''Eversion'' is a

platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action game, action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform game ...

by British indie studio Zaratustra Productions for Microsoft Windows. It was originally released as

freeware Freeware is software, most often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines ''freeware'' unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for t ...

in 2008, with a high-definition remake being released on

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporizat ...

in 2010.

Gameplay

''Eversion'' is a side-scrolling platform game in which the player's flower-like avatar is tasked with collecting gems scattered throughout the stages and reaching the flag that marks the stage's end. At specific points, the player may activate an "eversion" ability that changes the state of the stage by removing obstacles and creating platforms, making it a necessary tool for progress. The game includes a bare-bones narrative centering on the rescue of a captured princess and initially presents a colorful and whimsical atmosphere. However, as use of the eversion ability increases, the visuals become unsettling and nightmarish. As such, a note indicating that the game is not "for children or those of a nervous disposition" is posted on the official website and within the game. The Steam version includes a new ending and a competitive "time attack" mode.

Development and release

''Eversion'' was created in 2008 by indie developer Zaratustra as part of indie game community

TIGSource TIGSource, short for The Independent Games Source, is a news blog and Internet community centered around the creation of independent video games, founded in 2005 by Jordan Magnuson but soon taken over by Derek Yu, both independent game developer ...

's 2008 Commonplace Book Competition. The competition's name and concept were derived from a

commonplace book Commonplace books (or commonplaces) are a way to compile knowledge, usually by writing information into books. They have been kept from antiquity, and were kept particularly during the Renaissance and in the nineteenth century. Such books are simi ...

kept by American author H. P. Lovecraft, in which he would jot down strange and often disjointed story ideas, generally lacking in context. ''Eversion'' was particularly inspired by an entry that reads "sounds - possibly musical - heard in the night from other worlds or realms of being".

Legacy

Doki Doki Literature Club! ''Doki Doki Literature Club!'' (''DDLC'') is a 2017 freeware visual novel developed by American independent game studio Team Salvato for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux. The game was initially distributed through itch.io, and later became av ...

'' creator Dan Salvato cited ''Eversion'' as a source of inspiration for his game's horror elements.Salvato, Dan (2017) ''Doki Doki Literature Club!'' Concept Art Booklet, p. 3

References

{{Reflist

External links

High-Definition version on Humble Store

High-Definition version on Steam
2008 video games Linux games Lovecraftian horror MacOS games Platform games Side-scrolling video games Video games about plants Video games developed in the United Kingdom Video games about parallel universes Windows games