SCHOOLBOUND
2025 | Windows and macOS
Made for a course assignment, Schoolbound is a narrative horror set in a Southeast Asian school, where the player is tasked to buy and complete a haunted collection of cards to break their curse of being bound to the school.
At night, the player must avoid the roaming spirits while exchanging items lost by students with the cryptic bookshop auntie for money. In the day, the player can buy card packs of the haunted collection from the same bookshop auntie, who becomes a warm caretaker for everyone.
OVERVIEW
Released: April 2025 on Windows and macOS
Download from: https://cobolo.itch.io/schoolbound
Reception: Featured in Lianhe Zaobao, Singapore’s largest Chinese-language newspaper. Over 4,000 downloads and 100,000+ streaming views within 3 months of launch.
Time spent on project: 12 weeks
Team size: 6
Contributions: Gameplay design, programming, events programming and scripting, gameloop and emergent horror design, enemy behaviours, player progression, player stealth mechanics, player interaction system, player dialogue system, and sound design.
MARKETABLE HORROR
Tense yet satisfying fear-building.
- Paced suspense through stealth and chase sequences instead of relying on jumpscares.
- Manageable cast of ghosts with different behaviours and strategies to tackle them.
- Designed to evoke tension and dramatic reactions, for streamers and their audience, and horror game enthusiasts.
A familiar school turned haunted.
- Draw on Southeast-Asian school motifs and rumours to spark nostalgia and recognition for local audiences.
- Compact supernatural narrative to let anyone jump in and connect with the setting immediately.
Efficient loop with market appeal.
- Two-phase cycle of daytime trading and nighttime survival.
- Capitalised on blending card-collecting trends with extraction-style play.
- Kept development lean by limiting mechanics and assets; focus on a replayable loop that is also engaging to watch.
TEAM
Erin Kristyn M. T. Perera | Concept Artist, Character Texture Artist, and Illustrator
Ethan Yap Jean Ray | Producer, 3D Artist, and Publicity
Grey Goh Zi Ying | Game Writer and Illustrator
Jake Lew Zhi Jie | Gameplay Co-Designer, Programmer, and Scripter
Neo Wei En | Gameplay Co-Designer and Programmer
Tan Rae Yu, Clara | 3D Artist and Publicity
ASSET CREDITS
Under CC0 license or equivalent, additional textures from wriks and Screaming Brain Studios, and SFX from the repositories Freesound and Pixabay.