ECHO DUNGEON VERSION 8.5

A VOICE CONTROLLED DUNGEON ADVENTURE

---

## A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM THE DEVELOPER

Hello, my name is Asa Hartz. I created Echo Dungeon for my wife, who lost her sight over the last six years due to diabetic retinopathy. I watched as the games she loved became inaccessible to her, and I decided to build something she could play entirely by voice.

This game is my gift to her, and to anyone in the blind and visually impaired community who wants to experience the joy of dungeon crawling adventures. It is completely free, and it will always be free.

I hope you enjoy playing it as much as I enjoyed building it for the person I love most.

---

## WHAT IS ECHO DUNGEON?

Echo Dungeon is a fully voice controlled dungeon crawler. You explore dangerous dungeons, fight monsters, collect treasures, and level up your hero. Everything is controlled by your voice. Everything is read aloud to you. No screen reading software needed. No keyboard. No mouse. Just your voice and the adventure.

---

## HOW TO GET STARTED

### STEP 1: INSTALLATION

Extract all files to a folder on your computer. Open the file named index dot html in your web browser. Chrome or Edge work best.

### STEP 2: ALLOW MICROPHONE ACCESS

Your browser will ask permission to use your microphone. Click yes or allow. The game needs your microphone to hear your commands.

### STEP 3: BEGIN YOUR ADVENTURE

You will hear: "Echo Dungeon V8 is ready. Tap the screen to begin."

Tap anywhere on your screen. The game will ask you to choose a class.

Say either: "Warrior" or "Mage" or "Rogue"

Then your adventure begins.

---

## HOW TO PLAY

### THE BASIC PATTERN

1. Tap the screen. You will hear a slight change in background tone when listening.

2. Speak your command clearly.

3. The game responds and tells you what happens.

4. Tap again when ready for your next command.

That's it. Tap, speak, listen. Repeat.

---

## CHOOSING YOUR CLASS

**WARRIOR**

The warrior is strong and tough. High health. Strong attacks. Can use shields. Special ability: Power Strike. Good for beginners.

**MAGE**

The mage uses powerful magic. Lower health but high mana. Devastating spells. Special ability: Fireball. Good for players who like magic.

**ROGUE**

The rogue is balanced and sneaky. Can pick locks. Quick attacks. Special ability: Backstab. Good for strategic players.

All three classes are fun. Choose what sounds interesting to you.

---

## MOVING AROUND

Say these words to move:

- North or Forward

- South or Back

- East or Right

- West or Left

The game will describe each new room as you enter it.

---

## EXPLORING ROOMS

**To look around**: Say "look around" or "where am I"

**To search**: Say "search" or "examine". You might find hidden items, gold, or magic rings.

**To open chests**: Say "open chest" or "loot chest". Treasure chests contain gold, equipment, potions, and ability books.

**To use fountains**: Say "drink fountain" or "use fountain". Healing fountains restore all your health and mana, but only work once.

**To use stairs**: Say "go down stairs" or "descend". Stairs take you to the next dungeon level where enemies are stronger but loot is better.

---

## COMBAT

When you encounter an enemy, combat automatically begins. The game tells you what enemy you are fighting.

### COMBAT COMMANDS

**Attack**: Say "attack" or "fight". Your basic weapon attack.

**Defend**: Say "defend" or "block" or "guard". Reduces incoming damage by half. Use this when your health is low.

**Special**: Say "special" or "ability". Uses your class special ability. Costs mana but deals heavy damage.

**Cast Spell**: Say "cast spell" followed by the spell name. Example: "cast icy blast". You learn spells by reading ability books found in chests.

**Use Potion**: Say "use potion" or "drink potion" or just "potion". The game automatically uses a health potion if you have one. Say "use mana potion" for mana.

**Flee**: Say "flee" or "run" or "escape". Attempts to escape combat. Success depends on the enemy.

---

## YOUR CHARACTER

**To check your status**: Say "status" or "stats". Hear your level, health, mana, attack, defense, experience, equipment, and gold.

**To check inventory**: Say "inventory" or "bag" or "items". Hear everything you are carrying.

**To meditate**: Say "meditate" or "rest". Restores 25 mana. Cannot be used in combat.

---

## EQUIPMENT

### EQUIPPING ITEMS

**Weapons and armor**: Say "equip" followed by the item name. Example: "equip steel sword" or "equip chainmail".

**Magic rings**: Say "wear ring" followed by the ring name. Example: "wear ring of vitality". You can equip up to 10 rings total. You can wear 2 of the same ring to stack their bonuses.

**Amulets**: Say "equip amulet" followed by the amulet name. Example: "equip amulet of mana". You can only wear one amulet at a time.

### UNEQUIPPING ITEMS

**Rings**: Say "remove ring" followed by the ring name. Example: "remove ring of strength".

### LEARNING ABILITIES

Find ability books in treasure chests. Say "read book" to learn new combat abilities. These are powerful spells you can cast in battle.

---

## MERCHANTS

Sometimes you will find traveling merchants in special rooms.

**To talk to merchant**: Say "merchant" or "shop" or "trade".

**To see their items**: Say "what do you have" or "show wares".

**To buy something**: Say "buy" followed by the item name. Example: "buy health potion" or "buy mystic staff".

**To sell something**: Say "sell" followed by the item name. Example: "sell steel sword". Merchants buy equipment and treasures for 60 percent of their value.

**To leave**: Say "leave" or "exit".

Merchants sell powerful equipment, potions, and special items. Stock up on health potions before boss fights.

---

## SAVING YOUR GAME

**To save**: Say "save game" or just "save".

The game will give you a four digit PIN code. Write this down. You will need it to load your game later.

**To load**: Say "load game". Then say "code" followed by your four digit PIN. Example: "code 1 2 3 4". Say each number separately with a pause between them.

Your save is stored in your browser. If you clear your browser data, your save will be deleted. Always keep your PIN codes written down somewhere safe.

---

## TIPS FOR SUCCESS

**Search every room**. Hidden treasures are everywhere.

**Use fountains wisely**. They fully heal you but only work once per fountain.

**Buy health potions**. Always have at least 3 health potions before a boss fight.

**Equip rings**. Rings give permanent stat boosts. Collect 10 rings for maximum power.

**Read ability books immediately**. More abilities means more combat options.

**Save often**. Save after leveling up or finding good equipment.

**Defend when low on health**. Defending cuts enemy damage in half.

**Stack rings**. You can wear 2 of the same ring type for double the bonus.

**Visit merchants**. Sell your extra equipment and treasures for gold.

**Boss locations**. Bosses are always in the far southeast corner of each dungeon level.

---

## GETTING HELP

**For a list of commands**: Say "commands".

**For helpful hints**: Say "hint" or "help". The game gives you context specific advice based on your current situation.

---

## DUNGEON LEVELS

Each dungeon has multiple levels. Defeat the boss to unlock the stairs. Descend to face stronger enemies and find better loot. The game gets progressively harder as you go deeper.

Starting at level 3, some rooms may contain 2 enemies at once. Defeat both for double experience.

Elite enemies appear starting at level 2. They are stronger versions of normal enemies with better rewards.

---

## ADVANCED FEATURES

### MAGIC RINGS

Rings provide permanent bonuses:

- Ring of Vitality: Plus 10 max health

- Ring of Strength: Plus attack damage

- Ring of Wisdom: Plus max mana

- Ring of the Titan: Plus 20 max health

- Ring of Regeneration: Heal 50 health per turn in combat

- And more

You can equip 10 rings total. Stack 2 of the same ring for amplified bonuses.

### AMULETS

Powerful single slot items:

- Amulet of Vitality: Plus 15 max health

- Amulet of Mana: Plus 15 max mana

- Amulet of Experience: Plus 20 percent experience gain

- Amulet of the Archmage: Plus 30 max mana

- And more

### LEARNED ABILITIES

Find books to learn powerful spells:

- Icy Blast: Damage and freeze

- Shield Bash: Damage and stun

- Poison Blade: Damage over time

- Chain Lightning: Heavy lightning damage

- Meteor Storm: Massive area damage

- Time Stop: Freeze all enemies

- And many more

### CHARACTER PROGRESSION

Gain experience from combat. Level up to increase health and mana. Higher levels make you stronger in combat and unlock better equipment.

---

## TROUBLESHOOTING

**Voice recognition not working**: Make sure you are using Chrome or Edge browser. Make sure you allowed microphone access. Refresh the page and try again.

**Audio not playing**: Check your volume. Make sure sound is not muted in your browser.

**Commands not recognized**: Speak clearly at a normal pace. Try using simpler phrases. Say "help" to hear suggestions.

**Game running slowly**: Close other browser tabs. Restart your browser.

---

## SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

You need:

- A computer with a microphone

- Chrome or Edge web browser

- Speakers or headphones

- Internet connection for first load only

The game works on Windows, Mac, or Linux.

---

## VOICE TIPS

Speak clearly and naturally. Wait for the listening indicator. The screen background will turn slightly green when the game is listening.

If a command is not recognized, try rephrasing. For example:

- Instead of "I want to go north", say "north"

- Instead of "can I search this room", say "search"

- Instead of "let me use a health potion", say "use potion"

Shorter commands work better than long sentences.

---

## VERSION HISTORY

Version 8.5 adds:

- Helmets, gloves, and boots equipment slots

- Legendary merchant items

- Special items with permanent bonuses

- Ring stacking up to 2 of same type

- Advanced high level abilities

- Multiple enemy encounters

- Elite enemy variants

- Ring of Regeneration

- Death Mark and Shadowmeld abilities

- Improved scaling and balance

---

## LICENSE AND SHARING

This game is completely free. You can share it with anyone. You cannot sell it or charge money for it. It must always remain free.

If you improve the game, your improvements must also remain free.

This game is a gift to the blind and visually impaired community. Please help keep it free and accessible to everyone who needs it.

Full license terms are in the LICENSE dot txt file.

---

CREDITS

Echo Dungeon version 8.5 was created by Asa Hartz Games.

Developed with love for my wife and for everyone in the blind community who deserves great games.

---

CONTACT

For questions, bug reports, or just to say hello:

Email: Acejames419@gmail.com

I would love to hear from you. Tell me about your adventures. Let me know if you find any bugs. Share your feedback. I am listening.

---

THANK YOU

Thank you for playing Echo Dungeon. I hope it brings you joy, excitement, and many hours of adventure.

Whether you are blind, visually impaired, or just someone who enjoys voice controlled games, you are welcome here.

The dungeon awaits. Your voice is your weapon. Good luck, adventurer.

May your blade strike true, your spells hit hard, and your treasures be plentiful.

Happy adventuring.

Asa Hartz

Creator of Echo Dungeon

---

Echo Dungeon Version 8.5

Released 2025

Free Forever

Made with Love