In this PC game, "Harmony of a Tree," players have the task of enlisting the aid of enchanting wood spirits to harmonize the three crucial essences of the tree: magic, nutrients, and vitality. This is done in a heart-pumping effort to keep the magnificent tree alive and thriving. The essence levels need to be kept neither too full nor too empty to prevent the tree from dying or running away. These essence levels will also be affected by weather and time.
Players can select a new wood spirit every few seconds and place them on the root of the tree to obtain the essence needed. Each wood spirit will affect the essence in different ways by either increasing or decreasing it. Additionally, they will possess unique skills or features that may be known or unknown to players, affecting themselves, other wood spirits, weather, time, and more.
Wood spirits are known for their distinct traits and abilities, which vary from one spirit to another. Some wood spirits strictly work only at night, whereas others reset their neighbor spirit's working time. There are also those that leave a curse for the next spirit, affecting the entire location, and some that can even copy abilities from neighboring spirits.
This game was created during the Global Game Jam 2023 under the theme "Root." With the collaborative efforts of two game artists and me as the developer and the designer, I have successfully designed and coded four weather types along with over 20 unique skills and features for the wood spirits in the game.
P.s. Although I had high hopes for what I could accomplish in just 48 short hours, reality set in quickly and I realized I had bitten off more than I could chew. My initial plan included implementing a range of exciting features such as randomized events, functional items and fascinating ruins. While I had to scale back my expectations, overall, the experience was nothing short of amazing - I relished every moment of it.