a game created in Unity 3D with a top-down perspective, which can be translated as "view from above" in Polish. Besides the entertainment purpose, the game is also aimed at teaching players programming languages. The target audience of the game is mainly beginners in programming, but also includes those who want to review or consolidate their knowledge. According to the European Game Rating System (PEGI), Project Zero is rated "Ages 7 and up". The game's languages ​​include Java, JavaScript, C#, HTML and PHP. The player creates a character and assigns points to attributes from a basic set. These attributes are the programming language.

After starting the game, the player will control a pre-prepared character through a world divided into several lands. Each land is governed by a separate language. The lands are identified by their terrain type. As players explore the lands, they will encounter creatures they can converse with. During the conversation, they will learn that they have problems to solve. Players can provide assistance if a character’s skill level in a certain language exceeds or equals the required threshold. Assistance involves playing a mini-game. Project Zero has four types of mini-games: skyscraper (multiple choice), pinpin (hook), puzzle, and maze. Each level has a unique stage design and music. Successfully completing a mini-game rewards players with coins and additional information in the form of a summary of the language the mini-game is about. Coins earned can be used in stores to purchase items such as books. Reading books will increase skill in the programming language they describe.

The game is designed so that it is impossible to purchase all the books in one playthrough—that is, maximize skill in every language. Not only does this encourage replayability across skill levels, it also helps players understand that we can’t possibly master every language. Sure, we can—but sooner or later we’ll need to use Google to remind ourselves how to do something in a particular programming language. Unique level design and music further encourage replayability.

Features

⚙️ Open world divided into many lands: Explore each of the five lands and meet the inhabitants.

⚙️ Character creation: Prepare your character according to your preferences.

⚙️ Languages: Learn more about C#, PHP, HTML, Java, JavaScript throughout the game through summaries, books and loading screens.

⚙️ Music: Listen to diverse background music that makes completing individual quests more enjoyable.

⚙️ Content: Explore and complete all prepared quests.

⚙️ Economy: Spend the money you earn in shops.

⚙️ Medals and rewards: Help the inhabitants of the lands, earn medals and receive valuable rewards in return.

⚙️ Character development: Read books and improve your skills. Learn more about a certain language.

Educational value

The game offers a non-rigorous approach to learning C#, HTML, Java, JavaScript and PHP. This means that the player does not need to analyze the knowledge provided. It is conveyed through

content contained in the book

content contained in the loading screen

mini-game summary

In the puzzle-style game, the elements that appear in the puzzle are moved

maze-style levels are additional pieces of information

pinpin type contains exact code snippets from the game

skyscraper type contains summaries of the selected answers

The information presented is condensed in such a way that

does not reject or overwhelm the recipient with too much text,

based on the principle of "keywords" so that the player can easily search for this content on the Internet