Introducing Labyrinths

We've been silent for a while, but over the holidays, Dreaming Door was growing and thriving. With the hire of a second programmer, we've kicked our production process up a notch. It's wonderful to see everything coming together!

Case in point: the Labyrinths! Within the world of Golden Treasure lie certain places which are just too vast and intricate to be contained within a single event. These hard-to-reach places contain many of the most valuable treasures in the Great Green, and feature lost secrets and hidden lore as well as brand-new gameplay elements.

A labyrinth could be a vast limestone cavern network, a hidden village of the spirits deep in the forest, a mysterious ruin at the bottom of a lake or any number of other secret or treasure-filled locations. Once the player finds the entrance to a Labyrinth and somehow finds a way inside, they will be confronted with special challenges that will test them in new and dangerous ways.

Exploring these places-within-places necessitated a brand-new system of movement and perspective. While still hand-painted (like everything else in Golden Treasure), labyrinth interiors adopt an ink-on-parchment style first-person view. It's quite possible to get lost in a labyrinth, which was part of the inspiration for the name. (I suppose some people might call them 'dungeons', but for the most part, nothing is imprisoned in a labyrinth, and I've never seen treasures and traps in a real dungeon, either, so we prefer the second term.)

Above, you can see an example of what it looks like to move through the interior of the first labyrinth. You might notice that it has an almost artificial feel... how could that be? Suffice to say that humans are not the only sentient species on Earth, even 10,000 years ago, and a more advanced civilization is carrying out its purpose deep underground. The first labyrinth is one of their abandoned facilities (or is it really abandoned...?)

Within Labyrinths, fascinating events and unusual meetings will still take place, and these will be rendered with traditional Golden Treasure artistry. Perhaps while you explore the first Labyrinth, you will be fortunate enough to find an old food storage room with a new, fungal owner. Or was that "unfortunate"...?

Whether they bring you riches or ruin, Labyrinths are just another way we're bringing the world of Golden Treasure to life. Look forward to at least three separate labyrinths in the main game (and possibly more), each with a different theme, setting and legendary treasure to find!

Until next time!