Sonidos

Tune into the world of Sonidos... 

Explore the lost culture of a remote island as a sound recording robot! By recording and playing back sounds, you can communicate with remnants of the people who lived there before. Can you uncover the land’s history by guiding the sounds of life back into the island? 

How to Play?

You are a sound recording robot that needs to solve puzzles by collecting and using the sounds found on the ancient island. 

Locate sound emitting objects and record their sounds to solve puzzles.

Once you’ve recorded a new sound you can use it to interact with the island in creative ways that allow you to progress through the game. 

Collect all the sounds and use your imagination to solve all the island’s mysteries!

Controls:

[A] - Move left

[D] - Move right

[R] - Record mode

[V] - Speaker mode

[SPACE]  - Interact | Start Recording (in Record Mode) | Play Equipped Sound (in Speaker Mode) 

[ESC] - Open the Sound Library 

[Q] - Cycle to previous sound

[E] - Cycle to next sound

Guide:

1. Record Mode

Enter Record Mode by pressing [R] on your keyboard. Press [Space] to start recording, If you are near an object that makes a sound, you can record it to add it to your sound collection.

2. Speaker Mode

Enter Speaker Mode by pressing [V] on your keyboard. Press [SPACE] to play equipped sound.

3. Equipping a Sound

When you record a new sound, it is automatically added to your sound collection. Press [ESC] to open the Sound Library. In the Sound Library, you can select a sound to preview and rename it. The last sound you select will be your equipped sound. 

When not in the menu, you can cycle between your sounds with [Q] and [E].

4. Sound Menu

Each sound you record carries memories with it. These can give guidance to solving the puzzles associated with them. You can rename sounds to better remember their associations.

Hints:

• This is a "metroidbrania"-inspired game, you may encounter puzzles you can't immediately solve but keep them in mind...
• Coins are pretty high up, maybe you can blow them down?
  
• Coins are for buying delicious paletas!
• Ghosts can be hungry...

Bugs:

• The memory hint system has a few associations that do not get checked off properly
  • "algo rico..." refers to the paleta cart
  • "la oscuridad..." refers to a (currently) unsolvable puzzle
• Coins aren't on the memory hint system
  • There are only 2 coins
• If you return to starting area (graveyard), you've beaten the game :)

Background

This game is our submission to the LAGS Game Jam 2025!

The game was inspired by Janitzio, a small island located in the state of Michoacán, Mexico. My family is from the nearby city, Pátzcuaro. My grandfather used to fish the waters around the island so we visited often.

In Janitzio, the people celebrate Día de los Muertos by sailing on candle-lit boats and sleeping by the graves of their loved ones. The structure of the island necessitates verticality, making the island divided into different levels connected by many steps. At the island's peak, there is a 40-meter statue of José María Morelos. I wanted to convey the island's natural beauty and culture with this game. 

For the theme Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente, we interpreted it as a question. If precious memories are lost or out of sight, do the objects that held them still carry meaning? Living in the US, it's difficult but crucial to hold onto the culture and memories from our backgrounds (Pátzcuaro - Bryanna, CDMX - Alejandro). We wanted the game to tackle themes of disconnection and multigenerational memories, through the lens of cultural anthropology. By centering our game around sound, we challenge ourselves to use more than just our eyes to explore our past.

- Bryanna

Meet the Team 

Ryan El Khoury - Programming, Music, Game Design

Bryanna Benicia - Art, UI/UX, Game Design, Sound 

Alejandro Pelcastre - Programming Assist, Game Design 

(MADE WITH LOTS OF LOVE <3)