Varan’s Seals
Varan’s Seals
Brief description
Step into the role of a student of demonic lore as you retrace the footsteps of lost scholar Varan and attempt to decipher the hieroglyphic language of the demons. Uncover inscriptions in your surroundings, fill your grimoire by translating demonic symbols, and unravel ancient spellwork with your newfound mastery. Relying only on your wits and clues left behind by your predecessors, will you be the first to unlock Varan’s Seals?
Team members
Floria Gu (Artist, team lead)
Jon Nah (Programmer)
Ethan Anderson (Writer)
Chun Yan Luo (3D Artist)
How to play
Use WASD or arrow keys to move
Move your mouse to look around
Use Space to jump
Use E to interact with objects (objects with outlines have clues!)
Use your mouse for on-screen interactions
Use B to open and close the Daemonicum
As you see more symbols, they will appear in the Daemonicum.
Add your own notes to each page!
When you’re ready, you may interact with the Reliquary (it has a red outline)
Click to turn the rings in the Reliquary
Press “Activate” to attempt to break the seal!
Tips for the Language System
Varan’s Seals presents a unique symbol-based language that combines various symbols of single meaning into larger phrases of a separate (but related) meaning.
When interacting with an object, you will be presented with a few translation options for larger phrases. Use deduction, intuition, and existing hints to choose what you believe is the most correct option.
Using that information, you should then go into the Daemonicium and see if you can translate any individual symbols that appeared in those phrases. This part is much trickier, since you will have to manually input your translations. You do not necessarily need to translate every individual symbol to complete the game, but the more you have, the easier it becomes.
To complete the game, interact with one of the four reliquary panels. At the bottom you will find a complete phrase surrounded by four concentric rings. Your job is to deduce the meaning of the bottom phrase, and use the symbols on the concentric to create a “counter” or “response” to it. Do this four times, and the game is complete.
A Final Note: Experiment. Understanding a foreign language is difficult, especially with such a limited corpus of symbols. Don’t be afraid of working definitions or process of elimination. We hope you enjoy decoding our language as much as we have enjoyed making it!
Play it here