A downloadable game

A narrative RPG about emotional regulation, belonging, and the worlds we build inside ourselves.

About the Game

Kindred transforms emotional resilience into a playable journey of self-understanding.

Players step into Elara, a realm sustained by a shared emotional current called the Light. When the Light fractures, emotions lose harmony and manifest as distorted worlds known as Mind Dungeons.

You play as a Kindred, a traveler who explores these symbolic landscapes to restore balance through emotional regulation, breathing, and reflection.

Two central figures anchor the early story, including:

  •  Amuro, a young wanderer who has learned to suppress his own emotions, to appease those around him
  •  Urren, an empathetic guardian who struggles through the loss of his family and his people owing to his own inability to save them from harm


Core Gameplay

Kindred is built around emotional mechanics inspired by evidence-based mental health practices (CBT, DBT, ACT, and Schema Therapy):

  • Mind Dungeons – Symbolic spaces representing distorted thoughts (Overthinking, Catastrophizing, Shame).

  • Breathing & Rhythm Mechanics – Players regulate tempo to stabilize emotional storms and shift the world’s state.

  • Reflective Dialogue – Conversations with Amuro and Urren mirror real-world emotional regulation strategies.

  • Environmental Feedback – Color, light, and sound respond dynamically to the player’s emotional choices.


The World of Elara

Elara reflects the full spectrum of emotion: gentle, chaotic, and deeply human. Each region embodies a psychological truth: fear as labyrinth, shame as shadow, joy as resonance.

The lore and aesthetics are shaped by neurodivergent and mental-health lived experiences, designed to celebrate difference rather than pathologize it.


Studio & Vision

Luna Game Labs is an emotional game studio creating narrative worlds where care, reflection, and play coexist.
Our mission: Make enjoyable games, and let emotional wellness flow naturally through design.

We’re a 14-person interdisciplinary team across game design, psychology, research, art, and narrative, with lived experience in mental health and neurodivergence.


Connections & Support

  • Headstream Accelerator (2025 Cohort) – for digital wellbeing innovation

  • One Mind Community Advisory Network – for lived-experience game co-design


Prototype Status

This build introduces a small, playable slice of Kindred’s universe.
Our current focus: demonstrating emotional feel through gameplay—breathing, choice, and the regulation of anxiety in an Anxiety Mind Dungeon.

Future milestones:

  • Nov 2025: Youth co-design sessions & “One-Room Prototype” vertical slice

  • 2026: One Mind Accelerator application & Kickstarter pre-launch

  • 2027: Full vertical slice and early-access release


Art & Branding

Kindred’s art direction blends soft, storybook painting with ambient bioluminescence, inspired by Sky: Children of Light, Gris, and Journey.


Intellectual Property

All narrative, code, art, and lore are original works owned by Luna Game Labs LLC (U.S.). GitHub and internal archives preserve project source files, documentation, and contributor IP agreements. AI-generated placeholder assets are temporary and will be replaced with fully original human-created art.

Credits

  • Jocelyn Lai, PhD - Program Management
  • Suzanna So, PhD, LP - Co-Founder, Co-Design
  • Justine Bautista, PhD - Co-Design
  • Novia Wong - Co-Design
  • Colin Chen - Business Strategy
  • Dennis Tran - Accessibility Consultancy, Narrative: Grief/Shame
  • Alan Lan - Product Strategy, Narrative: Concept, Game Mechanics
  • Christopher Vo - Clinical Strategy, Community, Game Mechanics
  • John Bunyi - Community Development
  • Penelope Battistello - Creative: Art
  • Zoe Cain - Creative: Art
  • Tom Sandbrink - Engineering: Battle
  • James Koh - Engineering: Narrative
  • Christian de Luna - Founder

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