The worlds greatest oddity has long been the SludgeWorks; a reality-warping cave network that stabs deep into the heart of the earth. Here, some alien force has caused evolution and natural selection to go into overdrive, mutating life within beyond all plausibility. This rift contains great treasures, but only only whispers of its powers reach the surface. Mutated and feral, vaguely-human remnants of previous expeditions wander it's twisted caverns, shying away from the light and adapting to their wretched forms. Despite these perils, the prospect of eternal life and evolutionary transcendence are rumoured to await those brave enough to reach the Mezzanine, the fabled final chamber, and bathe in its ichor.
Can you survive the onslaught of the Cleansing Hand's pious bastion? Will the vampyric remnants of the Kyvan Company prevent your descent into the Screaming Ruins? Is it possible to enter the Cult of Eternity's palace of hedonism without being kidnapped?
Will you torch all foliage in your path, or become a living vessel for nature's experiments?
Are you dumb enough to impale a Bloodseeker?
Welcome to the SludgeWorks.
SludgeWorks is a traditional ASCII roguelike game where you must explore your surroundings and learn about the world around you to survive and progress. You cannot ascend back to the surface, and so your only option is to descend. Be aware that if you die your save will be deleted.
You may move around the map using either 'vi' keys, or numpad controls. These move you in every cardinal direction, including diagonally. You may press '.' to wait a turn.
Menu & Action Keys:
'A' Use abilities
'E' Look around
'I' Organize your inventory
'G' Get items at your location
'D' Drop items from your inventory
'C' See your character's stats
'X' Explore your surroundings automatically
'>' Descend to the next level
Press 'Space' to interact with something nearby.
Press 'Esc' to access the menu which allows you to see key bindings, and to save & quit
Long-dead plants in the upper caves leave behind plenty of strange artefacts. They could be useful in combat... If you are desperate, you can jump down holes in the ground to progress to the next floor. Some enemies have very nasty attacks at close range. Keep your distance!