-1.png?width=200&height=100&name=Untitled%20design%20(1)-1.png "Jumpaa Creative")
Project "Emotion"
Project Emotion began in early 2025 during a team brainstorm for a game night challenge, where we explored different indie game concepts and story ideas to pick one for our next team project. As we compared ideas, the concept of a turn-based RPG built around emotions stood out the most—simple, meaningful, and fun. That’s when Project Emotion was born: a card-based battle system where players fight using four emotional types—Happy, Angry, Sad, and Fear.
From there, we started developing the core mechanics, balancing each emotion, and shaping the unique gameplay identity that defines the project today.
Concept Art by Kankuay
Story
Dee, the protagonist, was born with alexithymia—unable to identify, feel, or express emotions. For sixteen years, he lived in a numb, colorless world, watching others laugh, cry, and get angry without ever understanding what any of it meant.
Everything changes when he’s given a rare chance to undergo a groundbreaking surgery designed to “unlock” human emotion. When Dee wakes up, it’s like being reborn. Every feeling—happiness, anger, sadness, fear—hits him for the first time, raw and overwhelming. He doesn’t know how to control them, or even what they mean.
To help him adjust, Dee enters an emotional training program where emotions take shape as living entities. Through a special device, he can summon emotion cards that represent fragments of these newfound feelings. By using and understanding these cards, Dee begins learning what emotions truly are—and how they shape the world around him.
But as he explores this emotional landscape, Dee discovers that the system meant to guide him is collapsing. Some emotions grow unstable, threatening to break free and cause real-world chaos. Now, Dee must master his four core emotions—Happy, Angry, Sad, and Fear—and uncover the truth behind his surgery before the emotional world spirals out of control.
In Project Emotion, Dee’s journey is not just about saving the world—it’s about learning what it truly means to feel.
Game Design
Players manage two key resources: Emotional Energy (EE), which determines how many cards can be played per turn, and the Stability Bar, which shifts based on the player's emotional choices. Overusing one emotion can cause Emotional Overload, triggering powerful effects but reducing control. Balancing emotions is essential for maintaining stability and unlocking stronger combos.
Enemies also have emotional tendencies and weaknesses, encouraging players to read patterns and respond with the right emotional type. Special Mood Breaker Cards allow Dee to reset or shift his emotional state during critical moments, adding tactical depth.
The goal is to master emotional balance, defeat corrupted emotional manifestations, and guide Dee toward full emotional understanding through strategic card play and adaptive decision-making.
So what is our plan?
Right now, Project Emotion is still in its early development phase. Our team is currently focused on testing the core game mechanics, refining how the emotional card system feels in actual gameplay, and exploring different directions for the concept art, character design, and overall visual identity of the game.
Once the mechanics and art direction are solid, our next milestone is to begin full development in early–mid 2026. This includes building the combat system, writing the narrative, polishing card interactions, and creating a playable prototype.
We are also considering launching a Kickstarter campaign to invite players and supporters to join us early in the journey. This will not only help secure funding but also build a community around the game, gather feedback, and let fans be part of shaping the world of Project Emotion from the ground up.
Overall, the project is still in a very early stage, but each step is moving us closer to bringing this emotionally driven, indie turn-based card RPG to life.