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PAREHO - Samurai Card
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PAREHO - Dual Dagger Card
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Note to judges - please adjust performance if you encounter performance issues. More effects on "HIGH"
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PAREHO - In PAREHO you can unlock new boosters and relics as you play
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PAREHO - After matching 10 pairs you may cast the ability PEEK to reveal 30% of the board temporarily, simply tap anywhere on the HUD
Inspiration:
PAREHO was inspired by something simple, playing a classic card-match game with my 3-year-old son. I watched my son learn how to play the game, take turns, and have fun with something other than his superhero toys - I witnessed his memory getting sharper too!
Eventually, he said “Daddy… this is getting boring.”
That was the spark, I started thinking — how can I keep this game fun, exciting, and engaging while still offering the same memory benefits?
That became the seed that grew into PAREHO.
What It Does:
PAREHO is the classic-card match game infused with roguelite mechanics.
Each stage becomes progressively harder, with random events that can trigger at any time — system blackouts, malicious code attacks, neural desync, and more.
These twists force players to adapt on the fly, turning a familiar childhood game into something intense, strategic, and replayable.
The design is clean and simple, I implemented different performance modes to ensure anyone on any platform can play (High, Medium, Low).
The game-play is simple and easy to understand - it's intuitive. No complicated controls, no complex instructions. it's something you can pick up and play anytime and anywhere.
At its core, it’s a memory game we're all familiar with — whether it’s one you played as a young child or one you now play with your own kids
It’s a memory game — but evolved!
How It Was Built:
PAREHO was built as a solo project using a combination of modern AI tools and creative design platforms:
- Lovable.dev — main development platform
- Suno — background music
- Gemini AI — code assistance, and art
- Adobe Photoshop — visual polish, converting images to .webp, removing image background etc.
- ChatGPT — code assistance
To think this tired dad with two kids (with no technical game development background) was able to bring an idea into a fully functional (hopefully!) experience is truly amazing. I couldn’t have done it without these tools.
Challenges We Ran Into:
Time With two young kids at home and a full-time job, time (and energy, lol) was my biggest obstacle. PAREHO became a nightly ritual — from 10pm to 2am, night after night. It might sound like I’m sulking, but I’m not.
I had such a great time with this project that I'd often forget what time it was. Did i regret it every morning though? yes i did.
Lovable Credits & Budget:
I received initial Lovable credits through Lenny’s newsletter and tried to stretch them as far as possible. I didn’t want to purchase extra credits, but it wasn't going to be possible. I convinced myself to a budget and i stuck with it.
Accomplishments I'm Proud Of:
Having a fully working application (and my own website — what!)
And personally — this is the first time I’ve ever created something meaningful using AI tools.
From someone with no formal game dev background, building PAREHÓ from scratch feels like a huge accomplishment.
What I Learned:
PAREHO taught me how powerful and accessible modern AI tools have become.
They enabled me — a busy parent working late nights — to create something functional and (hopefully) fun.
What’s Next for PAREHO:
I plan to continue improving the game with:
- Online login
- Online high-score
- Cloud save progression
- New relics
- New boosters
- More card decks
- Additional special events
- More polished UI/UX
- Performance improvements
- Multiplayer
- New game modes
- Implementation to Google Play, iOS app store
I might be making a fool of myself, but then again, this whole project started because a bored 3-year-old asked daddy for something more fun.
