Sylora · Behind the Scenes
Two students from Escola Secundária de Mem Martins who decided to create a complete game as their Professional Aptitude Test, with everything that implies: code, story, art and web infrastructure.
We decided to develop a game as our Professional Aptitude Test. The ambition was clear: a narrative RPG set in Ancient Greece, with its own story, combat and exploration.
GameMaker was chosen for its accessible learning curve for 2D games. We quickly discovered that its features have limits that forced us to rethink several initial objectives.
In parallel with the game, a complete website was developed: account system, profiles, avatars with crop, story page, game area and cloud saves. The workload multiplied, and learning full-stack web development too.
Features that seemed simple turned into technical nightmares. Systems we imagined implementing in days took weeks. We learned to adapt, simplify without losing essence, and find creative solutions within the engine's limitations.
The Sylora project represents more than a PAP. It's proof that two students can, with determination and many hours of work, build something from scratch, from narrative to code, from pixel art to database.
This project taught us that software development rarely goes as planned, and that this is not a failure, it is part of the process. Each technical obstacle became an opportunity to learn something that books don't teach.
We learned to work as a team under pressure, divide responsibilities, communicate problems and make difficult decisions about what was feasible within the available time. Above all, we are certain that we chose the right field.
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Log inSylora: Echoes of the Gods was developed as a Professional Aptitude Test in the Professional Course of Management and Programming of Computer Systems. The game, website and narrative were developed by the team members throughout the school year.