Creative Vision / Rationale / How Did You Incorporate the Theme
Beneath the Gate is a quiet, symbolic exploration game that fully centers around the idea of generosity as sacrifice. From the start, I wanted the player to feel small in a vast, silent world — where progress only happens through acts of selfless giving.

The central mechanic is simple but emotional: as the player advances, they offer parts of themselves — tools, strength, and light — to restore the world. Every act of giving reduces the Kindred’s abilities, making traversal slower and more fragile, but each sacrifice leaves a permanent change in the environment. The design focuses on giving without expectation of reward, reflecting the heart of the jam’s theme.

Visually, I kept the world minimal and atmospheric to emphasize solitude, reflection, and the contrast between decay and gentle restoration. Mechanically, I designed the world as a quiet descent, where the player has to let go more and more to reach the core — fully embracing the emotional cost of generosity.

This was also my first full game project as a VFX environment artist stepping into game development, and the jam’s theme was the perfect opportunity to create something personal and meaningful while learning the full pipeline.