Click any pictures to visit the playable page
Event: Ludum Dare 57
(72-hour Game Jam)
Team Size: 6
Tools: Unity, Blender, Photoshop
Genre: Archaeology, Puzzle, Multiple Endings
Platform: PC (Windows/WebGL)
My Role:
Gameplay Design, UI Design,
Multiple Endings Visuals
Let’s dig into the making process!
Project Overview
Team Brainstorm Ideas
This project was created for Ludum Dare 57 Game Jam (Theme: "Depths"). Our team held intensive brainstorming sessions and generated many creative ideas. Ultimately, inspired by Papers, Please, we combined the concepts of "identity verification" and "digging deeper," resulting in an archaeology-themed artifact appraisal puzzle game.
There were many dynasties in China, each with a variety of artifacts during its reign. When it comes to archaeology, archaeologists can dig up different things in the ground at different depths. That's what inspired us to develop this game.
Team Mindmap
Reference
Paper Please
Paper, Please is a dystopian puzzle simulation game developed by Lucas Pope, where players take on the role of an immigration officer at a border checkpoint in the fictional country of Arstotzka. Set in the early 1980s, the game challenges players to inspect documents, verify identities, and make difficult moral decisions under time pressure. Each day brings new rules, political twists, and personal dilemmas, forcing players to balance efficiency, compassion, and their own survival.
That's not my neighbour
In this game, players take on the role of a security guard in a residential building, protecting the inhabitants of their own building in a world where pseudo-humans have exploded. Residents will go out from time to time, so the player needs to check the appearance of the neighbors who come back every time they return home, and the ID to make sure that the neighbors are themselves. Players can also tell if they are a fake by calling other neighbors, or asking questions. If that's not a neighbor, the player can call the emergency response team to kill the dummy.
Players act as archaeologists, excavating Chinese relics from different depths. Each soil layer represents a historical era, and players must pick the right tools for efficient digging.
Every discovered artifact can be analyzed through an "appraisal book" UI, presenting its history, features, and stories—enriching immersion and education.
The final result depends on player efficiency, artifact integrity, and appraisal performance, leading to various ending screens and feedback.
Gameplay & Innovation
Hidden relics and stories reward exploration and replay.
Teamwork & Process
The team split roles into design, art, programming, UI, and sound.
After rounds of brainstorming, we refined the mechanics and cultural background, fusing "depth" and "identity check" for a unique experience.
High-efficiency communication and rapid iteration brought the project from prototype to complete game within 72 hours.
My Contributions
Gameplay Design: Helped design core mechanics and proposed integrating artifact appraisal throughout, with strategic tool choices and branching excavation paths
Appraisal Book UI: Designed and implemented the interactive appraisal book, displaying detailed artifact info, history, and imagery for immersive learning
Logo Design
Multiple Ending Visuals: Designed diverse result screens and animations for different endings, boosting player motivation and narrative engagement.
Art & Tech Highlights
Blended 2D and 3D visual styles; unique Chinese relics were modeled in Blender to ensure historical accuracy and visual appeal
The main UI uses Unity Canvas; the excavation pit and artifact display are fully 3D; custom UI for appraisal and endings
Efficient use of tools and workflow enabled rich content and feedback in a tight timeline
For the 3D part, we have both downloaded assets and self-made assets in the game. We downloaded a package of traditional Chinese artifacts, and added some custom assets using Blender.
How to Play
Just in case someone confused how to play this game, I made a tutorial of play this game, have fun!
Relics
Scanner
Appraisal Book
Repoet Page
Countdown
Game Interface
You'll see the tutorial page first
There are five layers of artifacts to excavate in the game, with each layer representing a different historical era. The appearance and materials of artifacts change from layer to layer, reflecting the characteristics of their time.
Click to zoom the artifact
The appraisal book provides key features and visual clues for artifacts from each era.
Additionally, you can use the scanner to analyze the chemical elements of any artifact you find. The scanning guide shows the typical element percentages for each period’s relics.
To determine whether an artifact is genuine, you’ll need to carefully compare the clues in the appraisal book with the chemical analysis results from the scanner.
Once you've finished appraising an artifact, click the "Report" page to decide whether it's genuine or fake, then move on to the next item
Keep an eye on the countdown timer in the top left corner—when time runs out, the game will end!
Click to play!
