Temple of Ash
Inspiration
Temple of Ash was inspired by classic puzzle games like Sokoban, combined with the feeling of exploring an ancient dungeon. Instead of focusing on fast-paced action, we wanted every move to matter. The goal was to create a game where players observe the environment, think ahead, and solve increasingly complex handcrafted puzzles.
What it does
Temple of Ash is a single-player dungeon puzzle game where players must navigate through handcrafted levels by solving environmental challenges.
Players will:
- Move through ancient temple corridors.
- Push wooden crates to clear paths.
- Activate pressure plates to unlock doors.
- Avoid lava hazards and environmental traps.
- Use portals to reach new areas.
- Progress through increasingly difficult puzzle rooms until escaping the temple.
Every level introduces a new mechanic before combining them into more challenging puzzles.
How we built it
The game was built using:
- Phaser 3 for the game engine
- TypeScript for gameplay logic
- React + Devvit Web for the Reddit integration
- Tile-based movement system
- Grid-based collision and puzzle mechanics
- Custom level definitions with handcrafted puzzle layouts
- Local save system with support for future Reddit persistence
The entire gameplay is based on deterministic grid movement so every puzzle has an intended solution.
Challenges we ran into
Building a puzzle game turned out to be much harder than expected.
Some of the biggest challenges included:
- Designing puzzles that are challenging without becoming frustrating.
- Building reliable grid-based movement.
- Preventing crates from breaking puzzle states.
- Managing collisions between players, walls, and movable objects.
- Creating reusable level systems instead of hardcoded maps.
- Balancing gameplay progression so every mechanic feels natural.
Several mechanics were redesigned multiple times before they behaved consistently.
Accomplishments we're proud of
- Built a complete handcrafted puzzle game from scratch.
- Designed a reusable puzzle framework.
- Implemented tile-based movement and crate pushing.
- Created environmental mechanics including pressure plates, doors, portals, and hazards.
- Built a scalable level system for future content.
- Successfully integrated the project into Reddit's Games with a Hook hackathon environment.
What we learned
This project taught us that puzzle design is just as important as programming.
We learned how to:
- Design levels around player psychology.
- Build reusable gameplay systems.
- Separate rendering from game logic.
- Structure scalable Phaser projects.
- Iterate quickly based on continuous playtesting.
Most importantly, we learned that great puzzle games are built through constant refinement rather than adding more mechanics.
What's next for Temple of Ash
Our roadmap includes:
- More handcrafted puzzle chapters.
- Additional mechanics such as bridges, lasers, switches, moving platforms, and keys.
- Improved visual effects and animations.
- Better sound design and music.
- Achievement and progression systems.
- Community-created puzzle levels.
- Reddit account synchronization for saved progress.
- Leaderboards and speedrun support.
Temple of Ash is designed to grow into a much larger puzzle adventure while keeping its core philosophy simple: every move should matter.
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