A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux

An Inexplicable Island...

Helios Rising is a first person co-operative puzzle game. Taking inspiration from the great adventure stories - Indiana Jones, the Mummy etc. - the players each take on the roll of an adventurer on an island, Helios, that has recently surfaced off the coast of Cape Town. The two adventurers are themselves unique, each with a powerful ability that will aid them in uncovering the secrets of Helios and unlocking the mysterious pyramid at the heart of the island.

A Breathtaking Adventure...

To survive the island, constant teamwork will be needed! Each player has access to an ability unique to them: teleportation to precursor teleport beacons, or shrinking to a 10th of their size to access hard-to-reach areas.

An Unforgettable Experience...

Complete the puzzles scattered around the island in any order, and you'll unlock the entrance to the mysterious temple! Who knows what awaits within...

Controls

Player 1 ControlsP1Controls

Player 2 Controls
P2Controls


Move: WASDMove: Left Joystick
Look: MouseLook: Right Joystick
Teleport: QShrink: X
Interact: EInteract: Y
Jump: Space BarJump: A

Playing the Game

The game doesn't feature a tutorial, so consider this your crash course.

Player 1

Player one, the viewpoint on the left side of the screen, is Jax January, a world-renowned adventurer and thief archaeologist. During his travels, he uncovered an ancient gauntlet that didn't seem to do anything. Upon arriving on Helios, however, he has discovered that while looking at the mysterious spinning cubes on the island he is able to teleport towards them. Into what unknowns will Jax have to leap? Find out in Helios Rising!

Player 2

Player two, the viewpoint on the right side of the screen, is Dr Carla Brown. A hardworking and controversial anthropologist, Dr Brown has always believed in some kind of advanced precursor people that came from the Cradle of Humankind. When Helios appeared, her suspicions were all but confirmed. Armed with her own piece of precursor tech - a bracelet which allows her to shrink to 1/10th of her size - Dr Brown is ready to find proof of her controversial theories.

Objective

The aim of the game is to find a way into the mysterious temple on the island to learn what secrets it might hold.

Credits

This game was made as the Capstone project for the developers' final year Games Development undergraduate course at the University of Cape Town.

Developers

  • Pieter Gerhard Serton
  • Brian Mynhardt
  • Elle Fieggen

Art and Music

  • Music: Javan Murdoch
  • Assets: Brian Mynhardt

Download

Download
Helios Rising.zip 59 MB

Install instructions

To play the game with either an Xbox 360 or Made For Windows Controller, all you need to do is download it and run the .exe file 'Helios Rising'. If you are using a PS4, Xbox One or Nintendo Switch controller, add Helios Rising to your steam library (Games > Add a Non-Steam Game), and then run the game in Steam's Big Picture mode.

Leave a comment

Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.