Nightshade

Nightshade is a dark low-fantasy RPG slice set in a medieval city of prison cells, markets, gates, and uneasy bargains. The game pairs Phaser for the real-time world with React for interface layers, dialogue, inventory, settings, and save-state presentation.

Stack

• React 19 and TypeScript
• Phaser for scene rendering, movement, collisions, and interaction zones
• Tailwind CSS v4 plus custom CSS for the game shell
• Local storage for save data and player settings
• Optional Gemini integration for styled NPC responses, with authored fallbacks when the API is unavailable
• Optional Solana devnet wallet interaction for the rat bribe encounter

Features

• Belt-scroll exploration with scene transitions and depth-sorted characters
• Keyboard movement with configurable controls, stamina, and interaction prompts
• Branching authored story state across prison, market, cathedral, gate, and outskirts scenes
• Inventory, quest log, world feed, settings, reset flow, and story log overlays
• Audio, cursor, and image preloading for a smoother first play session

Getting Started

Install dependencies:

npm install

Create a local environment file if you want AI-assisted dialogue:

VITE_GEMINI_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Run the development server:

npm run dev

Build for production:

npm run build

Controls

• Arrow keys or WASD: Move Elara
• Shift: Sprint while stamina is available
• E: Interact
• I: Toggle inventory
• Mouse: Use UI controls and dialogue choices

Architecture

Phaser owns the real-time game loop and emits gameplay events such as scene changes, player movement, and interactable selection. React owns application state, persistence, overlays, and service calls. Shared state flows through src/store/gameStore.ts, with story progression modeled in src/game/storyTypes.ts.

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Created for the AI Hackfest hosted by Major League Hacking.