Archipelagos

The game takes place on a series of islands (the titular archipelagos). These islands were created by a mysterious race known only as the Ancients. The Ancients also created another race, the Visitors, who ended up being their downfall, as the Visitors rebelled against their creators, ultimately killing them. As the blood of the slaughtered Ancients soaked into the land, the worlds they had created became twisted and poisoned. This is the world the player now finds themselves in, with the task of restoring the islands to their former, uncorrupted glory.

The game is played from a first person 3D view. The player is not a specific character, but rather a kind of disembodied consciousness. Each level consists of a landscape made up of one or more islands. Each level has a stone obelisk, a number of egg shaped boulders, and various hazards, such as animated trees, lost souls, or other enemies.

The aim of each level is to destroy all of the eggs. Once all of the eggs are destroyed a timer starts. The player then has 90 seconds to reach the obelisk and destroy it.

Various obstacles stand in the player's way. There are animated trees which spread the blood of the ancients from their roots as they move around. Moving into an area contaminated by the blood damages the player. Also, once the timer has been started by destroying all of the eggs the trees become enraged, and swarm towards the player.

Later levels introduce other creatures and hazards, but the essential gameplay remains the same throughout the game. There are 9999 levels in total.