Narbacular Drop: Difference between revisions

From the Portal Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
mNo edit summary
m (update external links)
 
(14 intermediate revisions by 5 users not shown)
Line 12: Line 12:
* Windows (7, Vista, XP, 2000)
* Windows (7, Vista, XP, 2000)
}}
}}
'''''Narbacular Drop''''' is puzzle video game developed by Nuclear Monkey Software, and is the spiritual predecessor to ''[[Portal]]''.


== Synopsis ==
'''Narbacular Drop''' is a puzzle video game developed by Nuclear Monkey Software, and is the spiritual predecessor to ''[[Portal]]''.
A princess, called No-Knees due to her inability to jump, was admired by her entire kingdom. A demon, imagining her kidnap would help in his quest to conquer the world, captures No-Knees. He then lockes her inside a cage in his mountain lair, under patrol of his Imp minion. However, Wally, the spirit of the mountain, was mad at the Demon for creating his dungeon lair inside his home. He tells No-Knees he would assist her in escaping as long as she helped him to defeat the demon. To escape, Princess No-Knees is allowed to use Wally's magical power; she can look at any two flat surfaces and break reality, making an instant link between them using two portals. She'll then use this to travel through five different chambers all the way to the final boss.
 
== Plot synopsis ==
A princess, called No-Knees due to her inability to jump, was admired by her entire kingdom. A demon, imagining that her kidnapping would help in his quest to conquer the world, captures No-Knees. He then locks her inside a cage in his mountain lair, under patrol of his Impy minion. However, Wally, the spirit of the mountain, was mad at the Demon for creating his dungeon lair inside his home. He tells No-Knees he would assist her in escaping as long as she helped him to defeat the demon. To escape, Princess No-Knees is allowed to use Wally's magical power; she can look at any two flat surfaces and break reality, making an instant link between them using two portals. She must then use this to travel through five different chambers all the way to the final boss.


== Development ==
== Development ==
The game development had 4 "milestones": Pre-Alpha, Alpha, Beta, and Final.
''Narbacular Drop''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s main focus was to use the portal system, a technical mechanic that had emerged in a few games by that time, as the key feature in a game.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160429081124/https://www.digipen.edu/fileadmin/website_data/gallery/game_websites/NarbacularDrop/ Narbacular Drop Overview, archived]</ref> With the addition of allowing the player, as well as other objects, to go through the portal, the game includes a wide range of gameplay possibilities.
 
The game development had 4 "milestones": Pre-Alpha, Alpha, Beta, and Final.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20061231215723/https://www.nuclearmonkeysoftware.com/documents/narbacular_drop_milestones.pdf Narbacular Drop Milestone List (PDF), archived]</ref> Each version included mostly fixes and level coding.
 
The final version of the game includes the model, animations, and textures for the final boss, the Demon; however, the final battle was never properly implemented, and even though the final credits appear, the game never actually ends. Consequently, Wally does not show himself and Princess No-Knees never escapes the dungeon.


The Pre-Alpha version was presented on February 1st, 2005. By then, all levels had been implemented into the game, although only the first two could be beaten.
Jeep Barnett, a developer of the game and current employee at [[Valve Corporation|Valve]], stated on the now-defunct forums of Narbacular Drop, that the final chapter of the game, ''Fire with Fire'', "was a hint as to how to beat the final boss who would [throw] fire balls at you that you need to redirect through a portal." <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20071212110322/http://www.nuclearmonkeysoftware.com/forums/index.php?topic=123.msg451#msg451 Nuclear Monkey Software forums, archived]</ref> {{Spoiler|The concept behind redirecting an enemy's attack would return in the climatic battle of ''Portal'', between [[Chell]] and [[GLaDOS]].}}
 
== Update history ==
{{main|Patches}}


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
<gallery>
{{Gallery
File:Narbacular Drop Imp.png|The Imp, a harmless foe.
|lines = 2
File:Narbacular Drop Lava Turtle.png|The Lava Turtle, a friendly NPC.
|title =
File:Narbacular Drop Boulder.png|The Boulder, a deadly threat.
|height = 150
File:Narbacular Drop Demon.png|The Demon, the unused final boss.
|width = 200
</gallery>
|File:Narbacular Drop Princess.png|Princess No Knees
|File:Narbacular Drop Imp.png|Impy, the Demon's minion and janitor.
|File:Narbacular_Drop_Boxes.png|Two boxes of different sizes, used in puzzles.
|File:Narbacular Drop Lava Turtle.png|The Lava Turtle, a friendly NPC.
|File:Narbacular Drop Boulder.png|The Boulder, a deadly threat.
|File:Narbacular Drop Demon.png|The Demon, the unused final boss.
|File:Narbacular Drop Height Chart.png|Character height comparison.
}}
 
== Trivia ==
* ''Narbacular Drop'' returns as an achievement name in Portal 2 Co-Op. It is the name of an achievement in which involves placing a portal underneath a partner while gesturing.
 
== References ==
<references />


== External links ==
== External links ==
* [https://www.digipen.edu/fileadmin/website_data/gallery/game_websites/NarbacularDrop/ ''Narbacular Drop'' official website]
* [https://www.digipen.edu/showcase/student-games/narbacular-drop ''Narbacular Drop'' official website]
* [http://www.nuclearmonkeysoftware.com/narbaculardrop.html Nuclear Monkey Software website]
* [http://www.nuclearmonkeysoftware.com/narbaculardrop.html Nuclear Monkey Software website]
[[Category:Narbacular Drop]]

Latest revision as of 22:49, 28 February 2024

Narbacular Drop
Narbacular Drop Main Menu.png
Basic Information
Developer:

Nuclear Monkey Software

Engine:

Sketcher Engine

Released:

April 19, 2005

Modes:

Single-player

Genre:

Puzzle

Ratings:

ESRB: E

Requirements:
  • Windows (7, Vista, XP, 2000)

Narbacular Drop is a puzzle video game developed by Nuclear Monkey Software, and is the spiritual predecessor to Portal.

Plot synopsis

A princess, called No-Knees due to her inability to jump, was admired by her entire kingdom. A demon, imagining that her kidnapping would help in his quest to conquer the world, captures No-Knees. He then locks her inside a cage in his mountain lair, under patrol of his Impy minion. However, Wally, the spirit of the mountain, was mad at the Demon for creating his dungeon lair inside his home. He tells No-Knees he would assist her in escaping as long as she helped him to defeat the demon. To escape, Princess No-Knees is allowed to use Wally's magical power; she can look at any two flat surfaces and break reality, making an instant link between them using two portals. She must then use this to travel through five different chambers all the way to the final boss.

Development

Narbacular Drop's main focus was to use the portal system, a technical mechanic that had emerged in a few games by that time, as the key feature in a game.[1] With the addition of allowing the player, as well as other objects, to go through the portal, the game includes a wide range of gameplay possibilities.

The game development had 4 "milestones": Pre-Alpha, Alpha, Beta, and Final.[2] Each version included mostly fixes and level coding.

The final version of the game includes the model, animations, and textures for the final boss, the Demon; however, the final battle was never properly implemented, and even though the final credits appear, the game never actually ends. Consequently, Wally does not show himself and Princess No-Knees never escapes the dungeon.

Jeep Barnett, a developer of the game and current employee at Valve, stated on the now-defunct forums of Narbacular Drop, that the final chapter of the game, Fire with Fire, "was a hint as to how to beat the final boss who would [throw] fire balls at you that you need to redirect through a portal." [3] The concept behind redirecting an enemy's attack would return in the climatic battle of Portal, between Chell and GLaDOS.

Update history

Main article: Patches

Gallery

Trivia

  • Narbacular Drop returns as an achievement name in Portal 2 Co-Op. It is the name of an achievement in which involves placing a portal underneath a partner while gesturing.

References

External links