It Starts With a Summon | Andres Valbuena

minigames, each a different skill type: 4
in-game days of difficulty scaling: 5
romance routes the minigames feed: 3

Role: Game Designer
Tools: Google Docs, Ren'Py
Project: Game jam visual novel
Deliverable: Full minigame design doc

Astronomy minigame screen — **Astronomy:** recreate the constellation from memory, with more decoy stars each day.

What I did

Designed 4 minigames around 4 skill types: pattern memory, deduction, timing and intuition.
Scaled the difficulty of each across 5 in-game days.
Tied each class to a stat that unlocks bonus scenes on one romance route.
Kept every route completable no matter how the player scores.
Wrote minimum versions, juice priorities and an implementation order for jam scope.

Minigames and story access

I gave each minigame its own fantasy. Astronomy is learning the myths written in the stars. Herbology is proving you out-think a rival. Spells is mastering raw power. Potions is picking a gift someone will love. I gave each a different skill type, memory, deduction, timing and intuition, so no two feel like reskins. Good scores unlock bonus scenes, and every player can finish every route.

Spells minigame with a power meter — Spells: release the cast when the wave hits the sweet spot.

The four minigames

Astronomy (pattern memory) builds Myth for Keith's route.
Herbology (deduction) builds Science for Riven's route.
Spells (timing) builds Arcane for Aldric's route.
Potions (intuition) crafts gifts for the affection system, using hints seeded in dialogue.

Potions minigame with an ingredient shelf and cauldron — Potions: read each character's taste from dialogue hints.

Minigame design document

The 9-page document the team built all four minigames from.

Design philosophy: skill as progression, performance as flavor, and juice
For each minigame: how it works, difficulty across five days and scoring tiers
Narrative payoffs per route, asset lists and scope fallbacks for the jam

Read the design document (PDF)

Minigame design document: design philosophy and Astronomy minigame pages — Design philosophy and the Astronomy minigame, pages 1 and 2.

More detail

Writing for jam scope

Every minigame section lists a minimum viable version, a juice list ordered by impact against cost, and assets split into required and stretch. The implementation order runs from simplest to most complex, so the team could cut without losing a complete game.