The challenge
Make an expressive ritual language understandable enough that players can experiment, observe a result, and revise their ideas.
All projectsPlayable prototype
Games & systemic design
R²: Ritual Research
An experimental magic game about composing rituals, observing their effects, and turning discoveries into tools for exploration.
Play on itch.io
- Role
- Game design & development
- Focus
- Ritual composition
- Stage
- Playable prototype
The project
R²: Ritual Research explores player-authored capability: instead of adapting to whatever tool a game generates, the player constructs a working through magical language. Its design grew around ritual grammar, geometry, equipment, and environmental interactions, with experimentation making knowledge useful.
The Imaginary Game Jam prototype puts that idea into a playable loop. Start at a research camp, layer glyphs into pages or an inscribed tool, and test their effects. Gathering, crafting, generated ruins, and dungeon encounters provide places to apply discoveries. Materials and knowledge carry progression rather than experience levels.
The published Unity build runs in a desktop browser with keyboard and mouse. It is an early slice with simple visuals and systems still being refined.
The approach
Connect the ritual editor to practical world interactions, so composition can be tested through gathering, exploration, and combat.
What matters
Built around the use case.
Author the capability
Ritual composition puts the player in charge of constructing a tool's behavior.
Knowledge compounds
Research and retained discoveries support a persistent progression loop.
A playable experiment
The browser prototype makes the design available for hands-on exploration.