the short

Heartwood is a narrative-driven point and click game in which the player wanders through and tries to find their way out of a mysterious forest, all the while solving puzzles and interacting with spirit guides. Taking inspiration from games such as Year Walk and Cube Escape, Heartwood is rich in custom visuals and thoughtful dialogue that guides the player gently through a reflection on their own childhood.

I created this game in combination with other three teammates for the class CS 247G: Introduction to Game Design. Each member of the team brought a unique set of skills to the project: I was personally responsible for the majority of storyboarding and prototype creation for user testing, as well as contributing to the creation of all custom visuals for the game as well as puzzle and dialogue design.

I had a blast creating this (my first!) video game and hope to make time for more similar projects in the future!

for more

Our process is documented on its own website, so please click "take a look!" to learn more about our game. There is also a download option if you'd like to try out Heartwood for yourself!