Griphoton
Description
Griphoton is a casual adventure game where players must solve puzzles and battle monsters to escape a mysterious parallel world. Transported to Griphoton—a realm inhabited by lingering ghosts—players encounter souls unable to move on due to unresolved puzzles. By solving these puzzles, players help the ghosts find peace while gaining strength for the ultimate trial: a monster-filled dungeon. The only way back home lies beyond this dungeon, where a portal awaits those who are strong enough to reach it.
I developed Griphoton in the spring of 2022 using the Unity game engine. The game was initially released on the Google Play Store in August 2022 before being moved to itch.io in November 2024.
The Puzzles
At the start of the game, the player has no knowledge of how many puzzles await them. They must explore the world of Griphoton, searching for ghosts and uncovering their homes, where each puzzle resides. Once a new house is discovered, it appears on the map, allowing players to revisit puzzles at any time. When a puzzle is solved, the ghost's name is crossed off the map, marking their journey to the afterlife.
Completing the game does not require solving every puzzle. If players find themselves stuck and the available hints do not provide enough guidance, they can move on to another challenge. Upon reaching the portal in the dungeon—the gateway back to their own world—they are informed of any remaining puzzles. At this point, they can choose to continue solving them or step through the portal to conclude their adventure.
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The game features a total of 15 unique puzzle types, each appearing twice, except for the zebra puzzle, which appears once, and the replacement puzzle, which appears three times. Every puzzle requires players to engage with different mechanics, such as rearranging tiles, creating a path or moving objects like animals, glasses, or matchsticks to find the solution.
Some puzzles are inspired by classic logic problems, including the well-known river crossing problem and the zebra puzzle, while others are adaptations of puzzles I discovered online—such as those from Erich Friedman's extensive puzzle collection. To seamlessly integrate them into the game, I modified their mechanics to fit within the narrative and suit a virtual environment. The process of adapting these puzzles was both challenging and rewarding, and although I would have loved to include more, I ultimately settled on 30 puzzles to maintain a balanced scope and avoid delaying the release.
The Dungeon
The dungeon played a crucial role in the game, serving as an additional challenge for players. Solving puzzles throughout the game would increase their health and strength, preparing them for the battles ahead. The dungeon consisted of 20 uniquely shaped rooms, each progressively more difficult than the last. To advance, players have to defeat every monster in a room before moving forward.
Once a room is cleared, it will remain that way, allowing players to progress at their own pace without needing to redo battles. However, the dungeon still poses dangers—retractable spikes could harm the player even in previously completed rooms, keeping the challenge alive. After conquering all 20 rooms and defeating every monster, players would step through the final portal, marking the end of their journey.
The game features five distinct monsters, each with its own movement and attack patterns. Players can study these patterns to strategise their approach, using their knowledge to gain the upper hand in battle. The difficulty of the monsters increases as the player progresses through the dungeon, ensuring a steady challenge. The monsters include the Guardian of Answers (skeleton), Guardian of Decryptions (skeleton), Spirit of the Paradox (ghost), Spirit of the Conundrum (ghost), and the final boss, Reaper of the Unsolvable.
​Some monsters drop keys upon defeat, with higher-difficulty enemies having a greater chance of dropping them. These keys serve as a valuable resource, allowing players to unlock hints for solving puzzles. If a player becomes stuck on a puzzle and cannot advance in the dungeon, they can use the collected keys to solve puzzles and continue their journey.
Developing this game has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Since its release, I have grown significantly as a game designer and programmer. While there are aspects I would love to refine, I remain incredibly proud of the game and the world I created.