Turn-Undead

Browser
Coil	←	Turn-Undead	→	Endless Doves

Mobile
Flat Pack	←	Turn-Undead	→	Colourblind

Turn-Undead
Description
Hunt down Dracula with your deadly turn based stakes
Development
Released	Browser: October 7, 2014 App Store: October 25, 2017 Google Play: November 1, 2017
Development time	6 weeks
Credits	Art Markus Heinel Programming (browser version) Aaron Steed Programming (mobile version) Thomas Ferrer Music Dave Cowen
Websites	Nitrome.com
Gameplay
Play it	Nitrome.com
Genre	Platformer, turn based
Levels	24
Music
Menu
Game
Other
Special	First game ported into mobile

Turn-Undead is a Halloween turn-based game released on October 7, 2014 as a browser game, on October 25, 2017 on the App Store, and November 1, 2017 on Google Play. The player controls a vampire hunter who is in search of his evil nemesis, Dracula.

Gameplay

Gameplay in Turn-Undead is similar to other Nitrome puzzle platformers such as Dirk Valentine and the Final Ninja series. However, the player can only move in sprite-wide increments, known as 'turns', and everything else on the screen - enemies, projectiles, and platforms - move only when the player moves in these turns. The player also carries two golden crossbows that fire wooden stakes, which kill most of the undead enemies in the game, but also abide by the turn-based movement style. They can be fired at certain walls for use in climbing.

In each level the player can pick up a cross that doubles the amount of points the receives at the end of that level, though this cross is often position in difficult to reach areas.

Levels

Level 1

Input

 _{x3  x2  x7  x3  x2  x6  x2  x4  x3}

Level 1 introduces crosses and vampires. To completely the level the player should jump over a platform to climb a ladder and then proceed right while jumping over all obstacles in their way. To collect the cross in the level, the player should shoot stakes into the platform with the cross on it to create a ladder which they can use to climb up and take the cross.

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Level 2

Input

 _{x8  x2  x2  x2  x6  x12  x2  x2  x2  x2  x2  x3  x5  x3  x3}

To complete the level, the player simply needs to climb down two ladders while shooting enemies they come in contact with, shoot stakes into the platform on which the exit is placed, climb up those stakes and walk into the exit. To collect the cross in this level, the player needs to shoot stakes into both walls near the exit to create a ladder then use the head of one goblin to climb up the ladder for the platform which contains the cross.

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Level 3

Input

 _{x4  x2  x9  x3  x2  x3  x4  x2  x4  x4  x2  x4  x2  x6  x2  x2  x2  x6}

Level 3 introduces movable objects, buttons, and gates. To complete the level the player needs to push the crate to the wall, hop on top of it, fire a stake to get on top of the platform, and then fall downwards. The player then has to go right a climb a ladder with the option of either killing or avoiding the enemies they encounter, jump over the side of the platform, push the nearby pumpkin onto the button present in the level, climb up a ladder, fire stakes into the wall to get to the gate, and then fall through the gate and walk into the exit.

To obtain the cross in this level, the player needs to get to the area with the pumpkin, fire a stake into the platform above the pumpkin and go upwards, then climb down the ladder and touch the cross.

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Level 4

Input

 _{x4  x2  x10  x10  x2  x6  x3  x12  x2  x6}

Level 4 introduces doors. To complete the level the player needs to proceed right while either destroying or avoiding all vampires in their path, shoot stakes into the wall on the far right to make a ladder, climb up that ladder, jump to the platform on the left, and walk into the exit. To collect the cross in this level the player should fire three stakes into the wall and climb up them, use up turns till all vampires are on the ground, walk on top of one and use it to get to the raised platform, jump up and fire a stake into the platform, and use that stake to get to the raised platform and then touch the cross.

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Level 5

Input

 _{x6  x2  x6  x4  x2  x3  x2  x3  x7  x2  x3}

To complete level 5 the player needs to proceed forward and jump over top or kill the nearby zombie, fire a stake into the raised platform, then climb upward to get onto the ledge on the raised platform. The player then needs to either kill or avoid the vampire, jump over a ledge, kill or avoid the next vampire, and then go over the side of that platform while either timing to land on top of the zombies below or avoid them. The player then needs to jump over top of the zombies (achieved by jumping onto the head of one then jumping again and moving one space forward), use stakes as a ladder to climb up the far right platform, and walk into the exit.

To obtain the cross in this level, the player simply needs to kill the zombie near the raised platform when they are close to the enemy, walk over and touch the cross, then kill the zombie again and complete the level.

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Level 6

Input

 _{x5  x2  x3  x2  x2  x2  x2  x4  x6  x3}

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Level 7

Input

 _{x2  x5  x2  x2  x2  x3  x2  x2  x3  x2  x2  x8  x2  x2  x3  x2  x2  x3  x5}

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Level 8

Input

 _{x3  x3  x2  x3  x2  x2  x3  x2  x2  x3  x3  x5  x3  x3  x6  x2  x3  x2  x6  x2  x3  x3  x5}

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Level 9

Input

 _{x7  x3  x2  x5  x2  x2  x2  x6  x2  x2  x3  x2  x2  x2  x16  x2  x2  x2  x3  x6  x2  x18}

Video
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Level 10

Input

 _{x3  x2  x2  x2  x4  x3  x3  x3  x2  x2  x3  x2  x3  x2  x2  x2  x2  x2  x2  x5  x2  x5  x3  x2  x3  x3  x3}

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Level 11

Input

 _{x2  x5  x2  x3  x2  x2  x4  x2  x2  x4  x3  x3  x2  x6  x2  x3  x5}

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Level 12

Input

 _{x5  x2  x2  x7  x6  x3  x3  x2  x2  x3  x3  x2  x2  x2  x2  x3  x3  x3  x2  x2  x2  x2  x3  x5  x3}

Video
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Level 13

Input

 _{x4  x2  x8  x2  x4  x4  x12  x2  x4  x4  x2  x3  x5  x4  x4  x4}

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Level 14

Input

 _{x4  x4  x3  x3  x6  x2  x5  x2  x2  x4  x5  x3  x2  x2  x3  x4  x2  x2}

Video
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Level 15

Input

 _{x5  x7  x2  x2  x2  x11  x2  x2  x2  x13  x3}

Video
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Level 16

Input

 _{x2  x11  x2  x3  x2  x8  x2  x2  x2  x2  x2  x2  x3  x2  x2  x3  x4  x6  x7  x3  x5  x2  x2  x3  x2  x7}

Video
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Level 17

Input

 _{x2  x5  x3  x2  x3  x2  x2  x3  x2  x3  x2  x6  x2  x6  x4  x3  x2  x3  x3  x3  x2  x2  x3}

Video
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Level 18

Input

 _{x2  x3  x6  x6  x18  x5  x2  x4  x3  x2  x2  x3  x2  x2  x2  x3  x2  x7  x2}

Video
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Level 19

Input

 _{x2  x2  x2  x2  x10 x3  x9  x2  x2  x3  x2  x2  x5  x10 x3  x17  x7  x2}

Video
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Level 20

Input

 _{x3  x2  x2  x2  x7  x2  x2  x3  x3  x2  x4  x4  x4  x6  x4  x4  x2  x3  x2  x2  x2  x2  x4  x2  x4  x3  x3  x2  x3  x3  x5  x8}

Video
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Level 21

Input

 _{x3  x8  x4  x6  x4  x5  x3  x4  x2  x7  x2  x3}

Video
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Level 22

Video
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Level 23

Video
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Level 24

Input

 _{x4  x2  x2  x2  x4  x3  x3  x3  x2  x4  x2  x6  x6  x3  x3  x3  x3  x4  x2  x2  x2}

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Ending

Spoiler
"Story has it that a stranger once passed through the land cleansing it of all evil. Though he was born from darkness, he earned his place amongst those of the light.... Only to eventually dominate them. Muhuhahaha!!!" This ending shows the vampire hunter with an evil grin and with wings behind his back.

Enemies

• Vampires - Harms the player upon contact and can be killed by a single stake.
• Zombies - Harms the player upon contact and once killed by a stake they will respawn in the exact area after two turns.
• Werewolves - Harms the player on contact and move two spaces for every one move the player makes.
• Bats - Move in a set pattern indicated by purple nodes. The player can use them as platforms if they stand on the head of a bat otherwise bats function as a hazard killing the player on contact.
• Blobs - Move like a typical enemy and, when pierced by a stake, will melt the exact platform they are on.
• Dracula - Chases the player and harms them on contact. Cannot be killed on any levels it appears on save for level 24.

Hazards

• Skulls - Move in a set line and harm the player upon contact.
• Spikes - Appear covering certain surfaces and kill the player upon contact.
• Fire breathing skulls - Faces one direction and after three turns sends out a fireball that harms the player on contact.
• Angels - Moves only when the player is looking away from their direction.

Interactive objects

• Crosses - Appear once per level and give the player a x2 once collected.
• Stakes - Kill enemies upon contact and can also function as ladders when lodged in a platform. The use up three turns when fired.
• Ladders - Allow the player to reach higher areas.
• Movable objects - Can be moved ahead on space by the player pushing against it. These objects also function as platforms when the player stands upon them.
• Exits - Allow the player to proceed to the next level.
• Doors - Bar enemies from going past them. When the player touches a door, it will open and stay open till the player walks back across it.
• Buttons - Activate gates and the water container. Buttons that open gates must be held for a certain amount of turns to fully open a gate.
• Coffins - Spawn vampires a turn after the player has touched it.

This collapsible box contains a spoiler! Use [show] to reveal.

Water container - Activated by a button and drops one droplet of water per button press. These droplets will kill Dracula upon contact.

Obstacles

• Steel blocks - Destroy stakes upon contact.
• Gates - Activated by buttons and come in two sizes the first being small with the player simply needing to stand on the button to keep them open and the second being larger and requiring the player to wait a certain amount of turns before they can pass by safely.

Announcements

• September 18, 2014 - Turn-Undead is announced to be in development, an image for it is shown in a Nitrome blog post.

• 

  The preview image

• September 30, 2014 - A short video of Turn-Undead is shown.

• Halloween game 2014 preview

  The preview

Glitches

• If the player pauses the level when the "game over/level complete" screen is shown, the screen will disappear. The player will not be in the level, and cannot interact with anything. The pause menu will only contain the music, sound and resume buttons. This forces the player to refresh the page the game is being played on, as they are unable to continue the game. This is similar to the glitch in changeType().

Turn Undead: Monster Hunter

Turn Undead: Monster Hunter is a mobile port of the game released on the App Store on October 25, 2017 and on Google Play on November 1, 2017. Porting of the game was handled by Thomas Ferrer.

Changes

• The startup is completely different.
• The game has a completely new menu.
• Levels are accessed on the level select menu by scrolling through them individually. Each level also indicates if the cross has been obtained.
• Crosses spin.
• The cross UI icon is different.
• Exits are different. Also, the Vampire hunter's voice when using an exit is different.
• Tutorials are introduced via newly introduced signposts that have an exclamation mark.
• The first time the Vampire hunter dies in a level, the player can revive him by watching a video advertisement.
• Some parts of levels were graphically redone with a castle design.
• On level 1, in the area with the first Vampire, the first 1x1 structure was graphically replaced with a wooden block.
• Gargoyles that shoot fireballs were introduced.

Version history

Version		Released		Changes
iOS	Android	iOS	Android
1.0	0.1	Oct. 25, 2017	Nov. 1, 2017	Initial release
1.1	N/A	Oct. 27, 2017	N/A	Fixed glitches Added achievements Added in-app purchase to remove ads
1.2	N/A	Nov. 23, 2017	N/A	Fixed minor bugs Added iPhone X support

Development

Turn-Undead took 6 weeks to develop. The angels in the game were based off Boos from the Mario games and Weeping Angels from Doctor Who.

Beta elements

Dracula as seen on Markus Heinel's website, directly on the right side of the monster hunter.

Markus Heinel's website features art he did for Turn-Undead, in which Dracula looks slightly different from his appearance in the final version. On Heinel's site, Dracula has lighter skin, no red outline, and is in a walking stance. In the game, Dracula has slightly darker skin, a red outline, and consistently hovers.

Trivia

• The menu for Turn-Undead is notable for having part of the game's story in it, "Count Dracula... I'm coming for you!" seen when accessing the menu.
• Turn-Undead is a combination of the words "Turn" (referencing the game's turn based genre) and "Undead".
  • In other words, this could also mean "turning" undead when a person in a story involving zombies gets infected.

References

zh:Turn-Undead