Satelital is a rule-discovery puzzle game built entirely from scratch by a solo developer. The game includes a custom game engine, renderer, development tools, puzzle systems, asset pipeline, art and music.

The game itself is about solving alien puzzles through observation and experimentation. It has six celestial bodies, each with its own set of rules, and more than 120 handcrafted puzzles.

Building a game from scratch

Satelital is built around a custom C++ engine and a set of tools made specifically for the game. Everything is built from scratch, including the renderer, UI, build system and a small custom library that replaces the C++ standard library.

A custom level editor is used to build the game's puzzles and worlds. A Blender plugin also hot-reloads assets into the game, making it possible to see changes immediately while working on them.

Most of the game's 3D assets are prerendered in Blender, while 3D SDFs are used for some animations. The game uses a fixed orthographic top-down camera to give it a 3D look while keeping the game running as a 2D game. Lighting and shadows are fully dynamic.

Features

• Open Exploration

  1 moon, 1 star and 4 planets that can be visited in any order

• Over 120 Handcrafted Puzzles

  Each bringing a new idea that builds on the last

• 4-6 Hours

  A compact puzzle journey that respects your time

• Original Soundtrack

  Atmospheric ambient music for concentration