Multimedia project | "Gawain's Trials"

Preface

During my time as an English major at university, I've discovered all sorts of fascinating literature written in the years past that I would have never even spared a passing glance at before. In case you weren't aware, stories in þe olde dayes were written by people just like us--people who loved to play with stories, tropes, language, and who therefore created art that pushed the boundaries of what was possible within the mediums they worked with. If you're just willing to sit down and work through some antiquated language, you will be pleasantly surprised by just what classical literature can and does do.

Recently, I've become very interested in two particular texts: Historia Regum Britanniae, a history text compiled and translated by the prestigious Sir Geoffrey of Monmouth, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which is commonly regarded as the greatest poem ever written in the English language. Of these, I implore you to at least read Gawain, as it has not gained its lofty reputation for no reason. It's a strange and wonderful story, and even stranger circumstances surround text itself. The story was written in the late 14th century, and only a single copy managed to survive to the present day (which was almost lost in a fire at one point!) Gawain also is famous for having an anonymous author, who we know only as the "Pearl poet," as the surviving copy of the story was found in a manuscript along with several other poems by the same author.

...At least, that's what we've believed up until now, but a few weeks ago, I discovered something very interesting.

I have in my possession a written manuscript detailing an alternate version of Sir Gawain that dates before the regular one written by the Pearl poet. The broad strokes of the story are the same, but the moment-to-moment writing and certain details differ greatly. This original version of the story is unmistakably written by a different author, and it seems reasonable to assume that it was probably the original inspiration for the Pearl poet's version.

Though the versions differ in a bunch of seemingly inconsequential details, there are more than a few differences that stick out. Though it's certain to me that this original version was written before the Pearl poet's, it almost feels like it was... somehow expecting to eventually be rewritten. The ending in particular is especially bizarre--but I won't spoil it!

Now, I've thought to release my manuscript to the public, but I've decided to do one better--I've taken the liberty of not only translating it into Modern English, but also adapting it into a form more fit for a modern audience: a video game.

And so, with all that out of the way, I'm pleased to present Gawain's Trials, a turn based role-playing game adapted from the original, original version of Sir Gawain as accurately and faithfully as possible.

King Arthur, Sir Gawain, and the Green Knight.

Download

You can download and play Gawain's Trials for free, right now!

Windows Download

MacOS Download*

These links download .zip files. To run the game, place the .zip file were you want the game to be located (i.e. Desktop), and right click the file -> click "extract." You may then run the resulting .exe or application file.

*Note: MacOS likes to pretend that all unsigned apps are malware. To run the game, you may need to Command-click the app file and click "Open." You may also need to fiddle with some settings.

Current game version: G3 (Changelog)

A Brief Notice: Pardon the mess!

After translating the manuscript, I only had about 7 weeks to convert it into a video game. Though the game is fully playable from beginning to end, you may come across some scenes that feature incomplete artwork, as I did not have enough time to fully complete everything.

I plan to release an update in the future once I find the time to tie up the loose ends. Please look forward to it!
In the meantime, if you find any other glitches in the game, please let me know via e-mail at contact@birdart.online!

The original version of Gawain features detailed descriptions of the hero's activities in the lord's castle.

Alternate Download & Installation

Gawain's Trials was made using the Love2D framework. If the above programs do not work on your computer, try following these steps:

1. Download and install the Love2D runtime from here
2. Click here to download the "Gawain's Trials.zip" file
3. Right click the downloaded zip file -> click "extract"
4. Run the "Gawain's Trials.love" file with the newly installed Love2D runtime. If you've done it right, you will usually be able to start the game just by double-clicking the file.

The Green Chapel, as originally described.

Music

Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I did not have time to compose a complete original soundtrack for Gawain's Trials. In the future, I would like to update the game to use more original music, but I can't promise anything as of now.

In the meantime, you may listen to the track I have composed right here:

All the other pieces of music I've borrowed from other sources, and I've listed them here in order of appearance:

"Whereabouts of Hope" - Sora no Kiseki SC OST
"Lurking Shadow in the Wilderness" - Sora no Kiseki SC OST
"Wintry Arrival" - Sen no Kiseki II OST
"Vermilion Capital of Heimdallr" - Sen no Kiseki I OST
"Love Examination" - Umineko no Naku Koro ni OST
"dead angle" - Umineko no Naku Koro ni OST
"Looming Threat" - Sora no Kiseki SC OST
"Pretentious Puppetmaster and the Self-Absorbed Symphony" - YIIK I.V Official Soundtrack
"The Witch of the Abyss" - Sen no Kiseki II OST
"Unknown Threat" - Sen no Kiseki I OST
"miragecoordinator" - Umineko no Naku Koro ni OST
"All That Glitters (Beta Version)" - LISA: Year One by Noisemaker
"Legitimate Counterfeit (feat. Mista Jub)" - LISA: Year Two by Noisemaker

Additionally, I'd like to give special thanks both to Dr. Bell and Dr. Child for allowing me to turn in a video game for my English project in their respective classes, and I'd like also to give a special apology to anyone who had to deal with me during my this frantic, self-imposed mid-semester game jam. Also to the people whose music I stole