We developed Aliya's Awakening as a captivating point-and-click narrative adventure that plunges players into a cyberpunk world filled with corporate intrigue, high-tech conspiracies, and unexpected emotional connections.

The Story

Players step into the shoes of Aliya, a skilled security researcher at the powerful megacorporation Cascadia Global. What begins as a routine day at work quickly transforms into a thrilling cyberpunk adventure that challenges players to uncover the truth behind a web of corporate secrets and high-tech deception.

The game's emotional core revolves around Aliya's relationship with her beloved dog Lua. As the story unfolds, players will explore themes of friendship, loyalty, and the blurred lines between technology and consciousness in a dystopian future where megacorporations wield immense power.

Gameplay Experience

Aliya's Awakening unfolds through multiple interconnected environments—from a high-tech boardroom to a prison cell, cityscape investigation sequences, and mind-bending dream sequences. The game employs a variety of mechanics including:

  • Environmental puzzle-solving

  • Computer interface navigation

  • "Zoom & Enhance" mechanics using surveillance drones

What sets the game apart is its narrative depth, with story threads that connect in unexpected ways as players progress through the adventure.

Beyond the Screen: The ARG Experience

Beyond the Screen: The ARG Experience

What truly distinguishes Aliya's Awakening is its integration of Alternate Reality Game (ARG) elements that extend the experience beyond the traditional gameplay. We created an elaborate meta-game where players discover QR codes throughout the main game that lead to real-world puzzles and challenges.

These ARG elements require players to "alt-tab" out of the game and use external resources to solve puzzles, visit specific websites, or even explore physical locations in what we call "meatspace." Success in these challenges rewards players with exclusive NFT prizes that can be claimed through a dedicated website.

The ARG component centers around trivia questions about various games and projects, creating an interconnected experience that blurs the line between virtual and real. As we like to say, it's "A game that doesn't stay inside the game."



Developed with the Help of AI


In developing Aliya's Awakening, we took an innovative approach to game development through strategic use of AI tools across multiple aspects of production:

  • Character Creation: We used MidJourney to generate character designs with consistent appearances through reference parameters

  • Voice Acting: We employed ElevenLabs for text-to-speech and voice transformation technology for character dialogue

  • Animation: We utilized Sora and Runway ML for character animations, ultimately selecting Runway ML for cartoon-style characters like Lua

  • Environments: We generated 360-degree backgrounds from text prompts using Blockade Labs' Skybox AI

  • Visual Enhancement: We upscaled images with Magnific AI to add fine details and improve visual fidelity

  • Story Development: We leveraged Claude AI to help organize game files and refine dialogue

Importantly, we emphasized that AI wasn't a replacement for our creativity but rather a tool that accelerated production. We combined AI-generated assets with traditional animation techniques using Adobe After Effects, Character Animator, and Premiere Pro to create polished cutscenes and cinematics. This hybrid approach allowed our small team with limited prior game development experience to create a visually rich narrative experience.

Aliya's Awakening stands as our innovative narrative adventure that combines compelling storytelling with thoughtful gameplay mechanics, creating an emotional journey through a dystopian future where technology, consciousness, and identity blur in fascinating ways—both within the game and in our ambitious development approach.

Play Aliya’s Awakening now!

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3338000/Aliyas_Awakening_DOGE_2042/
Epic: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/aliyas-awakening-70687e

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