REGINALD: Escape the Lab (DEMO)

THIS IS A DEMO!! Full game will be published at a later date (TBA).

Reginald can remember a different, distant world in his dreams. One where a soft hand would guide him from his chambers to replace his bedding…provide him with endless sunflower seeds…give him gentle pets between his ears… 

But this world is long lost to the conscious mind of Reginald. Conscious in more ways than one: Dr. Malcrice, the current and less than amicable owner of Reginald, performed endless experiments on him day-in and day-out until the poor creature gained a human-like intelligence and disposition. And Reginald deeply resents him for it. It’s not that he’s particularly opposed to the life he was intended to train for--a lifetime of deep-ocean exploration sounds like a dream to a marine biology genius like Reginald (he picked up a few things from the doctor’s textbooks in his free time)--only he’s just learned that Dr. Malcrice intends to use an army of Reginalds as cannon fodder when restraining combative organisms, rather than as fellow scientists aiding in the research. He decides escape is his only chance at a decent life.

Reginald is plenty intelligent enough to escape on his own, and the lab has 24 unsupervised hours while Dr. Mlacrice visits his daughter to treat her “sick” (and remarkably unintelligent--although that will change) hamster. There’s just one problem: he’s too small! It is the player’s job to safely guide Reginald out of the lab and into the ocean where he can finally perform his own (much more humane) research outside the clutches of Dr. Malcrice. 

The game starts underwater as Reginald navigates the saltwater tank he’s being kept in for testing. Once he escapes the tank, he must navigate the testing room, the storage locker, the boiler room, and finally the road behind the facility to make it to the dock where he will build his new home. Players can collect items along the way to make their journey easier, such as a jetpack, better weapons, and snacks to replenish their health. 

CHARACTERS

• Reginald: An intelligent and trigger-happy hamster fighting for his freedom. Exposed to brutal scientific testing and genetic adjustment, Reginald’s strength surpasses that of an average hamster, and his intelligence surpasses that of a relatively bright human. Still, he’s found himself in a pickle that his tiny body can’t quite overcome without your assistance. You must guide Reginald past various lab obstacles and assist him in incapacitating enemies to facilitate his escape. 
• Dr. Malcrice: With a name derived from the latin phrase for “bad hamster”, it’s no surprise Dr. Malcrice has a grudge against the tiny rodents. He is both the creator of Reginald and Reginald’s greatest barrier to freedom. 
• Evil Octopi: Intended for use in Reginald’s military training, but they double as security to prevent him from leaving the tank before the experiment is complete.

MECHANICS

Underwater sections: The initial underwater section is primarily combat-based as the player fights the octopi. Players can use AWSD to swim up, down, left, and right, and F to shoot their blaster. Items are automatically collected as Reginald passes over them. 

Land sections: Land sections will use the same controls as underwater, except W becomes jump and S becomes crouch. A hidden passage allows Reginald to obtain a jetpack, in which case W and S resume their up and down controls when the jetpack is active (press Q to toggle jetpack).