Echos of Tomorrow Game Design

Echos of Tomorrow

When I started designing Echoes of Tomorrow, I wanted to see if a short digital game could make students pause and think before inventing the future. The idea began with a simple question: What if every innovation had an echo that reached forward in time?

From that question came a 2D side-scrolling world where players act as inventors. They make decisions about technology, ethics, and the environment and see those decisions unfold across three eras: the past, the present and the future. Each level adds complexity, forcing the player to balance ambition with responsibility.

Reflection on the Design Process

Creating Echoes of Tomorrow pushed me to blend storytelling with learning outcomes. My biggest challenge was making ethical reflection interactive rather than instructional. I learned that moral choices work best when the game reacts immediately when the world changes based on what the player values most.

I designed the game loop around discovery, decision, and reflection. This rhythm helps learners slow down, analyze consequences, and replay with new strategies. Using Construct 3, I mapped simple cause and effect systems to show how one small decision in the Foundry level could ripple all the way to the Horizon.

If I could redo one step, I’d test player emotions earlier. Watching real players respond to tension between “progress” and “preservation” would shape how choices feel. I also plan to refine accessibility tools like narration and optional speed settings, so that reflection feels inclusive not rushed.

In the end, this design process reminded me that games are ethical mirrors. They don’t lecture; they show us our priorities. Echoes of Tomorrow isn’t about right or wrong answers it’s about seeing the weight of every invention and realizing that every choice carries forward. 

Behind the Design

• Core Dynamic: Decision-Making and Exploration

• Learning Objective: Evaluate how innovation decisions affect long-term consequences.

• Assessment: Balance meter that visualizes the relationship between Technology, Ethics, and Environment.

• Reward System: Unlockable endings and narrative reflections based on ethical balance.