Yãkoana: Dreams of Resistance is a strategy game with roguelite and tower defense elements. Players lead an indigenous community defending their land against invaders. Though the battle is rough, keep fighting to dream the victory. You can play an early version and follow the development journey by joining our Discord community.
Minimol Games (in development)
Roles and Duties: Game Designer, responsible for:
Designing Features and Systems
Documentation
Level Design
UX/UI Design
Yãkoana is a game in development for which I drafted the first design concept. At the time, we were brainstorming several new game ideas at Minimol Games. That's when the production team shared with me an idea driven by the premise of playing from the indigenous people's perspective in a strategy game. Since then, the project has gained shape as we:
Went through 3-month development cycles to consolidate the game's concept.
Evaluated results and adjusted the direction after each cycle.
I have been responsible for designing mechanics, systems, writing, and keeping documents updated. One of the most challenging steps in designing a new IP was consolidating the design pillars in alignment with the team. Although challenging, setting this foundation was key to having a clear direction. With a clear vision and main systems defined, balancing, content creation, and a focus on the moment-to-moment became crucial as the project moves forward.
Early build where there was a core game currency to build and gain new units.
Further developed build where population is the only core game resource.
Design pillars
The first pillars did not sustain the game's vision. So, I led conversations involving team members from all areas to establish solid design pillars that resonated a shared understanding. At first, it looked like Yãkoana should be forgiving of players' mistakes. For instance, mechanics included automatically respawning all buildings destroyed after each wave.
As a result, it didn't feel like fighting from the position of people whose lands are harshly invaded. Colonization is not forgiving. We realized it should be about resistance, about surviving, and rebuilding over and over again. Once the pillars shifted, they began to inspire creative and decision-making processes, such as the removal of a core game currency.
Contact
Feel free to reach out. I would appreciate a coffee chat!
E-mail: ana.carolina.m.franca@gmail.com