TYPE:
EDUCATIONAL GAME (PC)
CLIENT:
GAME DEV COURSE (IC/UFRJ)
YEAR:
2022
EXPERIENCE:
UX, GAME DESIGN, EDUCATION
Robots in Terveijan
about.
Robots in Terveijan is a narrative puzzle game with RPG turn-based combat, designed to teach block-based programming in an engaging and story-driven way. Developed as part of the Introduction to Electronic Game Development course at UFRJ, the game blends exploration, strategy, and algorithm building, placing the player in the role of a memory-lost robot uncovering the secrets of the Kingdom of Terveijan.
The project was a team effort by:
Carlos Bravo (Programmer, Unity)
Francisco Taam (Game Designer & Producer)
Gustavo Araújo (Artist)
Iago Rafael (UX/UI Designer & Producer)
Lucas Araujo (Musician & Programmer)
Lucas Moreno (Sound Designer & Programmer)
Markson Arguello (Programmer, Battle System)
Each member contributed with their expertise — from programming, sound, and art to UX/UI and production — ensuring a multidisciplinary approach that combined narrative, mechanics, and education.
challenge.
The main challenge was to merge three different gameplay inspirations — Super Mario World map navigation, Human Resource Machine block coding, and Final Fantasy turn-based battles — into a cohesive, educational yet immersive experience.
The design also needed to ensure that failure was not framed as defeat but as an essential part of the learning process — reinforcing programming logic through iteration and experimentation.
process.
The project began with worldbuilding — creating the lore, map, and characters of Terveijan, a 400-year-old kingdom facing dangerous creatures and a mysterious turning point in its history.
We defined game flow around three main stages:
Map Navigation – unlock levels and cutscenes;
Cutscenes – reveal story progression;
Combat – assemble algorithms from blocks to overcome enemy patterns.
Core mechanics included:
Block-based coding (if, else, while, for, switch, and robot-specific commands);
Debug Notebook for analyzing enemy attack patterns;
Stations of Tape as collectible lore points;
Medal system for optimizing solutions.
As the UX/UI Designer, I designed the game interface to make block programming intuitive and visually clear, balancing clarity for beginners with complexity for advanced strategies. I also contributed to game production, ensuring narrative consistency across UI, story beats, and mechanics.
results.
The final concept successfully integrated puzzle-solving, combat strategy, and educational programming. Players progressed by decoding enemy behaviors, improving algorithms, and unlocking story segments that revealed the protagonist’s identity and the fate of Terveijan.
The design’s core educational value lay in reframing "failure" as a debug opportunity, reinforcing problem-solving resilience — a mindset directly tied to real-world programming practices.
