Concept Summary
Lumen Vale is a small-scale atmospheric exploration and restoration game set in a moonlit valley where bioluminescent flora have fallen out of rhythm. The player tends a wandering field lantern that can absorb, tune, and release light frequencies to awaken dormant plants, reveal hidden paths, and coax nocturnal creatures back into the ecosystem. The tone is meditative but systemic: each area is a compact puzzle-garden whose ecology responds to how the player redistributes light.
Core Gameplay Loop
Players explore a layered valley zone, gather distinct light tones from plants, insects, and stone shrines, then route those tones into the environment to solve spatial and ecological puzzles. Restoring one patch of the valley changes traversal, unlocks new light interactions, and attracts creatures that open optional secrets. Progress comes from learning how light combinations reshape terrain, timing, and habitat behavior.
Target Platform
PC / Steam
Art / Style Direction
Painterly nighttime landscapes with strong silhouettes, soft fog, and saturated bioluminescent highlights define the visual identity. Animation should feel calm and tactile: swaying grasses, pulsing spores, and subtle creature behavior sell the world more than high-detail realism. UI should be minimal and diegetic, with lantern glow and environmental cues carrying most player guidance.
Minimum Viable Feature Set
- Third-person exploration in one interconnected valley biome
- Lantern tool that stores and swaps 3 light frequencies
- Environmental puzzles based on light routing, resonance, and reveal mechanics
- 3 plant archetypes and 2 creature archetypes with distinct reactions to light
- Short progression arc across 4 restoreable sub-areas
- Simple journal/map that tracks restored zones and discovered tones
- Ambient audio system tied to ecosystem restoration state
Milestone Plan & Ownership
| Workstream |
Owner(s) |
Focus |
| M1 Prototype — First Glow |
Keaton / Fenster |
Design / Engineering |
| M2 Vertical Slice — Songs in the Moss |
Fenster / McManus |
Engineering / CI |
| M3 Art & Content Pass — Night Garden |
Verbal |
Art / Narrative |
| M4 Playable Demo — Lantern Path |
Hockney / Kujan |
Testing / Security |
| Security & Data Privacy Review |
Kujan |
Security |
| QA & Test Planning |
Hockney |
Testing |
Sub-issues below track each workstream in detail.
Planned by the Squad team (Keaton, Fenster, McManus, Hockney, Verbal, Kujan).
Generated by 🎮 Squad Game Planner · copilot · auto · 36.5 AIC · ⌖ 6.07 AIC · ⊞ 10.1K · ◷
Concept Summary
Lumen Vale is a small-scale atmospheric exploration and restoration game set in a moonlit valley where bioluminescent flora have fallen out of rhythm. The player tends a wandering field lantern that can absorb, tune, and release light frequencies to awaken dormant plants, reveal hidden paths, and coax nocturnal creatures back into the ecosystem. The tone is meditative but systemic: each area is a compact puzzle-garden whose ecology responds to how the player redistributes light.
Core Gameplay Loop
Players explore a layered valley zone, gather distinct light tones from plants, insects, and stone shrines, then route those tones into the environment to solve spatial and ecological puzzles. Restoring one patch of the valley changes traversal, unlocks new light interactions, and attracts creatures that open optional secrets. Progress comes from learning how light combinations reshape terrain, timing, and habitat behavior.
Target Platform
PC / Steam
Art / Style Direction
Painterly nighttime landscapes with strong silhouettes, soft fog, and saturated bioluminescent highlights define the visual identity. Animation should feel calm and tactile: swaying grasses, pulsing spores, and subtle creature behavior sell the world more than high-detail realism. UI should be minimal and diegetic, with lantern glow and environmental cues carrying most player guidance.
Minimum Viable Feature Set
Milestone Plan & Ownership
Sub-issues below track each workstream in detail.
Planned by the Squad team (Keaton, Fenster, McManus, Hockney, Verbal, Kujan).