Pheobe and the Phantoms

Trapped within a haunted house, Help Pheobe survive the oncoming waves of phantoms.

Playable following the link below: 

https://an0ym0us.itch.io/pheobe-and-the-phantoms

Inspirations:

A Collaborative horror survival game made for 20 Second Game Jam 2025

Built around the themes of light and dark, we made a short ghost survival game where the player helps navigate Pheobe to save her from a sudden ghastly attack. She can scare the ghosts away with the use of her flashlight. Surviving in the ghost attack ensures a safe exit from this haunted mansion. 

What went well:

As a Designer I handled:

1. Main Menu And In Game UI Design and Functionality

2. Scoring System

3.  Collaborated on Flashlight Mechanic (Handled Collisions and Lighting)

By the project's submission, these mechanics all successfully work in tandem with the art assets provided and other systems that were created by my collaborators. Additionally the final game was a fun experience when tested by other entrants. 

Challenges:

Working around different schedules lead to issues with progression but this was handled by clear communication and setting aside time for group collaboration. 

Other issues arose with handling of collisions and as well as presentation. Due to the handling of light sources and collision shapes in engine, the light initially was a mismatch with the collision. However this was later readjusted to provide a better game feel, extending both volumes into a cone like radial area. 

Lessons:

Overall, this game jam submission offered an opportunity to put greater focus on the mechanics due to the short game loop, the beginner friendly nature of the submission also help compliment our low scope and quick turnover of this project.  

If more time was spent to further develop this project, other considerations that would have been discussed includes:

• Adding a little plot summary to help set up the context for the game is an added flavour bonus

• Inclusion of Audio would help with setting tone and theme further. 

• Outside of a Game Jam, designing other levels with unique gimmicks, such as pitfalls or one-way paths would help make the game feel more fun.