Enjoy Virtual Adventures

We know some days are just going to be too hot for messing around outside, so BCPL has some exciting virtual adventures happening inside the library!

Indie Game Stations

Careers in game design are rapidly gaining popularity all over the world. For the first time, multimedia artists can bring their fictional worlds to life and distribute direct to the public. All throughout SummerQuest, BCPL will play host to more than 20 indie video game experiences powered by the Steam gaming platform.

 

Stop in at any location to play free on widescreen HDTV screens and discover some of the coolest indie games available today.

Click on each Station for game descriptions!

Station 1

Badland – In a fairy tale forest, something has gone terribly wrong. Navigate traps and obstacles as one of the forest’s inhabitants to discover the truth.

Undertale – In this role-playing game, your character stumbles into a world of monsters and must escape using whatever means necessary.

Pac-Man Championship Edition – This timeless, fan-favorite has been updated and expanded for Steam. Chomp pesky ghosts and navigate wily mazes on a refined user interface.

Station 2

The Long Dark – Explore and survive a realistic apocalypse scenario. No zombies, no aliens—just the wrath of Mother Nature in a frozen wasteland.

Tesla vs. Lovecraft – This intense shoot-’em-up game melds the worlds of Lovecraftian horror with the science of Nikola Tesla.

Firewatch – Your job is to be on the lookout for wildfires. Your only connection to the outside world is a small handheld radio. But more than fire awaits you in the wilderness. A Note from the Developer: Firewatch is a video game about adults having adult conversations about adult things. If you plan on playing with a younger gamer, that might be good to know going in.

Station 3

Inside – An unsettling but artistically rendered puzzle game where one boy must survive the militaristic compound of Inside—and its deadly secrets.

Don’t Starve Together – The most important goal in this mysterious, Tim Burton-esque world: Don’t starve. Dip into your own creativity to utilize the given resources and survive.

Stardew Valley – Reminiscent of early video games, this role-playing game puts you on a large working farm where you must learn to live off the land and preserve the old ways of life.

Station 4

Thumper – A psychedelic racing game where the line between the music and the player is virtually nonexistent.

Hyper Light Drifter – Quest your way through a neon world to find lost technologies and forgotten knowledge in an effort to save your character from a deadly disease.

Battleblock Theater – Full of fun animation reminiscent of ‘90s cartoons and hilarious, off-the-wall storyboards. Defeat “evil technological cats” to save 300 of your closest friends in eight different arenas.

Station 5

Tacoma – A speculative, sci-fi future where you immerse yourself in the AR-recorded stories of the crew members’ lives to investigate what went wrong.

Pyre – Colorful, detailed artwork and narrative storytelling add richness to this role-playing game. You must battle for freedom from exile through ancient competitions in a purgatorial world.

Pez – A beautiful soundtrack and 16-bit graphics combine in this smart, creative, and challenging puzzle game that brings together 2D and 3D perspectives.

Station 6

Cuphead – Test your abilities to focus and react to danger in this hand-drawn game inspired by 1930s cartoons. With a heavy emphasis on boss battles, you won’t run low on tension!

Superflight – This simple flying game focuses on speed and maneuverability, affording the most points to the riskiest maneuvers on a seemingly endless supply of 3D mountainscapes.

Terraria – An action-adventure game in the vein of the original Mario Brothers but with a build-and-explore, Minecraft-like aspect.

Station 7

Night in the Woods – A character-driven narrative game that follows college-dropout Mae, a cartoon cat who returns to her hometown and finds everything has changed. And there’s something in the woods.

Oxenfree – A mind-bending supernatural thriller where teenage Alex and her friends open a rift to a ghostly dimension on a spooky abandoned island with a military past.

Braid – This is a game of “what if”— What if you could control time? What if you could reverse death? Nonlinear gameplay offers the unique opportunity to create your own experience based on your problem-solving skills.

Game Stations will rotate, giving you a chance to try them all. Track the location of each station at bit.ly/teen-dash.


BattleKasters

This Pokémon Go-style mobile game—exclusively offered at BCPL during SummerQuest!—turns each BCPL location into a virtual game board. Questing players collect digital trading cards and cast magic spells that change the state of the game for everyone playing. Come in anytime we’re open and begin your BattleKasters quest!

View Leaderboards »

Getting Started

Playing on Your Personal Mobile Device

You may install BattleKasters from Google Play or the Apple App store. Search for BattleKasters.

Playing on a BattleKasters iPod

You may check out a BattleKasters iPod from the main service desk for 1 hour. To check out a BattleKasters iPod, you must be at least 13 years old, have an up-to-date BCPL account in good standing, and leave something of value until the device is returned. You will be responsible for the full cost of any damaged or lost BattleKaster iPod. BattleKasters iPods must not be taken outside of the library for any reason.

More Info & Troubleshooting

Permissions

  1. Your mobile device must have Bluetooth turned on.
  2. Your mobile device must be connected to the internet. You must accept BCPL’s Internet Terms of Service when connecting to the library’s public Wi-Fi.
  3. The BattleKasters app must have permission to use the device’s Bluetooth. This permission request usually happens on app installation or on game start.
  4. The BattleKasters app must have Location permission. (This permission request usually happens on app installation or during game play. However, if you are certain you are in the correct library location and the game indicates that This location is not in rangeyou may still need to go to your device’s Apps Settings to enable the Location permission for BattleKasters.)

Creating a BattleKasters Profile

  1. To start a game, you must log in with an e-mail and password or use a Facebook account.
  2. Remember your e-mail and password if you wish to restart the game at a later time.
  3. You can use the same game profile to play BattleKasters at all BCPL locations.
  4. The e-mail is not verified, so you can make one up. Passwords must be at least 6 digits long.
  5. Before the game begins, choose the BCPL location where you are playing the game. Game hints are tailored to each BCPL location.

Troubleshooting

  1. BCPL staff cannot provide more than basic help getting started playing the game on your mobile device or the BattleKasters iPod provided by the library.
  2. Once you begin the game, you are on your own!
  3. If you experience technical difficulties or get stuck, you may come back another day. BattleKasters is available from May 19th–July 28th at all BCPL locations.
  4. BattleKasters is best for middle schooler ages and up. Players must be able to read directions, use a touch screen mobile device, and explore the library independently.

Feedback

Please e-mail feedback about your gameplay experience to [email protected].

Gameplay Overview

The Basics

BattleKasters is a mobile game full of quests set in the Legends of Orkney universe, the book series created by Alane Adams. Players explore the library, guided by game hints, to discover and enter locations set in the land of Orkney within the game.

When a player is in the correct Orkney location within the library, their device will vibrate and a graphic will light up and spin in the game. Some Orkney locations will not appear until you have made a certain amount of progress within the game. Players enter Orkney locations within the game to collect Wisdom cards. Players then combine Wisdom cards to cast spells on other players, on locations, or on themselves. There are many achievements players may earn in the game. There are over 60 cards to collect. The main quest is to close the Stone Fire portal.

Learn More

Goal

Close the Stonefire Portal by collecting any two Secret Word cards and, later in the game, the special Redstone Ring card.

Quests

Traveling to an Orkney location is called a “Quest.” On each Quest, you will collect Wisdom cards and learn magic Spells to help you accomplish the game goal.

Map

To start, six locations in Orkney will be visible on the map. All of these Quests must be completed before you can close the Stonefire Portal. When nearing any location, the corresponding map icon will light up and your mobile device will vibrate. The location can then be “entered” by clicking the map icon at the bottom of the screen.

Wisdom

At each location, a selection of three rows of Wisdom cards is presented. Each row has one hidden card, shown face down. Select one row to collect those three cards and add them to your Library.
Secret Word cards are rare, but can be recognized by their sparkling aura.

Spells

Spells come in three different types: Light, Dark, and Battle. A list of Spells and the Wisdom cards required to cast each one is located in your Spellbook. On your first visit to most locations, one new Spell is unlocked in your Spellbook. When you collect the three Wisdom cards required to cast a Spell, the corresponding Spell icon will be illuminated in your Spellbook. Some Spells can only be cast once you have “entered” a location, but other Spells can be cast anywhere; check your Spellbook at any time to see what spellcasting options you have. Every Spell is activated by simply shaking your mobile device until a magic animation appears.

Strategy

Casting Light Spells will increase your chances of gaining Secret Word cards, thereby reducing the time it takes you to close the Stonefire Portal. Casting Dark Spells will steal Wisdom cards from other players, but there are traps to counter such spells—so beware!

Battles

At select locations, dark creatures known as “witchspawn” will appear to block your quest. These
battles require casting the Witchfire Spell, which works like every other Spell in your Spellbook. After defeating the creature, the blocked location will be available to “enter,” and you will earn a reward in the form of bonus Wisdom cards.