Open-World RPG Swaggerfall Runs Entirely on a Terminal
The announcement stands out because holonaut built the entire open-world RPG with a self-made engine in Rust, running on a terminal as a deliberate aesthetic and technical choice.
Reporting from 1 source: Automaton.
Developer holonaut announced Swaggerfall on August 24, an open-world RPG for PC that runs on a terminal. The game renders a 3D fantasy world using ASCII characters, with a procedurally generated map said to extend infinitely. Players gain experience from actions like jumping, mining, and cooking, and combat is turn-based with a QTE element. A demo is planned for itch.io.
Swaggerfall is a first-person open-world RPG, but it never leaves the terminal. The graphics are 3D, processed in the background and then rendered as ASCII characters, with the world expressed through letters and symbols.
The game uses a procedurally generated map that is said to extend infinitely. NPC dialogue is also generated, letting players hear rumors or ask for directions, though some lines are currently nonsensical. Experience points come from everyday actions like jumping, dashing, mining, cooking, and eating.
holonaut built the engine with AI assistance in Rust. Since processing and rendering both use the CPU, there are performance challenges. A playable demo is expected on itch.io soon, and the developer has not yet decided on a Steam release.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.