Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗Powers in the Basement
Illiterate Code Games · Published by Illiterate Code Games
Very Positive — 86% positive (79 reviews) · 24 achievements
Last updated 27 Sept 2026
A short point-and-click adventure game set in a comedic medieval fantasy world, deliberately reminiscent of the great classics from the 80s / 90s, with a specific sweet spot for LucasArts production.
Free
Adventure, Indie · 2023 · More free games
Explore a charmingly retro world filled with comedic twists and intricate puzzles in Powers in the Basement. This indie adventure, developed by Illiterate Code Games and released in 2023, invites you to navigate through a vivid medieval landscape reminiscent of classic games from the 80s and 90s.
About this game
Will Phail is a fifteen-year-old like many others: lazy, spoiled, and phlegmatic. But he has one thing that others lack: he's useless!
Experience Will's drama in this short adventure as he searches for his favorite T-shirt so he can hang out with his friends trying to defend his already compromised reputation.
Dodge lazy grandparents, mischievous rats, and carnivorous plants, and find the courage to descend into the frightening basement, where powers beyond understanding lurk, waiting to be awakened!
Powers in the Basement is a 5/6 hours long point-and-click adventure game, deliberately reminiscent of the great classics from the 80s / 90s, with a specific sweet spot for LucasArts production.
It's a witty and sometimes surreal game, with clean humor, also suitable for children, set in a pseudo-fantasy world in which the medieval fairytale is punctuated by anachronisms, elements of modernity, and absurd references to nerd pop culture.
It's a challenging game made for puzzle lovers, those who like to have a-ha moments in the shower or while cooking, but we did our best to make it a fair and enjoyable experience for casual gamers as well
If you are a longtime fan of this genre, well... we hope we can bring you back to your childhood for a while.
Experience Will's drama in this short adventure as he searches for his favorite T-shirt so he can hang out with his friends trying to defend his already compromised reputation.
Dodge lazy grandparents, mischievous rats, and carnivorous plants, and find the courage to descend into the frightening basement, where powers beyond understanding lurk, waiting to be awakened!
- A dive into the golden age of point-and-click adventures
- A state-of-the-art, ultramodern 9-verbs interface, to put you in total control
- The humor of the great classics, with jokes conceived for smart people, like YOU who have decided to play this game!
- Amazing 3D graphics: Dimple, Dlat, and Dapproximate
- Awesome MT-32 music and 22KHz sound effects that will blow your mind
- Challenging and merciless puzzles that will force you to rack your brains!
The Game
Powers in the Basement is a 5/6 hours long point-and-click adventure game, deliberately reminiscent of the great classics from the 80s / 90s, with a specific sweet spot for LucasArts production.
It's a witty and sometimes surreal game, with clean humor, also suitable for children, set in a pseudo-fantasy world in which the medieval fairytale is punctuated by anachronisms, elements of modernity, and absurd references to nerd pop culture.
It's a challenging game made for puzzle lovers, those who like to have a-ha moments in the shower or while cooking, but we did our best to make it a fair and enjoyable experience for casual gamers as well
If you are a longtime fan of this genre, well... we hope we can bring you back to your childhood for a while.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
Minimum:
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: 7
- Processor: Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon64
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: Any Graphics Chip with support for DirectX 10
- DirectX: Version 10
- Storage: 150 MB available space
- Sound Card: Integrated stereo sound chip
Recommended
Recommended:
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: 10
- Processor: Intel Core or AMD Zen CPUs
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Any recent GPU (Intel HD or above)
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 150 MB available space
- Sound Card: Integrated stereo sound chip
Supported Languages
English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Portuguese - Brazil, Portuguese - Portugal, Catalan
Latest news
Patch NotesOfficial
Version 1.2.2 Released
Hi everybody, here are a few updates: more fixes to the German translation by Bixxewoschd; fixes to the French translation by Christophe "Zebu" Le Maitre; fixed game freeze when grabbing certain props reported by Sven_Q45.Read full article on Community Announcements (Illiterate Code Games)Patch NotesOfficial
Version 1.2.1 Released
Hi everybody, here are a few updates: Bixxewoschd reviewed the German translation; we added an option to the main menu screen to enable/disable text autoadvance, so that you can now manually advance text with a mouse click; as it was a source of confusion, we removed the keyboard shortcut to display the current version which is now displayed on the main menu screen.Read full article on Community Announcements (Illiterate Code Games)AnnouncementsOfficial
Powers in the Basement is out on Steam!
For all point-and-click adventurers out there, our classics-inspired game Powers in the Basement is finally available on Steam, together with the Extended Soundtrack DLC which sports SB/SBPro, Gravis UltraSound and PC-Speaker renditions of selected pieces, alongside rearranged original MT-32 music! The game is free, but if you want to help us pixelate more stories, consider purchasing the Extended Soundtrack and support our effort! Best wishes for a playful holiday season ;)Read full article on Community Announcements (Illiterate Code Games)
