Eva Terminal
A lateral thinking puzzle game with an AI game master
Eva Terminal is a new take on the classic lateral thinking puzzle game, where players solve scenarios through questioning.
At the heart of the game is the conversation between a game master, who provides the scenario, and a player, who asks questions to uncover the secret.
See it in action
A walkthrough of a puzzle with Eva.
What is a lateral thinking puzzle?
A lateral thinking puzzle is a verbal puzzle where you guess the scenario by asking questions. The key is conversation: a game master provides the scenario, and the player asks questions to figure it out.
Inspired by AI chatbots, we wanted players to feel the thrill of solving puzzles through conversation with an AI — making the classic format more engaging, dynamic and accessible.
How Eva works
We designed a virtual interface featuring our main character, Eva, who serves as the game master. Eva presents a scenario, and the player solves it by asking yes-or-no questions. Eva can only answer "Yes," "No," or "Doesn't relate."
We integrated the Gemini API into a Node.js app to create a chat-style terminal. Gemini is given the scenario and its solution, then judges each question by how closely it relates to the answer.
Designing Eva
Eva's pixel-art character, our sticky-note planning wall, and four versions of the terminal interface on the way to the final design.
Challenges
- Making sure the AI could understand and respond to a wide range of questions, using Google AI as a text analyzer.
- Fine-tuning how the AI judges answers so the puzzles stay challenging but fair.
- Giving the AI enough information, through detailed scenario setups and solutions, to answer well.
What's next
- AI-generated puzzles, for an ever-changing set of challenges.
- Saving player feedback on Eva's answers to keep improving the experience.
- Bringing the game to more platforms, like mobile.