Cellula

Cellula is a game that takes you from a single cell to the human body, with a different game on every level

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Cellula

Biology you play, not memorize.

Cellula is an interactive game that takes learners from a single cell to the human body, one level at a time. Every instruction is written at a 5-year-old reading level, and each level unlocks automatically as the learner completes its goals.

Built with Replit Agent for the Bring Your Ideas to Life with Replit mini-hackathon at the University of Ghana.

Inspiration

The idea started with a Replit project that teaches circuits and coding through a story, one build a day, inside a simulated environment where the code and circuits behave like real hardware. It showed that a hard technical subject becomes approachable when you do it instead of reading about it.

That raised a question: could biology work the same way?

Biology is often taught as diagrams to memorize. Learners can label a mitochondrion and still not know why a cell stops working without one. But biology is really about how simple parts build up into complex systems: parts make cells, cells make tissues, tissues make organs, organs make a body. That natural "zoom out" structure is exactly the shape of a good game journey.

So Cellula starts inside one cell and zooms out, level by level, until you reach the human body.

The Problem

  • Biology is commonly taught through static diagrams and labels.
  • Learners can name parts without understanding how the parts work together.
  • Learning that is memorized for a test is easy to forget.
  • Many science resources assume reading skills and vocabulary that beginners and younger learners do not have yet.

Our Solution

Cellula turns the cell-to-body journey into a game map with seven stops:

Stop Topic
Day 0 Your First Cell
Level 1 Parts of the Cell
Level 2 Cell Types
Level 3 Tissues & Organs
Level 4 Unicellular Organisms
Level 5 Multicellular Organisms
Level 6 Human Anatomy

Each stop has learning objectives and games. Finish the required objectives and the next stop opens automatically, with a badge to celebrate.

Key Features

  • Level map with a dotted path that shows where you are and where you are going.
  • Objective-based unlocking. Each level lists its objectives. Required ones unlock the next level, and bonus ones earn extra stars.
  • Different games per level, such as building a cell, keeping a cell alive with a live energy meter, sorting cells, and matching specialized cells to their jobs.
  • Badges. Nine badges with kid-friendly labels (for example, First Cell Builder and Energy Keeper), a "My Badges" screen, and Share buttons.
  • Simple, friendly language. Short sentences, no jargon, and gentle messages like "Oops! Try again!" instead of "wrong".
  • Help tips (the "?" buttons) on levels, objectives, and badges.
  • Continue and Resume buttons so the learner always knows what to do next.
  • Retro botanical design in Tangerine, Soft Pistachio, and Retro Green, with a moving, interactive cell background and optional ambient music.
  • Demo mode and reset in settings, for previewing every level and restarting progress.

What Works Today

  • Home screen with Continue, Resume, and badge counter
  • Level map with all seven stops and a connected path
  • Day 0 and Level 1 complete, with badges earned
  • Level 2 in progress: Sort the Cells and Form Follows Function are playable, with the quiz and bonus Cell Detective game next
  • Automatic progress saving and unlock flow
  • My Badges screen with locked and earned states

Roadmap

  • Finish the games for Levels 2 to 6 (heartbeat rhythm, amoeba arcade, grow-a-creature, and an oxygen journey are planned)
  • Read-aloud support for every instruction
  • A traveling cell character that moves along the map path
  • Telegram Mini App version, since Cellula is already a web app
  • Challenge links and shareable badge images
  • A teacher mode with class progress

How We Used Replit Agent

I designed the curriculum, the level progression, the game mechanics, and the unlock rules. Replit Agent built and refined the app from step-by-step prompts:

  1. A level map and Day 0 tutorial
  2. A syllabus-driven progression system with objectives and automatic unlocking
  3. A full visual revamp with a new color palette and an interactive animated background
  4. Game logic and a tooltip system
  5. Badges with labels, plus a codebase audit and fixes

Each step was tested, then improved with follow-up prompts when something broke.

What We Learned

  • Small, specific prompts, one change at a time, give better results than one giant prompt.
  • A clear structure (objectives, games, and unlock rules kept in one place) makes it easier to add new levels.
  • Designing for a 5-year-old reading level makes the app easier for everyone to use.

Screenshots

  1. Home screen: "Shrink. Dive in. Grow out." with Continue, Resume, and badges
  2. Level card: Level 2, Cell Types, 2 of 3 objectives done
  3. Level map: the dotted path from Day 0 to Level 5
  4. My Badges: 2 of 9 earned
  5. Level 2 screen: objectives and games for Cell Types

Cellula: from one cell to the whole human body.

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