nswengine
i had a dream last night about coding a game engine
so then i coded it
the above is a kind of a test game for the engine, and also a story about how the engine happened
if you want to make a game in nswengine, you can hit the download button on this page to get the source code
the newest version (less stable) is also available on github: source
you can refer to the README.md file in the repository for tips on how to create a game, and Dragon Wasabi Potato wrote a cool article on how to use the engine (note: article is in japanese)
also i started a collection for games built with this engine, so if you make anything let me know and i'll add it there for freeeeeee
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CONTROLS
arrow keys/ mouse click/ touch to navigate between rooms
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update v1.1 (17/12/2025) - added support for mouse/ touch controls
update v1.2 (19/12/2025) - added ascii support and outgrabe chamber in the game
update v1.3 (23/12/2025) - migrated away from html canvas for better accessibility, added fullscreen and mobile support
Download
Development log
- nswengine_v1.3.239 days ago
Comments
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This engine is so evocative with just the right amount of arbitrary constraints that really make it a dreamlike experience.
My first instinct was to make use of this oneiric engine to present some dreams of my own, so I made this little zine: Violent Dream Games
this is just great! not only that you used nswengine but also that i had a new MindApe experience to check out, i loved it!
we are all lead-less horses at the river, downstream from a thunderstorm, waiting to drink from the mindape flash flood fire hose
This is a-maze-ing!
Figuring it out at the moment. I'm realizing that in order to make the game in my mind with ASCII art and multiple strategically-placed characters, I will need to know how to make breaks between lines. Any idea on how to <br>?
I'm very eager to put this tool to use!
I'm also having trouble with the text being centered. I would like to align the text to the left, if at all possible. Would I be able to manage that within style.css or somewhere in the source folder?
Thanks!
hey thanks! i would love for you to use the engine! i think i know what you’re trying for, i will try to cook up a new version today with ascii support
you can download the source again now, and look for the “ascii support” section in README.md :)))))) i think that should do the trick
EDIT: ah, i didn’t have time to test it too much so if you come across any bugs let me know!
EDIT2: also mind you will have to escape some of the special characters like backslashes in each of the strings in description array, otherwise jason (json) will get angry!
EDIT3: if you play the test game here again, you can find a special chamber!
omoshiroi.
glad you found it omoshiroi!!!
This is fantastic! :D
yaaay thanks!!