The Ruby Realm is a game made by BrainPOP. It's an educational game meant to teach children about photosynthesis and the role it plays in the creation of simple chemicals such as glucose and methanol through chemical reactions. The game involves navigating around mazes to find the exit and playing minigames to synthesize chemicals that can help you bypass obstacles or ward off enemies.
Links[]
The game was once available to play on BrainPOP's website, but was taken down in August 2020 as BrainPOP had decided to stop supporting Flash games because of Adobe Flash Player support ending in 2021. However, it can still be accessed via the Wayback Machine:
Controls[]
- Arrow Keys: Move
- Z: Use Methanol Boost
- X: Shoot Glucose
- C: Spray Tear Gas
Gameplay[]
The game consists of 20 levels unlocked in linear fashion. In each level, your task is to guide Bob the Biobot through the cave labyrinth and get him to the exit. Many of these levels contain various obstacles and hazards that require the use of one of three different type of chemicals to maneuver past them. Each chemical type works against different obstacles, and all of them require you to guide Bob to a patch of sunlight to use his solar-powered chemical replicator to synthesize the chemicals. Most levels also contain hazards and enemies that must be avoided; if you run into any of them, you'll fail the level and have to start over. Once you reach the end of a level, you'll have to answer a science question in order to open the way out.
Chemicals[]
- Glucose: Bob's fuel source. Slowly depletes on its own over time, and can also be used to fire sugar cubes that attract Bats to them. If you run out of glucose, you'll be made to play a minigame to create more.
- Methanol: A volatile chemical that lets you do a powerful dash attack that destroys walls and lets you pass through small Bats without being killed by them.
- Tear Gas: An irritant chemical that temporarily wards off Vampires.
Game Elements[]
- Light: A patch of light where you can synthesize chemicals.
- Wall: Blocks paths and has to be broken through to get to whatever's on the other side.
- Guano: A pile of bat poop that appears near some Light spots. Light spots with guano near them won't let you make glucose.
- Switch: Activates a Light somewhere in the level when flipped.
Hazards[]
- Bridge: A wooden tile that breaks after you walk over it, revealing a pool of lava that kills you if you touch it.
- Acid Pit: A pit of acid that kills you if you fall into it, but can be bypassed by using a Methanol-powered dash attack to pass over it.
- Floor Trap: A giant bear trap that snaps shut and kills you if you stand on it for too long.
Enemies[]
- Bat: Floats in one place and kills you if you touch it. Can be bypassed by using Glucose to lure it out of your way, or by using Methanol to dash past it.
- Vampire: Stands in one place and kills you if you touch him, but can be bypassed by spraying him with Tear Gas, causing him to run away from his spot for a short while before returning to his original spot.
- Big Bat: Same as a normal Bat but is too strong to be boosted past, so can only be affected by Glucose.
- Vampire Guard: Same as a normal Vampire but patrols a small area, making him harder to avoid.