Inspiration
Most learning apps focus on correct answers, scores, and progress. But what if a learning game remembered what you got wrong and used those mistakes to shape your next challenge?
That idea inspired DEJAVU — a Matrix-inspired AI learning game built around a simple principle: mistakes should become opportunities to learn.
What it does
DEJAVU turns studying into a short, interactive learning experience. Players enter a topic, receive a concise three-card lesson, and test their understanding through turn-based battles.
Its defining mechanic is persistent learning memory. When a player answers incorrectly, the mistake can be saved as a weak concept. Later, the final boss uses harder variations of previously missed concepts to challenge the player again.
The experience also includes a mentor that recalls saved learning history and a review flow that lets players revisit weaknesses with fresh questions.
How we built it
DEJAVU uses Python and Flask for the application, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for the interface, and SQLite to persist learning history. Google's Gemini API supports AI-powered content generation when live mode is enabled. A deterministic fake-AI mode is also available for reproducible local testing.
The application is organized into services for lessons, battles, boss encounters, mentor context, and review. Automated tests cover key application flows and behavior.
Challenges we faced
One major challenge was making learning memory meaningful rather than simply storing a history of answers. Mistakes needed to connect to identifiable weak concepts, and those concepts needed to influence later boss questions in a traceable way.
Another challenge was keeping AI-generated content structured and predictable enough for a game. Validation, controlled application flows, and repeatable test scenarios helped make the experience easier to verify.
What we learned
Building DEJAVU reinforced the importance of turning an AI concept into a clear, testable product loop. Persistent memory becomes much more useful when it changes what happens next, rather than merely recording what happened before.
DEJAVU — You have been here before. This time, your mistakes shape the challenge.
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