Sprint 1

3Cs: Camera, Control, Character

Genre

Puzzle, Dreamcore, Fantasy Elements 

Description

Lexi-key is a puzzle game where player plays a baby, collecting words to unlock doors that symbolize different stages of life. With each step of growth, new puzzles and challenges emerge, pushing you to confront uncertainties and solve problems. Ultimately, you must overcome the final door that confines you and step into the world beyond. 

Gameplay

players interact with some object to collect words within each room and combine them to be a “key” to unlock the door. Every room introduces unique language mechanics and collection methods, keeping the puzzle-solving fresh and varied. As the character grows, the number of required words increases, puzzles become more sophisticated, and the challenges intensify.

Controls (PC)

Move: WASD

Space: Jump

Interact：Left Mouse

Camera

Third-person perspective

Brainstorming Notes

Core Gameplay Loop

Back Story

Game story

You collapse from overwork and die, only to awaken again and find yourself reborn as a baby. Realizing that you still retain the memories of your past life, you are overjoyed. Clenching your fists in determination, you vow to seize this second chance, to grow strong in this new world, and to make something of yourself.

Yet, the moment your eyes fall upon the written words of this world, you are stunned—the symbols are nothing like the ones you once knew. To survive here, you must start from scratch and learn the language of this land all over again… 

Backstory

Before you were born, your family moved to the big city in search of a better life. Your second uncle and his wife, as well as your third uncle, soon followed, hoping to find opportunities of their own. To save money, all of you chose to live together under the same roof. As a result, apart from the shared common spaces, each room became the personal domain of its resident, carrying with it the rhythm of their separate lives. 

Inspiration 

The inspiration for this story is quite complex. At first, I struggled with what to create—I didn’t feel that my personal experiences were remarkable enough to turn into a project, yet I needed to produce something for this work. Eventually, I focused on the concept of “life stages” itself, combined with my own intense difficulties in learning foreign languages and my peculiar mental state. Out of this, I decided to create a game that embodies the intertwined journey of language learning and personal growth. 

Level Design Idea

The player will begin the game in Bedroom 2, as it is their personal room.

After solving the puzzle and unlocking the bedroom door, the player enters the hallway, which serves as Level 2. Once the collection in Level 2 is completed, the player can open the door to the Main Bedroom for further collection.

After finishing the Main Bedroom, the end of the hallway is unlocked, leading to the Living Room. Completing the Living Room unlocks access to the Dining Room and Kitchen, where additional words can be collected.

Once these areas are completed, the remaining rooms become accessible for collecting 

Greyboxed Level

For easier checking, the roof is currently removed