8-Bit Adventures NES-001 Jane Austen’s Literary Quest Instructions
- June 1, 2024
- 8-Bit Adventures
Table of Contents
- 8-Bit Adventures NES-001 Jane Austen’s Literary Quest
- Specifications:
- Product Information
- Product Usage Instructions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Controls
- Keyboard Controls
- Story
- Mission
- Getting started
- Options
- Status
- Items
- Jumping
- Using the Quill
- Stairs, Signs, and Doors
- Abilities
- Passwords
- Settings
- Credits
- References
- Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
- Download This Manual (PDF format)
8-Bit Adventures NES-001 Jane Austen’s Literary Quest
Specifications:
- Platform: PC
- Controller Support: NES-style controller, Xbox controller, Keyboard
- Genre: Adventure
Product Information
This game is an adventure game designed for PC, featuring Jane Austen, the English novelist, in an 8-bit video game setting. Players will embark on a mission to retrieve missing pages of books stolen by characters from Jane Austen’s novels.
Product Usage Instructions
Getting Started:
On the title screen, choose NEW GAME to start a new game, CONTINUE to resume a saved game with a password, or OPTIONS to adjust difficulty and sound settings.
Controls:
Keyboard Controls:
- A: Walk left
- D: Walk right
- W: Go up stairs, Enter doors, Read signs
- S: Go down stairs, Crouch
- SPACE: Pause game
- K: Action
- L: Jump
Status:
The status bar includes:
- Health Bar: Indicates Jane’s health. Lose all health and you’ll need to restart.
- Collected Pages: Collect four pages on each stage.
- Collected Teacups: Used for special actions like attacks.
Items:
Attack vases, candles, and baskets to release items such as teacups, hearts for health restoration, and coffee for temporary invincibility.
Jumping:
- Tap for a short jump.
- Hold for a higher jump.
- Press down + L to jump down through a platform.
Using the Quill:
- Press K to attack with the quill.
- Press K + L to throw the quill. Each throw uses one teacup.
Stairs, Signs, and Doors:
- Press W at the foot of a staircase to ascend, S at the top to descend.
- Press K to read signs or talk to characters.
- Press K to enter a door.
Abilities
Jane will gain new abilities as she progresses: – Running: Hold Shift while pressing A or D for increased speed and longer jumps. – Air Dash: Press Space while in the air for a forward dash. – Fireball: Press K + L to attack enemies in a line. – Ground Strike: While in the air, press S + L for a powerful downward strike.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I adjust the controller mappings?
A: You can configure your controller’s assigned mappings using the Settings menu. Refer to page 19 of the instruction booklet for detailed instructions.
Q: What happens if I lose all my health?
A: If Jane loses all her health, you’ll need to restart the current stage.
Controls
This game was designed for a NES-style controller, and this booklet describes the game by using NES button names. The following pages show default mappings for an Xbox controller and keyboard. You may configure your controller’s assigned mappings using the Settings menu (see page 19).
Keyboard Controls
- Press ALT-ENTER or F11 to toggle fullscreen or window mode.
- Press ALT + (number 2 – 9) to set window scale.
- Press the ESC key to access the settings menu.
- Press the ENTER key to select an item in the settings menu.
- Use the ARROW keys to navigate the settings menu.
Story
Jane Austen, English novelist, finds herself in an 8-bit video game, where characters from her novels are causing mischief. These characters have stolen Miss Austen’s books from the 8-bit library, ripping out the pages they most despise. Jane must now retrieve the missing pages and books and return them to the library!
Mission
Early in the game, you’ll meet the librarian. You’ll then leave the library through the green door to enter the first stage. Collect the four missing pages, and then defeat one of Miss Austen’s characters to reclaim the stolen book. Talk to the librarian again and continue to the next stage.
Getting started
On the title screen:
Choose NEW GAME to begin a new game. or Choose CONTINUE and enter a password
to resume playing an in-progress game. or Choose OPTIONS to configure the
game’s difficulty and sound settings.
Options
You can adjust the following:
- Difficulty:
- Normal – Jane’s max health is 10
- Hard – Jane’s max health is 5
- Dire – Jane’s max health is 1
- Casual – Jane cannot be hurt by enemies
- Music: On / Off
- Sound Effects: On / Off
Status
- The heath bar indicates Jane’s health.
- Lose all your health and you’ll need to try again.
- Jane needs to collect four pages on each stage.
- Teacups are used to perform certain actions. Collect as many as you can!
Items
Items can be found in
Attack these containers to release items.
Jumping
- Tap for a short jump.
- Hold for a higher jump.
- Press to jump down through a platform.
Using the Quill
- Press to attack with the quill.
- Press to throw the quill.
Each throw uses one teacup.
Stairs, Signs, and Doors
-
Press at the foot of a staircase to ascend.
-
Press at the top of a staircase to descend.
-
Press to read a sign or talk to a character.
-
Press to enter a door.
Abilities
As Jane progresses, she’ll gain new abilities which aren’t available at the start of the game.
Run
Hold while pressing 
Running allows Jane to move twice as fast and make longer jumps.
Air Dash
While in the air, press
Air dashing propels Jane forward during a jump.
Fireball
Press 
Throwing a fireball attacks all enemies in a line. A fireball uses one teacup.
Ground Strike
While in the air, press
Performing a ground strike sends Jane straight down and defeats most enemies directly beneath her. It also sends out shock waves that hit nearby enemies. A ground strike uses one teacup.
Writer’s Block
Press
This rains down blocks of destruction from the sky, defeating most enemies.
Writer’s block requires ten teacups.
Remember: These abilities aren’t available from the start of the game! Jane will gain a new ability after each completed stage.
Locksmith
Once acquired, press to open doors that were previously locked.
Passwords
After completing a stage, talk to the librarian to get your password.
Later, you can enter this password on the title screen to resume playing from
where you left off.
Note: In the PC version of the game, the password is automatically saved every time you enter the library. When you choose to continue from the title screen, the password will already be filled out for you.
Settings
Press the View Button or ESC key to open the Settings Menu.
This menu allows you to configure buttons and video settings, reset the game, and quit the game.
Credits
- Lead Developer: Matthew Justice
- Jane Austen Consultant: Suzy Justice
- Developer: Somak Mitra
- Student Developer: Ava Justice
- Promotional Artist: Joel Wommack
- Primary Tester: Micah Justice
- Testers: Samir Shahid
- Grant Borthwick
- Ashley Thomas
- David Cole
- Eugene Myers
- Special Thanks: Eden Justice
- Ivy Justice
- nesdev.org
- Public Domain Music: Rakes of Rochester
- My Lord Byron’s Maggot
- The Salamanca Castanets
- All Other Music: © 2023 Matthew Justice
Classic literature meets classic gaming in Jane Austen’s 8-bit Adventure! This 2D platformer stars Jane Austen, English novelist, who finds herself in an 8-bit video game.
- Battle characters from Jane Austen’s novels!
- Explore 8-bit England!
- Defeat enemies with a quill!
- Restore Miss Austen’s books to the 8- bit library!
© 2023 Matthew Justice