Fire and Atlas by irock
Fire and Atlas
Burn and replace your inaccurate maps in order to find the treasure on each screen.
Each map contains an X, marking the location of the treasure... supposedly. Before you dig, be sure to compare your map to the current screen and make sure nothing is amiss.
Controls
- Arrow keys: Move
- Z: Dig
- X: View Atlas
- Bump into objects to interact with them
Screenshots

Bugfix log
- Fixed a bug where the "correct map" for one of the screens (starting screen) was inaccurate.
- Fixed a bug where the "correct map" for one of the screens (2 to the left of start) was inaccurate.
Some things I'd like to do for a post-jam version
- Lower the requirement for completing the game to 15 treasures, since getting all 24 can take some time.
- Open chests and get a non-functional item, just for fun.
- Make it so Z has to be held down in order to dig to guard against accidental button presses.
- More polished ending.
- Overworld music.
| Flash (web) | https://coryalexmartin.itch.io/fire-and-atlas |
| Source code | http://corymartin.net/downloads/Fire%20and%20Atlas.stencyl |
| Original URL | https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/43/fire-and-atlas |
Ratings
| Overall | 65th | 4.056⭐ | 29🧑⚖️ |
| Fun | 203th | 3.685⭐ | 29🧑⚖️ |
| Innovation | 22th | 4.161⭐ | 30🧑⚖️ |
| Theme | 812th | 3⭐ | 29🧑⚖️ |
| Graphics | 125th | 4.268⭐ | 30🧑⚖️ |
| Audio | 155th | 3.731⭐ | 28🧑⚖️ |
| Mood | 278th | 3.62⭐ | 27🧑⚖️ |
| Given | 5🗳️ | 5🗨️ |
Giving more of a hint about how to play the game up front would go a long way. It took me a while -- going back to the the descriptions outside of the game -- to realize I'm supposed to look for "X marks the spot" and where the map does not match the territory. And once I did, it felt like it became more of a chore than a game. I think the way to fix that would be to interact with treasure somehow, even if it's just a little animation and/or sound effect (a classic example is like, what happens when you pick up a new item in Legend of Zelda), would be enough to make me want to do it more. Taking it further, having some sort of pressure -- like time or enemies -- would, I don't think the "10 digs and you're done" mechanic is enough.
I think with a little bit more time, this could become a really fun game! The sound, graphics, and polish are definitely all there.
I made it with one shovel left, lost a few to thinking the maps wouldn't dare to lie about the existence of the entrance I just came from and lost the rest to plunging my shovel into the ground trying to open the map!
If you decided to work on this game more in the future I think it could work very well with some light puzzle mechanics and metroidvania style progression!
Overall this was a really nice entry, good job!
Though it does get somewhat long backtracking often to re-check some of the areas. I would've love having a timer to make it challenge, but the fact there's none also makes it a relaxing game, which I enjoyed. The art is for sure my favourite aspect, and the gameplay is very innovative. It has a potential to be greater if more gameplay mechanics were added.
I failed because I kept pressing z by mistake instead of x! But I'm going back to play and complete it!
Being tricked by the map when it shows you the right elements, but not the right amount of entrances is an amazing (and evil) idea !
My only complaint is that going back to the furnace can become a little tedious, but that's still a great game I added to my itch account 🙂
The only real flaw I can think of is that the buttons for the map and the digging are right next to each other, and thus it's easy to hit the wrong one by accident, in the worst case ending your game without you really deserving it.
This is a brilliant take on the theme! You should be proud of your game! I wish I were this clever!