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

Updated 3 days ago
StatusReleased
CategoryTool
PlatformsHTML5
Rating
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
(7 total ratings)
Authorpeb
GenreInteractive Fiction
TagsGame engine, Open Source, Simple, Text based
Code licenseMIT License

Download

Download
nswengine_v1.3.4.zip 15 kB

Development log

Comments

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(+2)

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!

(2 edits) (+1)

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

(5 edits)

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!

(+1)

omoshiroi.

glad you found it omoshiroi!!!

(+1)

This is fantastic! :D

yaaay thanks!!