Queue #0.6 · Cozy exploration
色 Iro
A small spirit. A grey world. A reason to bloom.
A small spirit of light drifts through a world drained of all color. Through exploration and presence alone, it restores vibrancy to forests, villages, and the quiet lives within — no combat, no score, no timer, no failure state.
Greyscale → saturated warmth
Mushishi · Natsume · Flower tone anchors
Core loop
Presence restores the world
Enter a zone fully desaturated. Color blooms in a radius as the spirit moves — a passive trail that fades slightly but never fully reverts. Anchor points (wells, hearths, ancient trees) need a visit or a linger to finish a zone; entering an interior can restore its exterior at once.
When a zone hits full restoration, an ambient event fires — leaves rustle, chimneys smoke, flowers open. Already-restored areas stay restored. The emotional payoff: you are the reason the world woke up again.
Spirit
Dissolve, don’t knock
Player is the Akoro Pixel Spirit (~32×24, dreamlike vs 16×16 tiles). Disappear / ReAppear handles doors and zone boundaries — no dialogue, no tutorial text.
Move, idle near anchors, optional dash between zones, Shoot for color bursts on anchors. Glow intensifies near anchor points; the world itself is the only progress UI.
Three connected zones
One map · explore in any order
The Forest
Anchors: ancient tree, mossy boulder, pond. Grey and eerie → lush green, birds, shimmering water.
The Village
Anchors: well, market stall, bench. Laundry sways, chimney smoke — frozen grey NPCs gain slow ambient motion when restored.
The Interiors
Anchors: fireplace, bookshelf, kitchen table. Most intimate zone — hearth fire, rug patterns, window light. Unlocks after partial exterior restore.
Audio
Silence → breath
0–30%: near silence, wind, sparse koto or music-box notes, soft spirit chime on move.
30–70%: leaves and water texture in; incomplete piano motif; anchor hits ring once.
70–100%: full ambience, completed piano + soft strings — the world breathes. Zone-complete swell is the payoff moment.
Ship plan
v1.0 scope
Assets owned (~$18–24): three zedpxl tilesets ($6 each) + spirit pack. Music and SFX still to source on itch.io.
Milestones: prototype (forest bloom) → alpha (three zones + anchors) → beta (audio polish) → v1.0 itch.io free / PWYW. No save system — one-sitting length. NPCs: shadow silhouettes in prototype or deferred to v1.1.
Comparable feel: Flower, Alba, Minit (structure). Queue #0.6 between BOB and The Quiet Work. GDD v1.0.
v2 concept only — not v1 scope
色 Iro: Chromatic Rage
Same world, different spirit — color projectiles, panicking shadow entities, paint-splatter coverage as progress. Sequel greenlit only if v1 players ask for something harder. Same world. Different spirit. Less zen.
