Strife & Serenity is my most ambitious project to date. One that doubled as my Final Major Project for my Undergraduate program. I have labeled this as a 'Prologue', as this is a game that I one day wish to bring to the market. It is a contained slice, to roughly set the tone for what the full game would look like.
As exciting as it can be, Strife & Serenity isn’t built to be constant adrenaline, but instead a playable mystery. You begin in medias res with incomplete context, and your understanding grows through movement and optional discoveries.
Everything (excluding music). Narrative design, systems design, combat tuning, level design, Unity implementation, and overall presentation.
The loop is designed to be skimmable for first-time players but layered enough to hint at the full game.
You enter with limited context. Sparse dialogue, incomplete information, and environmental unease mirror Ka’Sipho’s own uncertainty.
The world teaches without speeches: environmental storytelling + optional discoveries (reports, letters, etc.) deepen meaning.
Engagement isn’t only combat: traversal (jump/dodge/sprint/grapple) and restraint are meaningful choices, not downtime.
Quiet beats let tension land. The game gives room to process, then asks you to move forward anyway.
This prologue isn’t only “combat systems”. It’s also progression + customization that reinforces intentional play — especially through Marks and the Adaptive Combat Gauge.
Combat isn’t built around a single solution. You can’t rely only on sword attacks, hiding behind a shield, or mindlessly casting spells. Each tool solves a different problem, and victory comes from weaving them together.
Exploration isn’t loot-hunting — it’s narrative clarity. Optional artifacts add meaning without forcing exposition, letting players choose how deep they want to go.
Marks attach to weaponry to modify stats/behavior. Early iterations explored a Materia-style “spells depend on slots”, but the prologue uses Marks as reinforcement rather than permission — enhancing what the player chooses to do.
Variety and momentum fill a gauge. When full, Ka’Sipho’s combat level temporarily rises (cap 3), boosting damage/status impact and encouraging experimentation instead of safe repetition.
Early on, I debated making Marks work like Materia from FF7: Slot a Mark → gain a spell/ability. I still like the long-term idea of slotting abilities/spells into a field hotbar, but for the prologue, Marks became enhancements that amplify the player’s intent without hiding core abilities behind configuration.
I explored a command-gauge-inspired approach (Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep), where specific spell sequences would shift combat into element-aligned states (e.g., frequent ice attacks → frost state). For scope/readability, this was simplified into a more linear system for the prologue - while preserving the core goal: reward variety and momentum.
Development followed a structured multi-phase process. It began with questions on various different themes, and then worked outward toward play.
I explored themes such as identity, power, balance, determination, etc, and then deliberately narrowed them down. Conflict became the foundation both narratively and mechanically. This wasn’t just finding a game idea fast, but rather about defining what the game should ask of the player emotionally.
I collaborated with music students and created 14 concept videos for specific moments/moods. They started as music reference, but evolved into proto-storyboards: story ideas surfaced, scenes connected, and the emotional arc locked in before heavy implementation began.
A snapshot of the prologue as it exists today. Combat, mood, traversal, and discovery beats.
Overall, this prologue proved that the Strife & Serenity kit works as a vehicle for story, and that the core pillars hold up under real players. The next phase is scaling those ideas across a fuller chapter without losing that readability.