Game Mechanics

The Void
Here you see the percentage of every color which you have used in the Void up to now. Moving the mouse pointer over a color shows what effect it has in the Void. Every drop of color released into the Void affects it. The higher the percentage of a color is, the stronger its impact.

Glyphs
Here you can get information on the currently available glyphs and their effects. When the Hero acquires a new heart, it opens an area in hisbody that can be used to convert Lympha of a color into Nerva. Moreover you receive a glyph with which the Hero can perform a specific action. By using the three buttons in the lower right corner, you can watch a video demonstration of the glyph, listen to the description of the glyph once more, or exit the journal. For details on the various Glyphs and their uses, visit the Glyphs page.

Characters and Colors
There are four buttons on the left side: Hero, Colors, sisters and Keepers.

Hero: Here you’ll find a picture of the Hero and his current task.

Colors: Here is a description of the nature of every color and how each affects the Hero. The memories that the Hero has gathered about the color are saved here throughout the game.

silver - Wastefulness Purple - anger amber - Metabolism azure - speed Violet - Inspiration emerald - Defense Gold - Trust

Every color has a meaning. Their meaning affects the people in the void in the same way it affects the Hero.

Sisters: Here you’ll find the names and pictures of all the Sisters, along with a short description. They were born from the Void and divide it among themselves. Each one has her own realm. Memorize well what they tell you because they know the Void. You can listen again to recordings of their monologues here. You can also read the speeches of each Sister by using the arrow up and arrow down buttons. In the lower right corner you’ll find the button that repeats the monologue and the back button that closes the Journal.

Keepers: Here you’ll find the names and pictures of all Keepers, along with a short description. They ascended from the Nightmare and keep watch over the Sisters. You can listen again to recordings of their monologues here. You can also read the speeches of each Keeper by using the arrow up and arrow down buttons. In the lower right corner you’ll find the button that repeats the monologue and the back button that closes the Journal.

Predators
Predators are half-dead creatures in the Void that developed from inanimate matter which came into contact with color. If you use a lot of color in the Void, much color is also wasted from which predators can evolve. Predators are constantly looking for new color to quench their thirst. If you get close to them, they will attack you to get your color. When they suck out your last drop of color, you’ll die! for more details about the different Predators, see Predators.

Game Controls
You can move the Hero with W, A, S, D (forward, left, backward, right). Use the spacebar to jump, and hold down the shift key to move faster in the chambers of the Sisters. This will slow down the Hero in all of the follow-on chambers. In order to see in a different direction, simply move the mouse in the desired direction. In order to collect color or a heart, click on the right mouse button.This way you can collect drops of color, color from trees or get Lympha from small creatures. Mines have color veins from which you can also get color as long as you exposed them previously.

Shortcuts:

Painting
Press L Ctrl to make the color palette appear in the upper left corner. Now you can select a color with which you want to paint. The number under your glyph tells you how much color you are using. The color that was used last will be used again the next time you paint.

Attention! When painting a glyph, it is important that the left mouse button is released before L Ctrl, otherwise the action will not be performed!

Characters
When the Hero stands before a Sister, the interaction symbol appears. Now you can open your palette and touch the Sister with a drop of color. You will then find yourself in the Soul Obscura of the Sister. Available glyphs are shown at the bottom of the screen and, like all other glyphs, can be painted with L Ctrl and the left mouse button. For example, paint the Donor glyph if you want to fill a Sister’s heart. The sickle-shaped bar on the lower left shows you how much color is in the heart of the Sister. Painting the Donor glyph increases the red bar. The more color you paint, the more effective the Donor glyph will be. When the sickle is full, the next heart opens. Press the spacebar to skip over the Sister’s answers.

Gardens, Reservations and Mines

 * → See Chambers

Interactive Objects
These icons appear when you face an interactive object:

Stroke of a brush – The stroke of a brush displays interactive objects. Touch them with a drop of color and find out what you can do with them.

Absorption – Objects like trees, small creatures, drops of color and color veins can contain Lympha, which you can absorb. The number next to the symbol shows how much Lympha they contain.

Traps – These objects can be turned into a trap against Keepers. The first number next to the trap indicates how much color it already contains and the second how much has yet to be added to activate it.

Exits
You leave the chamber and return to the map by either entering an area with water, jumping into an abyss or passing through an exit. An exit is a round distortion in the room.

The Hero's Soul Obscura
You can rotate the body by holding down the right mouse button and zoom in and out with the mouse wheel. In the upper right corner of the screen you find the memory palette with Lympha you have collected. In order to fill a heart you have to pick a color. Do this by moving the mouse cursor over the particular color. Load the Lympha on your cursor by pressing the left mouse button, and then left click to deposit it into one of your hearts. When you have filled one heart with color, the new amount of Lympha of the corresponding heart is displayed.

The Hero can own up to 21 hearts which can all simultaneously change Lympha into Nerva. If you want to save Lympha, it suffices to keep only one heart filled in order to stay alive. As soon as one of your hearts is empty, it no longer converts Lympha into Nerva. So always make sure that there is Lympha in the hearts if you need a lot of Nerva.

''Attention! Don’t forget that the respective amount in your heart declines when it is converted into Nerva. This might seem a bit hard at first, but you’ll get the hang of it once you have given it a try.''

In the lower left corner of the screen you’ll find the Hero’s wheel that shows you his current state. The vials show the degree of effect of each color on the Hero. The Hero can reach a bonus of 100 percent for each color. The crescent-shaped indicator (purple) reflects the vital state of the Hero. It shows how much Lympha in total still works in his heart and therefore how much time for the Hero remains.

Sisters' Soul Obscura
Communication with the Sister only takes place in the Camera Obscura!

You can find her monologue again later on in the Journal. You’ll see the two favorite colors of the Sister in the upper right corner. Only these two colors can build up trust towards the Hero. Three more colors are neutral and two others are deadly!

At the bottom of the screen are glyphs with which you can give the Sister color or ask her for color. The glyphs and the palettes appear as usual when you press l Ctrl. In the lower left corner you’ll find the Sister’s wheel. The vials on the larger wheel are her hearts. They reflect her level of trust and all four can be filled.

The crescent-shaped indicator displays the amount of color that must be given to the Sister in order to unlock her next heart. When this indicator is full and lights up, it means that a new heart will be unlocked.

Keepers' Soul Obscura
You’ll find the Keeper’s wheel in the upper right corner. A crescent shaped indicator of the Keeper’s life forces is built into it (red).

The vials in the wheel show colors that damage the Keeper. When a vial lights up, the color in the vial deals twice as much damage to the Keeper. In some cases, the Keeper can be temporarily invincible. The wheel will then appear gray.

Battle
The Void is a dangerous place where you will face much hostility. Predators strive for Lympha you collect and the Keepers follow their own agenda. If you get in their way they will not spare you.

If damage is dealt to the Hero, a number on the bottom of the screen will show you how severe the damage and therefore the loss of Lympha is. If all of the Lympha has been wrested from your heart, you die.

You fight by using your attack- and defense-glyphs or drawing Nerva directly on opponents. Skill and tactics will lead you to victory.

If you conquer a mighty opponent, his Lympha passes to the Hero. If your memory palette is full, surplus Lympha will fall on the ground and evaporate after a while.

Map
When you leave a chamber you will find yourself in the Void. Zoom in and out of the map with the mouse wheel. You can move the map by holding down the right mouse button. You can move the Hero on the map by painting the way with color.

Time goes by in the Void. So pay attention to the time so that vital Lympha isn’t unnecessarily wasted.

If you move the mouse cursor over a chamber, a Sister or a Keeper, tool tips containing useful information will appear:

Chamber
Name and type of the chamber, information about available Lympha deposits (amount and which color)

Sister
Name and portrait of the Sister. In the lower right corner are the colors that the Sister likes. In the lower left corner you’ll see the amount of trust the Sister has towards the Hero. Trust depends on how much Nerva the Hero has given her. The red vials are filled hearts. Four hearts can be unlocked.

Keeper
Name and portrait of the Keeper. His amount of Lympha is displayed on the right along with how much color you’ll receive when you defeat the Keeper in battle. The red bar shows his vital state. It increases when the Keeper collects more Lympha.

Vital State
The button in the lower right corner opens the Hero’s Soul Obscura.

The amount of color on the butt on displays how much Lympha is left in the heart which contains the most Lympha. The crescent shaped bar (purple) reflects the vital state of the Hero. It shows how much Lympha the Hero has in all of the hearts. Should you hear the heartbeat in the map view, only very little Lympha is remaining in his hearts. If the bar reaches zero, you die!

In the bottom left edge of the screen you’ll find the Wheel of Time. The movement of the wheel shows the cycle’s flow of time. The blue indicator allows you to make the time and a cycle pass more quickly.

Attention! ''Time stands still when the Hero is in a chamber. However, as soon as you enter the Void, time will continue to elapse. Be sure that you have enough color in your hearts before you enter the Void.''