Ruby Quest
Ruby Quest is a horror themed webcomic and choose your own adventure text RPG game that was hosted on the 4Chan board /tg/ by user and artist Weaver that was created in December 2008. The game has become well-known for its deceivingly simple art style and its exploration of dark themes such as eldritch horror and insanity. The story follows a female rabbit named Ruby and a male cat named Tom. The two characters are trying to find a way to escape a mysterious facility filled with monsters and dangerous architecture. It is now concluded.
Premise[edit]
The game first begins in a dark room with only a bright red button and Ruby's eyes to be seen in the pitch black. After some requests from the players, she manages to get out of the darkness only to reveal that she was trapped in a locker in a room with a trash barrel, a door, a key pad, and a shuttered window. We also see just how minimalist the art style is and that Ruby isn't a human, but rather an anthropomorphic rabbit. From then on, the game becomes a puzzle solving text-based game with visuals to accompany the scenario. Over time, it morphs into a horror game with elements inspired by the Cthulhu mythos and the point-and-click game the white chamber. There is some humor woven into the game occasionally, but as the game progresses, it becomes more and more scarce.
How to Play[edit]
In order to progress the story, Weaver would ask people on the thread to give him suggestions for the actions characters would make. He would then choose the most popular serious request and use it for the game. This, however, wouldn't be a guarantee, because some actions were set in stone for the characters to act by Weaver's own plot and other times he would occasionally indulge on more sillier requests for a breath of fresh air from the game's grim atmosphere.
Art Style[edit]
Ruby Quest, like most of Weaver's work, has a very simple art style done in black and white with the rare occasion of a splash of color. The art seems to be drawn in MS Paint or done in a way to resemble it, with pixels and straight edges and no soft shading. The characters are drawn with stick arms and for the most part, no face sans line eyes. Often times, objects would have to be specifically labeled by Weaver because they were too simple looking to be able to know what they were. This, however, isn't the rule, for during several moments in the game there would be highly detailed images on the screen to either indicate importance or to enhance the horror atmosphere.
Non-Spoiler Characters[edit]
Ruby: A female white rabbit and our main protagonist. She has an air of defiance in her with a constant state of worry. Highly intelligent with a girlish physique.
Tom: A male cat and our secondary protagonist. He finds himself to be more of a "macho man" and finds Ruby to be a close friend. Not as smart as Ruby, but definitely stronger.
Red: A male fox with a cane and toothy grin.
Ace: A behemoth of a bird that seems to be invincible. He will stop at nothing to capture Ruby and Tom.
Stitches: A bear with a mouth on his head. Yeah...