XiaChron:
CAPSTONE 2023
Exploratory Point-and-Click Game
Classify a whole new world
Arrive on this newly discovered planet, named Xia after the legendary first Chinese Dynasty. Few human beings have set foot here, but Lab Assistant Jun will guide you. Navigate through the process of documenting the brand new life forms to be found on the wild beaches around your laboratory by conducting research tests and accurately defining the taxonomy of these critters.
Why This project
The initial goal of this project was to create a sound and user-interface-focused game. We went through a series of possible ideas such as a rhythm game or a visual novel. However, we realized there was a genre that had yet to be touched on in a game capstone project before us: educational.
We wanted to create a fun game inspired by the old nostalgic educational flash games of the past - something akin to a game you would see on Cool Math Games. Thus, a game on taxonomy was born. Our goal was to make the player feel like they were 10 years old again playing in the computer lab because "Yes teacher, this game about Ancient China in space is educational!"
The overall aesthetics of the game came from the entire team's love of Ancient Chinese culture. The choice to have this game in space was to give us creative freedom when designing the creatures. But the choice to have this game also take place in an alternate future where the Qing Dynasty ended up in space gave us the freedom to design alternate electronic devices, fashion, and furniture.
