This is a submission for the June Solstice Game Jam

What I Built

Turing's Solstice is an arcade runner that blends fast-paced action, logic puzzles, and a narrative inspired by the June Solstice and Alan Turing's legacy.

You control SOL-42, an artificial intelligence created to maintain the balance between Light and Darkness. The SOL-ENIGMA, an ancient machine responsible for the transitions between Day and Night, has started generating unstable codes, threatening to plunge the world into chaos. To restore order, you must run through an ever-changing world, dodge obstacles, collect energy, and decipher codes before each transition happens.

The game combines reflex-based gameplay with logic and cryptography puzzles that affect the environment in real time.

Play the Game

🔗 Play Turing's Solstice on Vercel

How I Built It

The game was built using TypeScript, Vite, and the Canvas API, without relying on any game engine.

Tech Stack

TypeScript for game logic

Vite for development and build pipeline

Canvas API for rendering

Google Gemini API for procedural puzzles and AI interactions

JSONBin.io for global leaderboard

localStorage for persistence

Architecture

Core: Game, GameUpdater, GameInitializer, ModeManager, EnigmaHandler

Systems: RenderSystem, EnigmaSystem, InteractionSystem

Services: GeminiAdapter, RankingService, TuringTestService

Controllers: UIController, InputController

Entities: Player, Obstacle, Platform, EnergyOrb

Key Decisions

1. No game engine: Built entirely with the Canvas API for full control over rendering and performance.




2. Dynamic puzzles: Gemini API used to generate procedural puzzles and SOL-ENIGMA interactions.




3. Responsive design: Custom getFontSize() scaling system for consistent cross-device experience.




4. Global ranking: Fingerprint-based identification for leaderboard integrity.




5. Progression system: Cycle-based design culminating in a secret challenge at Cycle 25.

Challenges Faced

JSON truncation: Implemented cleanup logic to repair malformed AI responses.

Mobile balancing: Optimized obstacle spacing and player positioning for smaller screens.

Cross-device UI: Custom scaling strategy to ensure readability across all resolutions.

Prize Category

🏆 Best Google AI Usage

The game uses the Google Gemini API in two main ways:

Procedural generation of logic, binary, cryptography, and pattern-based puzzles.

Dynamic SOL-ENIGMA interactions that respond to gameplay events and player progress.

The system includes a fallback mechanism to ensure gameplay remains functional even without API access.

🏆 Best Ode to Alan Turing

This game is a tribute to Alan Turing through both mechanics and narrative:

Inspired by Enigma codebreaking and cryptography principles.

Binary and logic-based puzzles integrated into gameplay.

The question “Can machines think?” is central to the story.

Final challenge inspired by the Turing Test, unlocked at Cycle 25.

Exploration of AI perception and human-machine distinction.