Getting started
Creatures are being driven mad by evil magic from deep underground. A hero must rise up and bravely enter the Underworld. There is but one gate and it is guarded well.
The goal
The gatekeeper demands three quests of those who would pass by. Complete the gatekeeper's quests and guide your hero to their destiny. The world is against you.
That is the whole game. Explore the Overworld to trigger quests. Finish three of them (one on easy difficulty). Then find the gatekeeper and pass into the Underworld. Take too long and the world turns against you harder. Lose all your hearts and the adventure ends. Either way there are medals to win.
Turns
Overworld is turn based. Every tap is a move. After the hero moves every other creature gets a turn. Nothing happens until you act so there is never a hurry. Tap yourself to stay still and rest.
Press and hold anything on the screen for help about it.
The screen
The screen is portrait and has five parts from top to bottom.
Status bar
The hero's status appears above the map. 
Hearts are health. 
Swords are attack strength. 
Shields are defense. Other icons appear as things happen to you. See Status effects.
Map
The map is the main play area. The hero is always at the center. The map is made of tiles and each tile has a type of terrain. Creatures and items appear on top of tiles. There can only be one creature and one item on a tile.
Tap a nearby tile to move there. Tap a creature to attack it or feed it or talk to it. Tap yourself to rest. Compasses appear around the edge of the map to show where to go during a quest.
Some tiles hold traps like webs or pits. Most traps only go off if you stumble into them. Traps always work on other creatures.
Inventory
The hero's inventory sits below the map. It has six slots. A gold border means you can use or eat the item. A green border or a hand means there is something on the floor to pick up for that slot. Tap the last button for other actions such as rest and enter building. See Inventory.
Level meter
The level meter fills with every move you make. It decides how hard quests are and which beasts and items appear. Tap the golden ball beside it to see the globe. See Level meter and difficulty.
Edges
Clouds roll by above and below. On a tall screen bubbles float through the sky and an infobar ticks away below showing your score and move count and the game timer.
The globe
Tap the golden ball by the level meter to see the globe. It shows all uncovered terrain in the current area. Press and drag to move the view around. Tiles of interest are marked with a colored compass. The most important compasses also appear on the main map. Red compasses lead to quests. Exits show up when it is time to move on.
The four kinds of creature
Living things are called creatures. There are four kinds.
- The hero is you. You start on the heaven tile with health and status and an inventory.
- Beasts appear as you explore. They enter from unexplored territory. Many are hostile. Some fight each other instead. Some are human and spawn in huts. See Creatures.
- Objects are big things like a rock or a table that count as creatures. Many can be smashed or rolled out of the way. Tiny beasts hide in some of them. Rats hide under tables and birds in trees.
- NPCs give quests and sell things and share useful information. They cannot be moved or attacked. See NPCs.
Choosing a hero
You begin with the human. Every other hero is unlocked by winning medals or completing a challenge. Each hero plays differently and has their own starting items and restrictions. The hero page lists all of it.