A Dream of Burning Sand
A downloadable dream for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Today we passed the point of no return. We no longer have enough water to
back out of the desert. The only way open to us is forward: through the
desert, to the Burning King. To victory, or to death.
The strain of this journey is taking its toll on Nina. No wonder — this is
her first desert crossing. I was born in the desert, but Nina was born in a
city, in some land unimaginably far away. She never held a sword before I
summoned her to this world. She never rode a horse. She never slept under
the open sky. The latter, she still doesn't do. Every evening, she vanishes
before my eyes, and every morning she reappears, guided by the ancient magic
that I have released. And every night I spend in fear, alone, worried that
she won't come back.
Because I can't do this alone. I know how to use a sword, but I am no
warrior. No hero. Not like Nina. I have seen Nina fight, and I know that I
cannot match her, despite my greater experience. She has the instincts of an
adventurer. Where I like to retreat into by books, she goes out to face the
world. When I look at her, I see the face of the hero destined to defeat the
Burning King.
The heat is not just draining our bodies, but our spirits. I feel hot and
tired and irritable. I can only imagine how much worse this is for Nina, who
is not used to the desert. I can only imagine, because we rarely talk anymore.
The heat makes speaking painful. I wish I could tell Nina how much she means
to me, how much I appreciate her taking this journey with me, but nothing comes
out when I open my mouth.
Soon we will reach the great oasis of Daklath. There we will replenish our
waterskins, and hopefully our spirits. The way through the desert is long,
but we have already made it this far. We will just have to keep going. To
victory, or to death.
Trigger warning: contains hospitals, skeletons, fire, spiders, cannibalism, religion, sexism, xenophobia, and death. All of them are fairly low intensity - this is a fantasy game, not a horror game - but they're definitely present in the game.
Status | Released |
Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
Rating | Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars (1 total ratings) |
Author | Eldwood |
Genre | Platformer |
Made with | GIMP, SDL, Audacity |
Tags | 2D, Exploration, Fantasy, Female Protagonist, Metroidvania, Multiple Endings, Pixel Art, secrets, Singleplayer, Story Rich |
Average session | Days or more |
Languages | English |
Inputs | Keyboard, Gamepad (any) |
Accessibility | Color-blind friendly, Subtitles, Configurable controls |
Links | Steam, Homepage |
Purchase
In order to download this dream you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $10 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Download demo
Development log
- version 1.1.089 days ago
- version 1.0.6: bug fixesMar 30, 2021
Comments
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Wondering if I should get the itch.io version... or is it the same as Steam version? The steam version has a level select debug menu when starting a new game. Is that intended?
Anyway, really nice game. It has a *lot* of secrets! You are very thorough with the possibilities :D ...so I'm sorry I waited so long to play, the game deserves more attention!
PS, I was saddened that there seemed to be less dialogue later in the game. (First level of the game had so many optional lines with Amani. And lots of idling text... and I love the writing! Was really hoping to chat more with her before the end... ;))
There should not be any difference in content between the itch and Steam versions. The Steam version just has Steam integration features like Steam achievements.
Thanks for the quick response Eldwood, I've been playing the game a whole bunch on steam since then! I have one other question if you will allow it... Is there any hint you might give regarding legitimately reaching the 'you will die' boss area? Should I re-read books for clues? I've tried falling down all sorts of paths, killing the red eyed ghosts, running the fire area in a loop, playing at midnight, etc, I'm at a loss... (I even gave up and used the level select to find the entrance in reverse, but still can't find a way to open it up properly... hmmm)
Anyway, probably will take a break after this playthrough, think I'm on track for the best ending at long last <3 Just wanted to uncover as many secrets as I could before moving on... Every time I thought I knew everything, I stumbled onto a brand new secret. And it's been great fun :)
OK, here's a hint. The order in which you visit the different regions of the underworld is the key.
Thank you so much! At last I was able to find it~
Oh and made a little fan trailer tonight to show my appreciation:
Nice.