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Founder's Journey: A Gothic Startup Adventure

·2 min read
Level 1, the University Courtyard. The Academic Advisor is waiting on the right.
Level 1, the University Courtyard. The Academic Advisor is waiting on the right.

Founder's Journey is a short browser game I built for the Game Development Project course at LUT University in spring 2026. It mixes a branching story, resource management and 2D platforming into one gothic-themed run from campus life to the investor boardroom. A full playthrough takes about 15 to 30 minutes.

Play it at game.hannestayronen.com. It's best played on a desktop with a keyboard.

The idea

You are a university student with a dream of building something that matters, but no money, no reputation and no experience. Starting a company is told as a dark fantasy quest: the right answers are often obvious, and the hard part is following through when resources are thin and things keep going wrong.

How to play

You travel through eight levels, from the University Courtyard to the Investor Boardroom. Along the way you:

  • Talk to characters like the Academic Advisor, your future co-founder Alex and an investment banker. Every conversation ends in a decision, and your choices shape what comes later.
  • Pass short challenges: quick-time events where you hit the right keys in time, and a game where you catch things falling from above.
  • Collect coins and energy orbs, and stay away from the ghosts, skeletons and bats.

Your resources

Four meters at the top of the screen decide how far you get:

  • Momentum (starts at 70%): your forward progress. If it stalls, the game is over.
  • Money (starts at $10,000): your runway. Run out and the journey ends.
  • Energy (starts at 100%): drains as you push forward. Hit zero and you burn out.
  • Reputation (starts at 0): your credibility and social proof.

Reach the end with momentum, money and energy still left, and the quest is complete.

Controls

  • Move: WASD or arrow keys
  • Jump: Space
  • Talk and choose: Enter or mouse click
  • Pause: Escape

How it was built

The game runs in the browser and is built with React, TypeScript and Vite, with pixel art from Ansimuz's Gothicvania collection and music by Kevin MacLeod. Most of the code was written with Claude Code, while the game design, story and mechanics were my own. The source code is on GitHub.