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Project: Zi: The Three of Hearts
Project Started: 30th October, 2020 Last Update: 31st July, 2025
Project Owner: vSv Project Members:
Project Type: Metroidvania, Platformer, Exploration Project Progress:

Project Overview  
Preview




Three heroes. A broken world. Shape its fate through action, exploration, and dialogue.





🔹WHAT IT IS
▸ Embark on a journey as three distinct characters, each with their own story, strengths, and flaws.

▸ Shape the destiny of the realm alongside old and newfound friends.

▸ Use your growing abilities to overcome dangerous enemies and a harsh environment.

▸ Inspiration for this game comes from The Lost Vikings, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and classic old-school platformers.


🔹STORY AND EXPLORATION DRIVEN. NOT JUST ANOTHER ACTION PLATFORMER.
The realm has fallen to black magic. Using a rare element called Voxerite, wolves and owls have enslaved weaker creatures and twisted their minds.

You're Zi, a fox orphan raised in secret within the Glade, one of the last safe havens. Alongside the hedgehog Bim and the bear cub Ai, you’ll journey far beyond its borders to spark a rebellion and uncover the secrets of an ancient world.

The path ahead isn’t clear. Your choices shape not just short-term outcomes, but the world itself.


🔹SWAP BETWEEN THREE PLAYABLE HEROES
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🦊 Zi - Fast and nimble. Focused on speed and mobility-based powers.

🦔 Bim - Small, sneaky, and spiny. Crawls through tight spaces, finds food, and holds his own in a fight.

🐻 Ai - Strong, proud, and brave. Breaks through obstacles, resists cold, and deals heavy damage.


🔹EXPLORE A CONNECTED WORLD
▸ Use each character's skills to solve environmental puzzles and unlock new areas.

▸ Help the animal NPCs, each of whom has a unique story and set of reasons.

▸ Strengthen your heroes! Find and make use of hidden upgrades and skills.

▸ Discover different fast travel options as the world opens up.


🔹KEY FEATURES
🗨️ Engage in dynamic and responsive dialogue with meaningful NPCs.

📖 Experience story-rich gameplay through cutscenes, exploration, and conversation.

🎮 Custom-built engine. Built from the ground up for stability and scalability.

🎨 Pixel art visuals at a native 426x240 resolution.

🔊 Retro-inspired sound effects. Made in Fruity Loops with the NES VST.

🎵 Original soundtrack by Samantha Van Der Sluis.
Twitter/X: https://x.com/sam_vandersluis
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7589991/



🔹IMAGES
The Placid Dream
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The Dark Clearing
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The Glade
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The Whispering Bog
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The Snowy Peaks
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The Dreadworm's Den
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Relevant links
Discord: https://discord.gg/24K2b6mHdP
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SlothoonProductions
Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/vsventertainment



Project Forums Topics Posts Last Post
Public Forum
Public forum for open project discussion
5 12 Hope to play this...
By: vSv
On: 11th Nov 23, 11/11/2023 10:18:42
Private Forum
Private forum for project members only
0 0 No Access

Emotional expressions
Posted 31st Jul 25, by vSv 1 Comment
Preview

Instead of having just one happy emotion for all instances, there are now eight different ones. Each one varies slightly in tone to fit the mood of the conversation.

Here is an example of Ai's newfound plethora of emotions.
Music for the Glade
Posted 20th May 25, by vSv Post A Comment
A new track has been added to the game!

The music for the game is made by Samantha Van Der Sluis (Music prep for Star Wars, Frozen II, Avengers: Endgame, etc).
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sam_vandersluis
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7589991/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0



Here's a video from Samantha with the music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2YOjIRLbyM
Flame Dash
Posted 26th Jan 24, by vSv Post A Comment
Preview

Here's a little preview of something I've been working on.
The Flame Dash allows the player to move swiftly over short distances.

Here's a short video preview of the skill: https://streamable.com/vnv2ex
A placid dream
Posted 29th Dec 23, by vSv Post A Comment
Here's a sneak peek at one of the things I'm currently working on. This is a certain part of the game's intro where the player controls a younger version of Zi. Preview


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