Nova | Devpost

logo/landing screen

Inspiration

The inspiration for Nova comes from the want for more free, accessible games that make learning magical and worthwhile. In today's climate, learning feels like a chore rather than a privilege and it prevents young children from actually exploring all the solar system has to offer.

What it does

Nova is a platform game that takes place in our solar system. It follows a rocketship whose main goal is to explore the solar system until it reaches a newfound planet, Planet Cutie. In order to reach Planet Cutie, the user must explore the various planets and structures in our solar system and learn about each before moving on.

How we built it

We built Nova by creating graphics in Figma and Procreate and then uploading them to Godot and creating the game between Godot and VS Code.

Challenges we ran into

Some challenges we ran into revolved around the fact that no one in our team has experience in Godot, so the learning curve for the new game engine was tough. We also had to manage our time and divide goals beyond ourselves to ensure we got done in the allotted time.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud that we were brave enough to take on a new game engine to bring our idea to life. We were able to expand our knowledge and work together in order to create something we were proud of.

What we learned

We learned new avenues within Godot and the language it uses to create the games (GDScript). We also were able to figure out how to configure GarageBand and implement an original soundtrack into our gameplay.

What's next for Nova

In Nova's next steps, we would like to convert it into a mobile app to encourage learning on the go. We would also like to expand the levels and topics offered and the amount of customization within the game to make the learning experience more personalized.

We aim to compete in the "UI/UX", "Social Impact", "Most on Theme", and "Overall" tracks.