PCOverview
#Modarchive Story is a 2D platforming game created by Nifflas set in the fantastical world of the #Modarchive. The real Mod Archive is an online archive for music artists to upload modules (track and sample based music files). The game gets its name from the #modarchive channel on the Espernet IRC servers. Many of the game's enemies and bosses are based off of Nifflas's friends and regular members of the #Modarchive. All of the game's music comes from the #modarchive composers, including Boletus, Decibelter, d_fast, and Zepsi, as well as Nifflas himself.
#Modarchive Story is also known for being one of the hardest Nifflas games. It is available for download from http://nifflas.ni2.se/?page=Miscellaneous
Story
The game's protagonist is a pink ball. Said ball has very little experience in composing music, but it is determined to join the #modarchive, so that it may learn from the "eternal wisdom" possessed by the regulars there. In order to do so, the pink ball must prove itself against four of the regulars, namely Nifflas, Zepsi, Doragon, and D_Fast
Gameplay
#Modarchive Story is the first of Nifflas's games to experiment with the bouncing ball mechanic that would later be featured in #Modarchive Story 2: Operator Status, as well as the more popular Within a Deep Forest. The player controls a pink ball which is in a constant state of bouncing up and down. The bounce height is only a small distance off the ground at rest, but the user can hold the Shift key down to increase the height of each subsequent bounce, thereby reaching great heights. The only other controls are the arrow keys, which allows the ball to move left and right. Most of the skill in the game comes from timing the movement correctly, so that the ball will bounce off of the desired location, platform, or enemy.
Levels
Nifflas Forest
The first area of the Nifflas Forest takes place in the forest itself, including a lake and a cave. The second area takes place in the clouds, and there is a strong wind blowing the ball backwards. If the user manages to successfully maintain control and avoid falling off the cloud, they will move on to fight Nifflas.
Zepsi Industries
The Zepsi Industries level takes place in the factory where Zepsi Cola is created. The area is full of dangerous lasers, robots, circular saws, and other hazards. #modarchive regulars AcidDose and AcidSoul feature as toxic balls of acid which move throughout the level, as well as Kruser who takes the form of blocks which threaten to crush the player. The boss at the end of the level is Zepsi himself.
Gryphon Forest
The Gryphon Forest is located on an island in the middle of the ocean, and your task is to climb the mountain in the middle to fight Doragon. The forest is populated by more #modarchive regulars as enemies, including grl the purple swordfish and Amoryllis the gryphon. The Gryphon Forest also includes the game's only water level.
Music Madness
Music Madness is the most abstract of the levels, taking place in a strange area where the floor is made of piano keys and deadly music notes will fall from a staff overhead. The second stage (Funky Forest) has slightly more normal terrain. The trees, however, are multi-colored, and it features such enemies as a walking guitar, and a cat with crazy eyes (based off #modarchive regulars Decibelter and m0d respectively). These are (self-proclaimed) two of the hardest levels in the game, and the boss d_fast continues that trend.
Bosses
Nifflas
Nifflas is the boss of the Nifflas Forest. Although he has the appearance of a bouncing coffee pot, he is in fact a Wavepot. As such, he is capable of shooting dangerous music notes out of his spout. Despite this, he is arguably one of the easier bosses. It only takes 10 hits to defeat Nifflas.
Zepsi
Zepsi is the boss at the end of Zepsi Industries. The mechanics in this fight are unlike anywhere else in the game. You enter a small soda can car, which zips along the ground. You must jump and move to dodge oncoming terrain and bouncing acid balls. After a certain time, the massive bouncing soda can Zepsi will appear. You must continue to dodge the oncoming obstacles with Zepsi now oscillating around your position. The only way to damage Zepsi is by having him bounce on the ground (note that he must be fully on the screen when this happens). It takes 26 bounces to defeat Zepsi
Doragon
Doragon is the dragon who lives on the mountain in the center of the Gryphon Forest island. Despite his small size (smaller than the pink ball in fact) and low HP (only 10), he is a dangerous enemy. His small size makes him difficult to hit, and his fire breath can be spontaneous and erratic. He will often stop his pattern in locations where you weren't expecting and shooting fire that will either cover the entire area and leave you unable to find safe ground or move in such an unpredictable fashion that you fail to figure out which piece of ground will be safe. Additionally, the mountaintop is small enough that it is easy to fall off the sides without proper control.
D_Fast
D_Fast is a large bouncing piano at the end of the Music Madness and Funky Forest section. The two of you end up in a room, and it is up to you to defeat him before he defeats you. Bouncing on top of D_Fast's will deal damage, but if he lands on top of you, you will take damage. Besides D_Fast's erratic movement, this fight is particularly difficult because the game detects who is hitting whom based on the location. That is to say, you can be moving upwards as D_Fast falls down and still do damage if you hit the top portion of him. Conversely, you can be squished even if you are moving down and he up. It takes 20 hits to defeat D_Fast, with each hit increasing his maximum horizontal speed.