Symphony Season
Year: 2025 – NOW
Duration: Ongoing
Team size: 2
Role: Game & puzzle designer
Description: A mobile puzzle game aimed at beginner musicians or enthusiasts who would like an alternative way of learning music theory.
Itch page: https://fluffymichael.itch.io/symphony-season-demo
The Start
This project began as the graduation project of me and Lisa (portfolio) at the HKU. Funnily enough, our projects started seperate from each other. Only a couple weeks in, we realised we generally had the same concept and goal in mind: Making a game for musicians to learn their craft.
After our researching fase, we both came to the conclusion that music theory is something that most beginners struggle with. Having learnt one (or more) musical instruments ourselves and remembering facing the same struggles, we put our heads together.
We quickly realised that making a game with an ‘applied’ goal is far more difficult than making a ‘regular’ entertainment game. On top of requiring the standard level of polish and refinement, the game now also had to learn the player something. With neither of us being teachers, we knew we had to seek out the help of some professionals in the field.
Professional help
During our graduation time, we contacted multiple professionals from multiple fields of study. Most notably, we laid contact with a specialised group in music and technologies inside of our school. There was one thing in particular we wanted to get their help with: pitch recognition.
I wanted the player to have the option to play (or sing) their instrument to control the puzzles, instantly applying the therory to the instrument they were learning. This would’ve been a more effective method of learning, while also improving on the flexibility and accessibility of the game.
While this is still something I would like to achieve in the future, it has not been the main focus as of right now and this feature is currently on hold.
The Future
We are currently working on this project part-time and looking for new members to join our team! We would like to eventually ship this game as we see a lot of potential and benefits to this project.
Game description
The Game
Symphony Season is a puzzle game where you slowly learn the in’s and outs of the basics of music theory. This game is meant for beginner musicians or enthusiasts who would like another way of learning music theory. Rather than rehearsing the same things over and over (which is the traditional way of learning), you get to play it!
The World
The goal for this game is to teach you music theory in a fun, and stress-free environment. No hard time-limits, no harsh punishments, learn at your own pace.
And of course, having fun while doing so.
Each tower in the game-world represents a different skill in music theory. These skills can range from reading sheet music, to understanding chord structure. What towers you tackle (and in turn, what skills you learn), is entirely up to you.
Level Selection
First, you have to choose a tower with the skill you’d want to learn, then the level within that tower. The higher up in the tower you go, the more difficult the content of the level will be!
Already a master at puzzles, but not so much at music theory? Try the other side of the tower! This side has the same difficulty in content, but a higher puzzle difficulty!
The Levels
Each level has its own sets of challenges, but every level is set up in the exact same way: Get to the end of the room.
In the puzzle you see below, you have to move the blocks out of the way to get to the exit. But in order to do so, you first have to give the corresponding note that’s indicated on the sheet music hanging on the wall. During this puzzle, you’ll have to move the blocks many times before reaching the end. This repetition reinforces your knowledge on reading those notes.
The Future
Symphony Season is currently in development* and looking for talented team members. If you’re interested in joining our project, leave us a message!
*Some of the features listed are not yet present in this demo, keep a lookout for any updates