P2 Yu Gong: Prologue

by Yanny, Eleanor and Shang

Artist’s Statement

Yu Gong: Prologue reimagines the ancient Chinese fable of Yu Gong as a narrative-rich, myth-infused roguelike that blends card-based combat and platforming. We sought to reinterpret the iconic story not just as a tale of perseverance, but as a confrontation with divine injustice—what does it mean to resist the immovable, not just physically, but morally?

Our goal was to fuse traditional Chinese visual aesthetics—ink wash landscapes, woodblock textures, mythological character design—with a modern, tightly-looped gameplay structure. The mechanics reflect the protagonist’s dual nature: his strategic mind (in card choices and buffs) and his stubborn resolve (in traversal and battle). By integrating battles with cursed humans-turned-monsters and layering in player choice (fight, pacify, or flee), we invite reflection on power, mercy, and the cost of rebellion.

In Yu Gong: Prologue, climbing the mountain is literal and symbolic. We wanted players to feel the weight of ascension, the tension of each encounter, and the quiet strength of persistence. The game is our tribute to the myth—and a call to reinterpret myth as a living, playable language.

Model

Concept Map

Initial Decisions

Yu Gong: Prologue is a single-player experience that blends side-scrolling platforming with card-based tactical combat. The player’s objective is to ascend a mythological mountain, facing both physical challenges and moral decisions. Movement is handled through WASD and spacebar, while combat involves selecting up to three cards per turn from a hand of five. Card types include Attack, Defend, Heal, Buffs, and special options like Pacify or Flee.

Key resources include health, a persistent card deck, and collected blessings. Conflict emerges through environmental hazards and enemy encounters, which are designed to reflect both mechanical difficulty and ethical tension. Boundaries are set by narrative progression and locked zones, guiding the player through a structured ascent.

We grounded our design in three core values: emotional resonance, strategic depth, and cultural fidelity. We wanted players to reflect on their choices, feel the weight of their journey, and experience a game world that draws from Chinese visual and narrative traditions.

Scope of the Game

Yu Gong: Prologue sits between a minimum viable product (MVP) and a polished vertical slice. While we prioritized completing a full gameplay loop—platforming, dialogue, card-based combat, and basic progression—we intentionally focused our efforts on a small, tightly scoped section of the broader narrative.

Rather than attempting to represent all three chapters of the story, we concentrated on Chapter One: the discovery of Flame Mountain, the battle with Iron Fan, and the revelation that former humans are being turned into monsters. This allowed us to meaningfully test and iterate on core mechanics like combat pacing, card synergy, and narrative delivery without overextending.

Visually and narratively, we aimed for a slice that feels complete, with cohesive art, music, and story beats. However, systems such as card crafting, stat progression, and fully branching choices were simplified or scoped out in favor of clarity and stability. The result is a playable narrative arc that demonstrates the game’s full potential while leaving room for future expansion in later chapters.

Playtests

Playtest 1 – Core Mechanics + Movement Feedback

Date: May 6, 2025
Participants: 1 classmate
Focus: Movement feel and general mechanic functionality
What went well:
- The player praised the fluidity of the platforming controls, particularly the responsiveness of walking and jumping. They noted that the motion felt intuitive and natural, which enhanced their sense of immersion during traversal.
- The integration of multiple gameplay elements—exploration, interaction, and early combat setup—felt promising and suggested strong foundational mechanics.
Key feedback:
- The lack of map boundaries meant the player could accidentally fall off the screen without any reset or consequence, breaking immersion and causing confusion.
- Given the game’s mythological and moral themes, the player felt that combat should include non-lethal options, such as the ability to flee or pacify enemies, to better align with the narrative tone of ethical resistance.
Iteration:
- We added map boundaries and fall detection, including visual respawn triggers to reset player position if they fall.
- Introduced two new card types: Flee (ends combat without reward) and Pacify (non-violent resolution), giving players more agency over how they resolve encounters.

Playtest 2 – Combat Comprehension + Story Integration

The player encountered the first monster

Date: May 13, 2025
Participants: 2 classmates
Focus: Clarity of card-based combat, narrative flow
What went well:
- The players responded enthusiastically to the art style, noting that the character design and environment visuals were cohesive and emotionally engaging.
- They were intrigued by the concept of blending card mechanics with a myth-inspired story and appreciated the ambition of merging strategic depth with narrative meaning.
Key feedback:
- Players were confused about card functions, especially the difference between active, passive, and one-time-use cards. There was no clear way to distinguish blessings, buffs, and consumables.
- The absence of a tutorial or introductory guide made the first few battles feel overwhelming, especially for players unfamiliar with deck-based mechanics.
- The flow between combat encounters felt abrupt. Players suggested inserting narrative dialogue between fights to reinforce story progression and give breathing room.
Iteration:
- Created an onboarding tutorial that introduces the player to each card type, turn structure, and card limits (max 3 plays per turn).
- Added contextual dialogue cutscenes before and after key fights to maintain narrative continuity and allow emotional beats between mechanics.

Playtest 3 – System Integration + Flow

Player asked questions about the card system

Date: May 20, 2025
Participants: 1–2 classmates
Focus: Perceived unity between platforming and combat layers
What went well:
- Players continued to praise the platforming experience, highlighting the natural feel of the controls and the satisfying flow of movement.
- The environmental art and level layout were commended for giving a sense of verticality and journey, which helped reinforce the overarching goal of climbing a mountain.
Key feedback:
- The combat felt disconnected from exploration, almost like two separate games stitched together. The emotional tone and rhythm of gameplay weren’t transitioning smoothly between platforming and battles.
- Players suggested adding progression gates or environmental cues to control pacing and signal when combat encounters were coming. Random battles felt arbitrary without spatial or narrative context.
Iteration:
- Reworked level design to include visual combat zones, such as monster auras or environmental “triggers” that signal incoming battle.
- Introduced narrative-based gates, such as blocked paths that unlock after defeating specific enemies, to give the game more structured flow and natural pacing.

Playtest 4 – UI Readability + Visual Feedback

Date: May 23, 2025
Participants: 2 classmates
Focus: Combat readability, UI usability, and player feedback systems
What went well:
- The players appreciated the dialogue writing and how it deepened the worldbuilding. Emotional tone and character identity were well conveyed.
- The pixel art style for characters and environments received praise, especially the backgrounds and trees, which added atmosphere and tone.
Key feedback:
- Card types (e.g., attack, defense, blessings) were visually indistinguishable, leading to confusion about what could be used when. The interface did not reflect clear categorization.
- Combat text (damage values, effects) was hard to read and lacked attribution—players couldn’t tell if numbers were coming from them or the enemy.
- The lack of real-time feedback—such as animations or floating damage numbers—made combat feel static and hard to follow.
- The positioning of cards on screen made it seem like they could be used at any time, even outside of battle, which confused the turn-based logic.
Iteration:
- Implemented color-coding and icon-based distinctions for each card type (attack, defense, buff, consumable).
- Added animated damage numbers, turn indicators, and hit effect animations for both enemies and the player to improve moment-to-moment clarity.
- Adjusted card UI layout to visually “tuck away” cards when not in use and restrict visibility during platforming, reducing interface overload.

Playtest 5 – Card Balance + Narrative Depth

Our player going through the narratives into the platform world

Date: May 27, 2025
Participants: 2 classmates
Focus: Combat pacing, card diversity, and visual cohesion
What went well:
- The players enjoyed the range of card types and felt they had meaningful choices in combat strategy. This diversity encouraged experimentation and added replayability.
- The narrative tone and mythological references were praised, with players noting that the game felt like “a digital fable.” The use of moral dilemmas was described as compelling and emotionally resonant.
Key feedback:
- Combat started to feel repetitive after multiple encounters. Players suggested adding random effects like critical hits or unpredictable status changes to spice up decision-making.
- Stats (HP, buffs, debuffs) for both player and enemies were hard to access or understand, which reduced the sense of strategy.
- There was a slight disconnect in visual style between the platforming tileset and the combat UI, which broke immersion.
Iteration:
- Added randomized card effects, such as critical strike chances and buff-based enhancements to increase variability.
- Built a persistent status panel to display both enemy and player stats, including HP, active buffs, and debuffs.
- Reworked certain visual elements of the platform tileset to better match the brush-ink style used for dialogue and character sprites.

Playtest 6 – Combat Flow + Status Effects

Date: May 30, 2025
Participants: 2 classmates
Focus: Battle clarity, effect balancing, and defensive mechanics
What went well:
- Players loved the boss fight against Princess Iron Fan, describing it as visually unique and narratively climactic. The meteor hazard added excitement and urgency.
- Exploration still felt fluid and intuitive, with players remarking that traversal between zones was engaging and smooth.
Key feedback:
- Players had difficulty distinguishing enemy vs. player actions during battle. The combat log lacked formatting, and all text appeared similar regardless of the actor.
- Certain cards were imbalanced—notably, “Weaken” was seen as far superior to “Defend,” making the latter rarely useful.
- Enemy healing effects were frustrating due to excessive HP recovery (up to 100 HP in a single turn), which prolonged battles unnecessarily.
Iteration:
- Redesigned the combat log with separated sections, actor icons, and styled text to clearly differentiate turns and actions.
- Rebalanced “Weaken” to limit its power and shortened its duration. “Defend” was enhanced with small secondary effects (e.g., gain 1 card if unused).
- Capped enemy healing to 20–50 HP per turn and added cooldowns to prevent frequent regeneration.

Final Playtest – Full System Evaluation

Date: June 3, 2025
Participants: Multiple classmates and TA
Focus: Overall polish, endgame pacing, and onboarding
What went well:
- Game was considered highly polished and visually cohesive
- Players found the experience fun and replayable
- Use of space reinforced the narrative of ascent
Key feedback:
- Final battles felt too easy; boss stats should be increased
- Card UI occasionally blocked enemy visibility
- Dialogue pacing could be streamlined
- Onboarding still needed slight improvements

→ Final adjustments:

Onboarding: Blended tutorial hints into the game through passive messaging

Movement via WASD keys, arrow keys, and the spacebar

Introduction of each card type upon first encounter

UI: Used visual cues (icons) instead of texts to indicate stats of the player and enemies. Adjusted the placement and size of cards to improve visibility of the world map, especially for spotting falling rocks.

Added music and sound effects for enhanced immersion
Refined the storyline and dialogues for improved clarity and engagement
Polished the control feel for smoother gameplay
Fine-tuned the stats between the player and enemies for better balance

Iteration History

To complement our gameplay iterations, we documented the evolution of key UI and visual elements throughout the development process. Below are the major milestones illustrated with images.

World Map

Card Battle System

Cultural References

Yu Gong: Prologue draws richly from classical Chinese mythology and folklore, reimagining legendary figures and divine conflicts through a modern narrative lens. The story is rooted in the foundational tale of 《愚公移山》 (The Foolish Old Man Who Moved the Mountains), which traditionally celebrates perseverance in the face of overwhelming obstacles. In our retelling, Yu Gong’s determination becomes a symbol of moral defiance against unjust power.

The game features characters and motifs drawn from across the Chinese mythological canon:

Yu Gong (愚公) – Traditionally depicted as a stubborn elder, here envisioned as a young hero whose desire to move mountains is as much about uncovering buried truths as it is about clearing a path.
Nezha (哪吒) – A rebellious deity from Fengshen Yanyi (Investiture of the Gods), known for resisting divine authority and familial expectations.
Sun Wukong (孙悟空) – The Monkey King from Journey to the West, a chaotic but righteous figure whose resistance to Heaven echoes Yu Gong’s arc.
Princess Iron Fan (铁扇公主) – Wielder of the magical Banana Leaf Fan in Journey to the West, here reimagined as both a boss and a gatekeeper of divine fire.
Black and White Impermanence (黑白无常) – Spirit envoys of the underworld in Daoist lore, reinterpreted as reluctant enforcers of celestial punishment.
Queen Mother of the West (西王母) – A powerful goddess associated with immortality and resistance, she appears as a hidden ally in the fight against tyranny.

The visual and symbolic language of the game draws heavily from Shan Shui (山水, traditional landscape painting), Daoist cosmology, and folk religious iconography, embedding each setting with cultural texture. Through these references, Yu Gong: Prologue invites players into a mythic world that honors its origins while questioning inherited authority and moral absolutes.

Extended Narrative and Worldbuilding

In Yu Gong: Prologue, the familiar tale of a foolish old man who moves mountains is reimagined as the first spark in a mythic rebellion. Set years before the famed feat, this chapter follows a younger Yu Gong: still untested, still searching. He embarks on what he believes is a simple quest: to find his missing father beyond the mountain ridge. What he finds instead is a world scorched by divine cruelty.

Shortly after departing his mountain village, Yu Gong rescues a girl named Xiao Lan from a rampaging beast. As they travel together, strange events escalate—cursed monsters emerge, villages vanish, and an endless Flame Mountainreplaces the once-familiar town where his father disappeared. At the mountain’s peak, they meet Ao Guang, the injured son of the East Sea Dragon King, who reveals the truth: Heaven, angered by humanity’s refusal to send tribute, has erased an entire town beneath the mountain’s fire. The monsters Yu Gong fights were once human—scholars, leaders, and citizens punished for defying divine decree.

The story unfolds across three escalating realms: the mortal lands, the divine mountain, and the Heavenly Court. As Yu Gong and Xiao Lan ascend, they uncover a celestial system built on fear and control, not balance. Along the way, they battle divine agents like Princess Iron Fan and the grim enforcers Black and White Impermanence, who explain that disobedient humans are not killed—they are transformed into monsters and bound to serve Heaven forever.

The worldbuilding draws from classic Chinese mythology while posing a new question: What if Yu Gong’s persistence wasn’t just about stubbornness, but justice? Characters like Nezha and Sun Wukong appear not as static legends but as morally complex figures—rebels, outcasts, or disillusioned immortals—each adding a new layer to Yu Gong’s understanding of the gods. The Queen Mother of the West lends aid from the shadows, hinting at a greater rift within the heavens.

Visually, the game blends traditional ink painting aesthetics with pixel-based storytelling. Mountains bleed across the screen like brushstrokes; enemies dissolve into drifting calligraphy. Battle arenas shift between narrative-infused turn-based combat and frantic bullet-dodging sequences inspired by divine wrath. Even blessings reflect spiritual logic, imbued with meaning, myth, and moral cost.

As a prologue, this chapter ends with an alliance of resistance: Yu Gong, Xiao Lan, Nezha, and others now standing together, not just to free their families, but to challenge the heavens themselves. The game ends not with victory, but a vow: to move the mountain not because it blocks the path, but because it buries the truth.

Cut Ideas and Future Expansions

Cut Content (for Scope or Feasibility Reasons)

Multi-path Exploration:
Originally, players could choose between multiple climbing routes—each representing different narrative threads or enemy factions (e.g., “Path of Rage” vs. “Path of Mercy”). Due to production constraints and the complexity of branching logic, this was narrowed to a single, curated ascent in the prologue.
Reputation System:
A morality/reputation system was designed to track how the player resolved encounters (e.g., pacify vs. kill), with NPCs and blessings reacting accordingly. While some of this logic remains implicit in dialogue or card outcomes, a full system with persistent alignment effects was cut for simplicity and scope.
Companion Control and Swapping:
The original concept included the ability to recruit and swap between companions like Xiao Lan, Nezha, and even the Queen Mother for specific puzzle-solving or support effects. For the prologue, companions remain narrative figures and do not yet enter into gameplay directly.

Future Expansions and Sequels

Chapter II: Clash at the Celestial Gate
This chapter would expand platforming complexity and introduce Heaven’s gatekeepers as mini-bosses. Environmental puzzles, divine trials, and high-altitude traversal (e.g., wind-based gliding or cloudstepping) would push movement mechanics further.
Chapter III: The Palace Above All
A narrative-heavy chapter set inside the Celestial Palace, culminating in moral confrontations with the Jade Emperor and various factions within Heaven. The player’s prior actions (combat choices, blessing sources, pacified monsters) would significantly alter the final conflict and ending.
Deck-Building Legacy System:
Future chapters may allow card decks and moral decisions from previous playthroughs to persist—changing what blessings are offered, who allies with Yu Gong, and even what kinds of enemies emerge in the future.
Mythology Anthology Spin-offs:
Additional stand-alone chapters could follow other mythological figures (e.g., Erlang Shen, Chang’e, or Bai Suzhen) whose stories intersect with Yu Gong’s rebellion. These expansions would explore other corners of the divine bureaucracy—and possibly raise questions about what happens after Heaven is reformed.