Candy Quest 3: Edge of Sweetness
Platform: Javascript
If you think living in a magical land of candy is all about gumdrop bridges and lollipop lanes, think again. Sure, you might be able to bathe in chocolate when ever you want and have cupcakes for dinner, but all is not well. In Candy Quest 3: Edge of Sweetness, a Twine text adventure by Michael Brough, something dark is lurking. There is certain doom in the air. Until you show up, that is. Start off by selecting one of three character types. Each type has different special abilities which are made clear fairly early in the adventure. After reading each screen, select the action you want to take with a click.
There are several different areas to explore, each with their own quirky monsters to destroy and quests to finish. Instead of hit points, you possess a rechargeable sugar shield. If an enemy hits you when your shield is fully depleted, you fail at your quest and have to start the entire story over. Luckily there are plenty of tasty items you can eat that help you replenish your shield. Candy Quest 3, created for Candy Jam, never takes itself too seriously, which makes it a pleasure to read. It also gives the distinct impression that there's more than meets the eye in this world, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on the ending... yes, that's the way it's supposed to look and function. The battles take a surprising amount of strategy... having the right selection of candy in your arsenal can make the difference between the sweet life or a bitter death. An interactive map would make navigating easier than all the backtracking that happens, though the portals you can create do help a bit. Whether you are fighting a terrifying haunted grasshopper, or a sinister goblin, only you can repel the doom... one percentage point at a time.
Here's what the potions do.
Aspartame Potion:
+2 fizzy damage, +10 sugar shield
Cocoa Potion:
+5 delicious attack, +3 sugar shield
Bitter Potion:
Triple item effectiveness.
Anyone know where to go next? I already went through the
ice area, dungeon area, hell area, desert area, and fought the bad guy in the village. I'm at 86% doom averted and I've gone through so many enemies in the dungeon already. Where do I go next?
Nevermind, got it. The ending is... interesting to say the least.
Am I the only one waiting to see if King.com sends them a cease-and-desist for making something that has the word "candy" in it? (Granted, I'm hoping that if they do they get told where to put it.)
I'm having issues with the puzzle box. Could I get some help?
In case you're unaware, HeroForge, that's sort of the entire intent of this game. :)
http://itch.io/jam/candyjam
Does it just end at the
Part with the weird music and broken image? Nothing happens when I click "Wake up".
Yep, Stinkoman, that is how it ends.
Makes you wonder
if you got a bump to the head, and candy land is in your mind.
Or something.
i am curious of
the broken image on the ending, surely it is a broken image?
And my theory of the ending...
Character is actually on a dream state, suffering from hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, possibly even have diabetes. Considering hypoglycemia can't be cured, only maintained by glucose-food to not causing problems, that is why on beginning it says doom can't be completely removed. The whole disturbing pictures and texts that comes out are possibly symptoms of hypoglycemia.
I contacted the developer about the ending before the article was published.
He told me both the missing image and the never ending wake up cycle were intentional.
Oh, and rosedragon, nice theory on the ending!
My ending theory
I interpreted it as all the candy and stuff you've eaten throughout the whole thing taking its toll... they do say something about too much candy being bad...
Odd game. Interesting, though.
Potion recipes
Mix 2 lollipops and 1 popping candy into aspartame potion.
Mix 2 chocolate bars and 1 chocolate truffle into cocoa potion.
Mix 2 sour lollies and 1 candy floss into bitter potion.
@Stinkoman
Candy coma...I like it.
The dev responded to my twitter asking if the 'story' of this game is about my ending theory..
Michael Brough @smestorp Jan 31
@rosedragoness no i was thinking about a few different times i've been really ill
Bizarre
Huh. Well thanks for sharing that, rosedragon. Interpretation is largely up to the player, regardless of author intent, so I think all the theories here still stand.
Update