Escaping the Reflection: Designing a 2D Horror Game with a Learning AI

Hello! We’re a team of university students working on a 2D horror game called rêver (French for 'to dream') about escaping a labyrinthine mirror-realm, which is a surreal, distorted version of your own house that represents the depths of your unconscious. In this world, fragments of repressed emotions and corrupted memories resurface as you attempt to escape.

The core gameplay loop is simple but tense: explore → collect items → evade/hide → solve puzzles → escape. Each room presents a puzzle, and completing them gives you pieces toward solving the main puzzle: finding the key to escape the mirror-realm.

But what makes this escape truly terrifying is the evolving AI adversary. It learns your movements, remembers your choices, and gets smarter at cutting off your escape routes the longer you play. With low visibility, dynamic flashlight lighting, and pixel-art top-down/isometric visuals, every step feels dangerous.

Core mechanics include:

• Movement: Walk, sprint (with stamina), hide under furniture.
• Inventory & Items: Collect, equip, and use items to survive.
• Puzzles & Progression: Solve room puzzles to piece together the final escape.
• AI & Traps: Avoid environmental traps and an enemy that keeps learning.

This devlog is the first look at our ideas! We don’t have a build to show yet, but we’re excited to share our design direction and get feedback as we bring this unsettling experience to life.