Submolok

Submolok: Explorer of the Unknown, known as Submolok, is a metroidvania game released on November 27 2014, first announced on the blog on October 16, 2014. The player controls Submolok looking for treasure on Earth.

Gameplay
The player controls Submolok's ship, set mostly underwater. With the ship, the player can access holes found in the hub and within other rooms. Each hole contains a number of satellite parts that, once all collected, completes the area. Some areas also have powerups, upgrading Submolok and further allowing it to obtain more satellite parts.

When all satellite parts are taken from an area, the player must exit that area via an access point to save the pickups they have attained. At any time, they can deposit the satellite parts they have to the hub's satellite. Similar to Aquanaut, the player must thrust around to move in water.

Room 1
The player starts the game off in this area and from it gains access to the hub.

Hub
The hub is a large area in the game that contains access to other rooms, except for the first.

Room 2
Placed directly to the left of the communications satellite, this room contains the floppy disk.

Room 3
Can be joined after leaving room 2 and contains the water container. This level can also be accessed from the hub once the bomb is obtained (room 5).

Room 4
This room can only be accessed once the water container (from room 3) is obtained. This room is blocked off by a metal beam, and in order to access the room the player has to use the switch positioned on the rock above the satellite.

Room 5
This room can only be accessed by completing room 4, or accessed with momentum gained by the booster (unlocked in room 7).

Room 6
This room can be accessed after obtaining the bomb in room 5, this room situated behind the second encountered impassable stone blocks in the hub.

Room 7
This room is accessed after completing room 7, and can also be accessed through use of the booster's extra thrust capabilities. This room is located on the highest up platform in the hub.

Alphabet
The majority of the text for the game is written in a fictional alphabet created by Nitrome. The alphabet can largely be gleaned from the options on the main menu and the text from the opening cutscene. The alphabet and some translations are provided here.

Scoring
Players' scores are based on the percentage completion of all areas minus the number of times they die. Each part collected is worth 10 points, for a maximum score of 6420 if all parts are successfully obtained and deposited into the communications satellite. For every instance Submolok dies, 100 points are subtracted from the score. It is possible to attain a negative score if the number of deaths multiplied by 100 surpass the number of parts deposited multiplied by 10. If the player tries to submit a negative score, it does not register in the high score system.

The latest player to obtain the highest score will occupy the number 1 spot on the leaderboards, even if previously high scoring players have an identical score.

Announcements

 * October 16, 2014 - Submolok is announced to be in development and a picture of the game is shared.
 * November 24, 2014 - A Vine video showing some of the game's gameplay is shown, along with the game's name revealed.

Development
Submolok's irregular control scheme of four letter keys being used to control the thrusters instead of arrow keys or WASD (a common alternative to arrow keys) was due to most modern keyboards not sending information on all keys when all four of these keys are pressed. The E, I, X, and M keys were chosen because they are not affected by this problem.

Trivia

 * Submolok backwards is "kolombus", which may be a reference to Christopher Columbus.
 * This is the first game to not use English language. Menu the cutscenes and even the hints are written in an alien language
 * Although the game is in an alien language, because the game's text can be translated through the observation of the text on the title screen, technically the game is in English, just in a non-Latin alphabet.
 * The game's intro sequence is similar to the one in Alien Hominid.
 * The game's intro sequence is similar to the one in Alien Hominid.