# Spellbound Relics 1.2 — Adventure Edition

## Design decision

The first player-facing promise is now a fantasy adventure: a forgotten language, a world that listens, and three companions on a shared journey. The former three-column lesson layout has been replaced by an original full-screen valley, a title screen, contextual world interactions, companion dialogue, and a compact inventory of spell stones. Numbered visits, instructional panel headings, the Teacher button, and the replay questionnaire no longer appear in active play. Educator tools are available through Pause → Educator tools.

This responds to David Townsend's October 31 clarification that the academic appearance itself may activate learned avoidance, stigma, prejudice, or bias. The change is more than a new background: it changes the screen hierarchy, interaction cues, terminology, feedback presentation, and the player's first task. Learners enter a story and make wishes whose meaning changes the world.

## IND-GBL basis and access

IND-GBL means **Implicit, Narrative-Driven, Game-Based Learning**, as explicitly confirmed by David. Relevant earlier chat context and the following current project documents were accessible:

- `David_Townsend_Professional_Profile_Master_Prompt.docx`: identifies implicit grammar acquisition, narrative and symbolic systems, reduced cognitive overload, immersive environments, and adaptive design as central interests.
- `Activity_4_2_Pre_Writing_Peer_Feedback_APA.docx`: frames the hypothesis that interactive narrative environments can help learners internalize language patterns before formal rules and calls for controlled pilot evaluation of retention and transfer.
- `Cognitive_Load_Theory_Glossary_David_Townsend_Revised.docx`, opening design guidance: use story and mechanics to organize attention, represent meaning and reveal consequences; reduce irrelevant interface demands while retaining novice support.

These documents were read, not inferred from filenames. Relevant prior chat context was retrieved; this does not mean every historical conversation was available verbatim. No additional access was needed for this redesign. David's current clarification about academic cues is treated as the authoritative design direction rather than attributed to an unseen past passage.

**Proposed mechanism to test:** fewer school-associated cues → less initial avoidance → more voluntary exploration and meaning-driven language use → opportunities to internalize patterns → possible retention and transfer. Each arrow is a hypothesis. Visual polish alone cannot establish reduced bias, implicit acquisition, or improved learning.

## Current commercial-game references

The following were researched through official sources on October 31, 2026. They are design references; this is not a claim that they occupy a particular current chart rank. No game artwork, character design, interface asset, or code was copied.

| Reference | Current primary-source evidence | Design principle used here |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pokémon Pokopia | The Pokémon Company reported more than five million copies sold in its first four months, in an August 14, 2026 release; describes a cozy sandbox based on restoring a world with companions | A changing world and companions provide the reason to act |
| Sky: Children of the Light | Official site describes peaceful exploration across seven realms; a June 2026 official feature discusses the ongoing art and narrative universe | World prominence, atmosphere, and quiet exploration |
| Infinity Nikki | Apple Developer's April 3, 2026 interview with the game's developers discusses environmental lighting, materials, animation and immersive detail | A coherent visual palette and responsive, purposeful effects |

The mappings in the final column are our design interpretations. This is a lightweight 2.5D browser adventure, not a new open-world 3D engine.

Sources:
- https://asia-press.portal-pokemon.com/press-release/pokemon-pokopia_20260814/
- https://www.thatskygame.com/tc/
- https://www.thatskygame.com/news/thatgamecompany-unveils-new-collectible-245-page-art-book-celebrating-sky-children-of-the-light/
- https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=9mgkwjnm

## What changed

- A title screen introduces *Spellbound Relics: The Sleeping Garden* without course branding or lesson metadata.
- An original dusk valley replaces the repeated, heavily saturated environment strip. Approved Mei, Abby and Luma identity artwork is retained, with intact proportions.
- A small story wish replaces the large mission header. World hotspots invite inspection; they do not supply a correct spell automatically.
- Rune cards become a compact star-stone inventory and spell thread. The visible inventory remains untranslated. Optional meanings appear only after placement; a lexicon is available on request.
- Luma's dialogue replaces the permanent feedback worksheet. “Whisper back” presents oral practice as a companion interaction. No microphone recording or automated pronunciation scoring has been added.
- Short spell chimes, a cast gesture, local motes, character reactions, crossing movement, gate animation and world-state effects provide response. The sound option can be disabled; reduced motion stops animation while preserving readable state.
- The travel journal presents remembered events rather than scores. The voluntary ending offers another path, another wish, or rest. The explicit replay-interest questionnaire is in educator tools.

## Preserved systems and limits

The bounded meaning engine, rune inventory, six story encounters and optional two-clause wish remain. Alternative supported solutions, distinct UNDER/ACROSS outcomes, modifier effects, pronoun reference and continuing world state are preserved. A light source is still required before crossing, and Abby's arrival still precedes opening the gate.

UDL remains available through optional written meanings, the lexicon, screen-reader rune names, keyboard/native-button interaction, replayable speech, reduced motion and optional oral participation. Cognitive Load Theory informs the compact deck, single current wish and on-demand support. Systems Thinking connects language choices to state, consequences, subsequent actions and the observational feedback used for the next revision.

The pilot's learning scope and assessment cautions remain in `PILOT_README.md`. Interjections, broader morphology and general-purpose language understanding are not added by this visual revision. Rune base forms still become inflected English models; this alone does not demonstrate learners acquiring the inflections. Speech synthesis quality depends on the device and voices installed.

Progress, accessibility settings, and existing observations retain the same browser-storage identity. The prior 1.1 screen is retained at `pilot-v11.html` with its matching script; the earlier 1.0.4 lesson is retained at `lesson-v104.html`.

## Verification and next trial

The existing 65 semantic/progression checks and the connected-world and syntax suites pass. Browser interaction testing covered title entry, world inspection, all six encounters, the optional ordered two-clause spell, voice-practice dialog, educator access through Pause, and reduced-motion settings. Loaded image references and desktop viewport fit were checked. The river's SLOWLY state was observed with its 12-second animation duration. Responsive rules are implemented; physical-phone and Safari verification are still needed. This is not a WCAG conformance audit or commercial-readiness certification.

For the next learner session:

1. Show the opening without describing it as a grammar lesson. Before playing, ask neutrally: “What do you think you can do here?” Record the learner's words without suggesting an answer.
2. Observe time to the first purposeful action and whether optional help is needed. A cleaner screen that causes prolonged uncertainty needs better contextual guidance.
3. Observe voluntary inspection, an alternative supported spell, revision after an unexpected result, and whether the learner chooses to continue.
4. Compare perception, engagement and support use with the earlier version. Keep vocabulary, duration and teacher help comparable where practical; prior exposure and novelty still confound this comparison.
5. Retain separate unmodeled English transfer tasks and delayed checks. A game-like first impression and voluntary replay do not establish implicit learning.

## Environment asset and generation record

Built-in image generation was used for the new original environment. Approved character images were reused unchanged. Production asset: `assets/adventure/sleeping-valley.webp`. The asset is tracked with the Site source. It was converted from the generated PNG to WebP for delivery; the picture was not cropped or stretched.

Final prompt:

> Use case: stylized-concept. Asset type: original production background for a family-friendly 2.5D fantasy adventure game, landscape 16:9. Create a premium, cohesive, hand-painted enchanted valley at blue-hour dusk, with the polish and visual restraint of a commercial cozy exploration game. Tactile gouache-like shapes, layered atmospheric depth, readable silhouettes, soft cinematic lighting, deep blue-green and muted jade with small warm golden accents. This is a playable landscape, not a poster, worksheet, book illustration, or UI mockup. A clear walkable grassy bank with a gently curving worn stone path occupies the lower left and lower middle, receding toward a quiet river channel at the right-middle. Distant softly lit hills and a few enormous sculptural trees frame the sides; open misty sky and distant cliffs occupy the upper half. Leave a spacious readable play area from 15% to 75% width, 40% to 76% height for separately composited characters and interactive objects. A few small flowers near the middle bank; river at right-middle with calm dark water. A low ruined stone wall at the far right, but no door or arch. Foreground leaves form a subtle dark vignette in the outer corners, never obscure the play area. Low visual clutter. Environment only: NO characters, people, animals, fairy, moon disk, bridge, gate, lanterns, interface, frames, text, glyphs, logos, letters, or watermarks. Interactive moon, bridge, gate and approved character artwork will be placed separately. Distinctive original scene; do not copy any existing game location. The background should feel like a place players want to enter, with visual interest from shapes, materials and depth instead of excessive sparkles or repeated waterfalls.