Qoya

This game was made for "Patrimonio Game Jam". All art, animations and programming were made at the time of the jam. Enjoy.

Qoya begins with a question: How does a community endure when what binds it is invisible? Inspired by the human and symbolic weaving that holds up the Q’eswachaka bridge — a living tradition sustained by four Andean communities and recognized as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Peru — the game translates this heritage into a mechanic of care, reciprocity, and collective construction. In a world where social ties are fraying, Qoya proposes to rebuild communal bonds through memory, cooperation, and ritual. To play Qoya is to engage in a form of resistance: a playful way of remembering that heritage is not a ruin, but a living practice that binds us.

Qoya is a deck-building with some elements of roguelike grounded in the collective ritual of rebuilding the Q’eswachaka bridge. The game is structured around cycles of 7 turns, mirroring the real-world duration of the ritual:

• The first 3 turns represent preparation and gathering,
• The remaining 4 turns symbolize the days of construction.

Each full cycle represents one year. The game challenges players to sustain the tradition year after year, adapting to increasingly harsh conditions —drought, frosts, migration—that grow harsher each year, mirroring the relentless pressures of modern life. The central goal is to gather enough qoya, the woven grass used to build the bridge.

Players embody one of four archetypes, each inspired by a real community that helps rebuild the Q’eswachaka bridge. Each archetype brings distinct strategies and symbolic strengths, echoing the interdependence of diverse roles in collective labor.

• Mouse (click, drag & drop)