default. You will not have to hold the button down; just press it once to trigger the transition.
- Drop-Through Platform Control Option: Tap "Down" to drop through platforms without having to press "Jump" as well
- Timer: You can enable a timer and set it's position between Bottom-Right, Top-Right, and Top-Left
- Individual Level Best-Time Tracking: Your best attempt at clearing each level will be recorded and shown above each level's gate in the overworld with Speedrun Mode enabled
- Quick Erase Progress: Erase all progress to make a fresh run at the game; Number "0" key or "R" while paused
- Bug Fixes;
- The cursor no longer remains invisible if you pause or reset the game while the butterfly is active
- The in-game timer no longer counts frames to determine time passed and so should be more accurate
- Fixed instantaneous level transitions
- Minor tweak to level 1-5 to make a speedrun path more consistent
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $4.99 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Development log
- v1.1 Major Overhaul!Apr 01, 2022
- v1.0 - Worlds 4 + 5Jan 04, 2022
- v0.4 - Adding World 3May 26, 2021
Comments
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If you *really* enjoyed Worlds Within Worlds and would be willing to spend a little time answering some questions, I have created this survey to collect info that will be used to pitch a sequel to a Publisher.
The form takes about 20-25 minutes to complete, which I know is a lot for a form like this, so no worries if you don't have time;
https://forms.gle/YuSwqxuwqtHiDV726
The movement in this game is really good!
My best time so far is 7:50.016
Thank you! That's an excellent time, have you considered posting a recording to SRC?
Worlds Within Worlds (WWW) - speedrun.com
The game is absolutely incredible, this is my 30th playthrough just one thing.
I downloaded the exe and decided to give it a try.. however infinite descent is not optimized properly like the rest of the game, therefore I cannot play it all ;(
If you could maybe add an option for lower specs or maybe optimize the infinite descent so its suitable for us low end pc players then that would be fabulous, otherwise this game is truly a incredible diamond in the rough :)
Hey, thanks so much for your feedback! I'm sorry Infinite Descent doesn't run better on your PC; does it actually lag while you are playing, or only when it starts? This is an issue with the web build of Infinite Descent, but no-one has yet mentioned it as an issue with the Desktop build. Would you be able to give me a rough idea of your PCs specs? Unfortunately, it would be very difficult to optimize Infinite Descent as it would require completely re-tooling the auto-tiling / color tinting options used in the game, so I can't promise I'll be able to fix this.
Thanks for the quick reply 0-0
And yes the pc does lag when you play through it, my specs are
Cpu: intel pentium silver N5000
Ram: 12 GB
Graphics: UHD Graphics 605
and if you wish to know my storage space: 128 GB
Additionally I could suggest you make it not render until your in the area of the room, so everywhere you can see on the screen is rendered however anything off-screen is not rendered until it appears on screen.
Yes this could be quite difficult however it is definitely possible depending on what code language you are using :)
I can send a video of it if you wish
I've already set up Infinite Descent to only render the active area of the screen, so I can't optimize any further along these lines. I'll try to think of something else, but thanks for letting me know your PC specs; I imagine the Processor is hitting 100% usage?
Yes it is
Hey, I just wanted to follow up to apologize, since unfortunately, I will not be able to optimize Infinite Descent any further.
Your game is awesome i really enjoyed it, i just played it a couple of times and im sure im gonna keep playing it. I hope you keep adding more levels, greetings.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Worlds Within Worlds Walkthrought
Just played through the latest update. It's pretty good! I'd say my main complaint is that it's pretty easy. I beat it without using assist once in 27 minutes (I don't know if it's intended, but the level that introduces assist is possible to beat without it). But other than that, the game seems pretty solid. How big is the end result planned for?
Thanks for playing through the game! As mentioned in the tutorial for the butterfly, it is possible to beat the entire game without it, so that is indeed intentional. At this point, I have plans for 3 more Worlds if the game gets support from players.
EDIT; I should mention, most of the difficulty in the game comes from trying to beat it in record time (my best time is around 9 minutes), so I don't plan on making the base game any more difficult because I'd like to stick to the idea of being accessible enough that anyone can finish it, but I did have the idea to make extra-hard levels as a bonus to players who support the game.
I like your idea. Hard to get to/hidden levels around the level selection map could be cool too.
Nice! I just played through it and got a time of 20:21:002 which is probably very slow, but I really like it!! The controls feel very good
I think the average is around 25 minutes, glad you enjoyed it!
Here's the speed run highlight from TOJam Streamer SUGS. 3:15 BABY. https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1051240132
Incredible! I almost feel bad about updating the game because I don't want to invalidate his record.
Such a fantastically fun game. Loved the aesthetic
Thank you! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it. : )
Thoroughly enjoyable and I'm looking forward to new levels.
When first introduced to the sparkly portals in the tutorial world they make sense. You then play through all of world 1 without encountering them.
Level 2-1 they are re-introduced but with the exception that you may get the impression that they are suddenly a bad thing. When I dropped into the portal I had the monster drop on my head. Everything happens very quickly (drop into portal, zap, monster kills and respawn) and I just got the impression that suddenly - in this world -portals are bad and zap you or something.
Level 2-3 did correct that impression although it took me far too long trying to wall jump up until I finally missed a jump instead of hitting a flame.
The only other thing was the timed platforms could linger 10 milliseconds longer but that's just a personal preference.
Keep up the great work :)
Thanks so much for your feedback! I've already amended world 2-1 to remove the use of portals.
Level 2-3 has actually become 1-2 (woah what!?) so hopefully that will help remind players that portals are (usually) friendly.
I've made a number of changes to the order of levels along with the next batch of 5 levels that will be in the upcoming release, which I'm hoping to have done soon.
As for the Ghost-Blocks, their timing is very much on the quick side, but due to (some anomalous factor!?) they last longer on the EXE than the web build of the game. If you felt like they faded too fast on the Web build, I agree, and will bump up their timing to compensate.
So very welcome!
Just played the EXE and the timing was a lot more forgiving on the disappearing blocks. The one level with 3 blocks you have to ascend only took 2 attempts, not 22 :)
A gentle reminder with the portals works... too much hand holding really shouldn't be required.
Any plans to incorporate Infinite Descent as a level? Might make an interesting segue but not sure if would ruin the pacing of how levels are currently flowing.
Also I couldn't find a real use for the butterfly freeze bubble. Is that something that will implemented in the future ?
It might be a fun Easter-Egg to discover Infinite Descent as a “secret level” since it is built in the same game project file, I’m just flipping a few constants to switch on export. I’ll have to think about how it would make sense to encounter it.
The butterfly’s bubble stuns enemies and makes fire not hurt you, so it will be more useful on some levels than others. I need to make it affect Ghost Blocks too.
this is such a sick game, im super excited for new levels!! i love how you implemented mechanics so seamlessly and the music is FIRE. nice one! :)
Thank you, I'm hoping to have another batch of 5 levels done within the week. The awesome music is but 3 tracks selected from over 1300 by Mark Sparling
I loved the game!! The way you introduce new mechanics without needing a tutorial is great. The controls feel a little bit tight, but even so you get used to them in no time. The only problems I had were with the colors. The purple world hurt a little bit and in the first world, the white one it took me some time to realiza that i could go to the opposite side by "exiting" the screen. I was playing the web version and some of the backround is white making me think it was a wall so maybe add an effect similar to the one you put on the teleporters to make it more obvious.
Waiting for more levels!
Thanks for the feedback! I think I'll restructure the flow of the levels a bit to better hint about how the screen wrapping works. The most important thing I need people to understand is that I never design levels where going off the bottom of the screen kills you... if something is dangerous, you can tell, otherwise, it's a valid path.
Amazing game! Here's the highlight from Twitch TOJam MiniCade 2021! https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1028759134
Absolutely brilliant level design. I love the way you layer your mechanics and then present them in combination. The checkpoint mechanics feel refreshingly generous!
I'm so glad to hear that was your experience! I'm specifically trying to construct challenging levels with an abundance of checkpoints because why not...?
That intention definitely shines through, and instantly sets this apart. Particularly the choice to let you exit the level from any checkpoint - great quality of life feature, and way better than tucking it in a menu option.
It did surprise me a bit that the hold down to enter/exit isn't debounced - so if you keep holding, you keep flip-flopping between the two destinations. Not sure if that's specifically to support some mechanics you have in mind, like trying to catch that critter that only spawns when you enter the level?
That's been a lingering thing of "I know I need to fix this, but maybe it isn't so big of a deal because there are other things I want to do first". I'll get one more batch of levels out, then focus on fixing things like that, and maybe even get saving / loading working (in the EXE version).
Amazing game. Love the visuals and gameplay.
Thanks so much for trying out my game! This recording is incredibly helpful, as it's helped me identify a few levels that need tweaking. I'll be posting a new batch of levels soon!
Love the game! Can't wait for more levels!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it! I'm live-streaming my development of new levels every weekday (along with playing user-submitted games); BluishGreenProductions - Twitch and I'll probably be adding them in 5 at a time (to complete a new World) along with new music, etc.
Amazing! I love the simplicity of it, and cool mechanics!
Thank you! I've been working on this platform engine for a while, was there mechanic in particular that stood out to you?
The platform that you have to bump to trigger is a cool and challenging mechanic, but my favorite one would have to be the loop mechanic.
Ah yes, I believe you are referring to the "portals"? They're a lot of fun to design with : )
(Sorry for the late response). Yes I think we are thinking of the same mechanic. It's a really nice engine and I'll be on the lookout for any new platformers you make!
I was replaying this, and now I realize what you mean't by portals. I'm not sure if it's the same mechanic used for getting from one side of the map to another, but that's the mechanic I was thinking of. (Also, I was at the stream tonight! I'm pleasedontbetakn999).
Thanks for tuning in! I also realized afterwards that you meant the screen-wrap exemplified in World 1-5
I’m playing GameMaker Community games this week and will probably return to level design on Worlds Within Worlds intermittently if I have a gap in the schedule
nice game
Thank you! I hope you were able to play the version where you could actually access the levels and weren't just stuck on the title screen.