Eversion

About Eversion

Eversion is a 2D platformer by Guilherme S. Töws, released as Zaratustra Productions. It began as a small freeware game made for a TIGSource competition, and the high-definition version came to Steam in June 2010 for Windows, Mac and Linux, with achievements and Time Attack levels. The original 320x240 version is still available from its maker on itch.io.

The Princess of the Flower Kingdom has been taken by the Ghulibas of the north, and the brave Zee Tee sets off to rescue her across eight worlds. You run, jump on enemies and collect gems, much as in Super Mario Bros. The twist is everting: at certain points you can shift the level into another layer of the world, where platforms, enemies and paths change.

That shift is also where the horror lives. The opening screen quotes Lovecraft and warns it is not for children or the nervous, and each layer of the world is a little less friendly than the one before. It never needs gore; the unease comes from bright colours souring, music changing and a happy world revealing what is underneath. The platforming itself is demanding, with one-hit deaths and checkpoints.

The store lists three endings, and gathering every gem means learning where to evert in each level. It suits players who enjoy games that are not what they seem, and fans of retro platformers who do not mind being unsettled.

How to play Eversion

1. Buy the HD version on Steam, or get the original version from its maker's itch.io page.
2. Move with the arrow keys and jump with Z to cross each level.
3. Press X at the right spots to evert and shift the level into another layer.
4. Collect the gems in each level; they matter for the ending.
5. Reach the end of all eight worlds to rescue the princess.

Tips

• Try everting everywhere; some paths and gems only exist in another layer.
• Some blocks are solid in one layer and empty in another, so plan your jumps.
• Death sends you to the last checkpoint, so take the hard sections slowly.
• Play alone at night with sound on, as the store suggests, for the full effect.

Questions