Game Development (Exercise 1)

Game Development Exercise 1：Geme idea

26 September 2025- 3 October 2025
LI YUHAN (0379857)

My game is called <<The Shadow Formula>>. Through its light-and-shadow puzzle mechanics, I aim to take players on an emotional journey about misunderstanding and reconciliation.

It's not your typical platformer. Players don't directly control the character. Instead, they must manipulate a light source to cast shadows that pave the way forward. As levels progressively unfold, a hidden secret gradually comes to light.

In the final level, players no longer jump but instead use light to "witness" their mother's sacrifices. This captures my core message: often, love is already present—we just need a beam of light to discover it.

Mood Board

1. Game Setting:

Story Opening:

After her mother's unexpected death, the protagonist "Xiaoyu" discovers among her belongings an old-fashioned flashlight her mother had always used and a blank diary.

While overcome with grief, she accidentally shines the flashlight on the diary. Memories materialize as scenes of light and shadow on the blank pages (game level entrance).

Character Profile:

Xiaoyu has had Type 1 diabetes since childhood. (Type 1 diabetes cannot be cured, but it has a "honeymoon period." After diagnosis and initiation of insulin therapy, pancreatic function may temporarily recover, significantly reducing insulin requirements or even allowing temporary discontinuation—giving the appearance of "recovery.")

• Childhood: Xiaoyu developed the condition at age 5, and her mother promptly recognized it and began treatment.

• Honeymoon Period: After about a year of treatment, Xiaoyu entered the "honeymoon period," where symptoms seemed to vanish. Her mother knew this was temporary but, to spare her daughter lifelong psychological burdens associated with being a "patient," decided not to reveal the truth. Instead, she continued maintaining extremely strict dietary management under the guise of "staying healthy" (as even during the honeymoon period, poor diet could damage pancreatic function).

• Outcome: Xiaoyu vaguely recalled "having a minor illness that healed long ago." She thus couldn't comprehend her mother's subsequent "harsh" restrictions, leading to resentment.

2. Core Gameplay

(1) Basic Controls:

Players drag "light sources" (e.g., desk lamps, candles, flashlights) around the scene using the mouse.

(2) Core Mechanics:

Shadow Materialization: Shadows cast by objects become "solid platforms" that characters can traverse. Longer shadows create longer platforms; changing the shadow angle alters the platform's slope.

Light-Shadow Interaction: Certain mechanisms activate/deactivate only when exposed to light or shadow. For example, light-fearing monsters vanish under illumination, requiring vines growing on shadows to traverse specific areas.

(3) Character Autonomy: 

The player character (a five-year-old girl) will slowly move toward candy sources on her own, pausing when encountering furniture or walls. The player's task is to "pave the shadow path" for her.

4. Game Settings

Three Levels: 

(1) Birthday Candy Trap

Map 1: Living Room (Birthday Party)

Plot: A childhood birthday party. While other children eat cake, the mother sternly forbids her from touching it and hands her a tasteless "sugar-free cookie."

• The scene is filled with brightly colored "candy platforms," but they are all deceptive traps that shatter upon contact.
• The true path is formed by the mother's shadow, consisting of dull-colored platforms that appear boring but are solid and safe.

Player Experience: Players are initially drawn to the candy, only learning to take the mother's "dull" path after failing. This directly immerses players in the protagonist's childhood confusion and resentment.

(2) Clues to Discovering the Medicine Bottle

Exploration and Doubt (Increased Difficulty)

Story: Xiaoyu begins seeing unusual memory fragments: her mother's silhouette late at night, a hidden medicine bottle.

New Mechanic: "Light of Truth" Some shadow paths initially appear broken. When players shine the light on specific objects (e.g., medicine bottles, medical records), a brief memory animation triggers, simultaneously repairing the fractured path. This symbolizes "uncovering clues to piece together memories."

(3) Witnessing the Late-Night Injection

Understanding and Reversal (Emotional Climax)

Plot: Enter the most crucial memory—the late-night injection.

This level contains almost no jumping challenges. The scene is Xiaoyu's bedroom, where she lies in bed. The player controls a light source (flashlight) whose beam must steadily illuminate the mother.

• The mother's shadow movements will show:   - Wearily rubbing her waist   - Gently checking Xiaoyu's arm   - Carefully administering the injection   - Secretly wiping away tears
• The player's role is to "bear witness." The entire process requires patience and steady hands—avoid rapid movements. Upon completion of the injection, the path to the final stage will suddenly open.

Ending: 

The protagonist returns from the memory world, still clutching the flashlight. She sits in the empty room, tears streaming down her face. At this moment, the game displays its final interactive prompt: "Press the left mouse button to turn off the flashlight."

When the player complies, the screen plunges instantly into darkness. After one or two seconds of darkness, the screen slowly brightens, no longer displaying the game's visuals, but instead revealing a faded, real family photograph with a line of text beneath it:

"Thank you for finding those lights for me."

4. Additional Details

The game's opening flashback to childhood was no coincidence—it was a "gift" her mother had long prepared to guide her toward reconciliation. The flashlight served as the key to unlocking the door of memory.

The greatest twist—the "sweetness" she once craved most was the "poison" that nearly took her life. And her mother played the role of the "depriver," bearing her hatred while silently sustaining her life. That shadow in the dead of night was the embodiment of her mother's greatness.