A cozy journaling game for self-reflection based on advent calendar mechanics

Inspired by an inner-journey

I have struggled with anxiety my whole life and just recently "discovered" the power of journaling as a tool to deal not only with it but also for general self-care. While researching it, I found journaling games to be a thing and fell in love with the idea. Since then, I have had this drive to try to combine these two things into one, hence The Hearthlight Chronicles. Hopefully, it will help others find the same sense of comfort and creative expression.

In The Hearthlight Chronicles, you will be immersed in a whimsical village full of wonder and hidden stories. While exploring it, you will also be doing a bit of self-discovery. Prompts will guide this exploration while proposing you engage the experience with curiosity, kindness, or creativity.

Key features

• A 24-Day Journey: You will explore the charming village of Hearthlight through daily prompts, each encouraging a curiosity, kindness, or creativity-driven approach.
• Personal Reflection: Your responses shape the experience, offering a very personal, thoughtful, and meditative experience.
• Cozy Vibes: Perfect for winding down, escaping a hectic day/week/year, or immersing yourself in a warm and welcoming world.
• Low requirements: You will need the PDF, a six-sided die, and a way to keep records, which includes this big gray matter in your skull, but a journal is the recommended way.

In a nutshell

• You roll the die to get which stat to interpret the prompt with
• You read the prompt
• You roll the die again to determine the level of success
• You reflect on it and then resolve the prompt

How to get it?

The Hearthlight Chronicles is now available as a PDF download on Itch.io. Currently on sale until Christmas day.

A glimpse into the journey

Let's take the first prompt for example:

Day 1: The Arrival
You arrive at the entrance to Hearthlight, a place of warmth and wonder. What do you notice first about it?

• Curiosity: What captures your attention? Is there anyone there?
• Kindness: How can you express gratitude for such a welcoming entrance? What sort of feelings do you have?
• Creativity: How does the environment inspire you? And how do you use this inspiration? Is there any extravagant architecture?

This could be resolved with Curiosity like this:

I noticed the light moves in a way that doesn't make sense. Unnatural. Dancing. Defying laws of physics. There are no shadows. I want to try to touch the light, even though it doesn’t make sense to do so.
I can’t touch the light, even though it looked “touchable”. But I could confirm that there are no shadows created in this place. There was no shadow of my own hand anywhere.

Unwind

With The Hearthlight Chronicles, I tried to make more than a game, it's also an invitation to slow down a bit. Stop, reflect, and smell the pine trees along the way. :)