Sword Of Meaning

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

This game was made to teach and celebrate CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy).  Special thanks to Cognitive Behavioral Psychologist Marisa Leñero for helping with the concept and science behind the project and for the voice of our in-game character.  She helped us create this metaphor that makes you experience what it's like to go deep inside your psyche to defeat your worst demons.  

Sword Of Meaning

Travel deep inside your mind and slay the demons that disturb your peace. You won't do it alone, your companion Marisa will help you build the Sword required to go and face what is inside. This Sword is created out of your answer to 3 important questions:

1. Who is the person that motivates you? Yes, that person, the one you are thinking about right now.

2. What is one thing that makes you happy? It could be anything that makes you smile.

3. What is an important goal for you? Simply something you want to achieve.

The answer to these questions creates a Panel of Hope, which is used to deal with difficult situations in real life.

Gameplay

The gameplay is very action-heavy, followed by very calm moments where Marisa asks you questions about your feelings. This allows the player to breathe and follow the story before going back to the action.
We have to warn people, that it gets difficult, but the Sword mechanics allow for different ways to defeat your demons. You might not get it on the first try, but that's exactly how it works in therapy. We can say that from personal experience.

Credits

Everything you can see was made by Diego using Aseprite, everything you can hear was made by Adam and everything that is fun was made by Miguel and Norman!

Special thanks to Cognitive Behavioral Psychologist Marisa Leñero for helping with the concept and science behind the project and for the voice of our in-game character.