El camino de las ánimas
Pixán: El camino de las ánimas (The Path of Souls). Jacinto has fallen into Xibalbá. His pixán, his soul, must reach the Resurrection Gem before his soul candle burns out. You guide him with one finger; the Alux of the milpa does what a soul no longer can.
Every floor of Xibalbá is randomly generated. Gather golden lights to keep your candle burning, dodge the wandering souls and, when you reach the Gem, decide: do you descend deeper, where Ch'ulel is worth more, or return to your body with the loot? If the candle goes out, you lose everything.
Tap the floor and the pixán goes. Portrait mode, one hand, on the bus or in line.
A soul can't touch the world of the living: the Alux pulls levers, lights braziers and digs through rubble.
At every Gem you risk your loot for one more floor. Each descent lets you choose a blessing.
Every five floors, Hun-Camé, Vucub-Camé or Ah Puch awaits. Flee their shadow fists while the Alux pulls the obsidian levers.
From October 25 to November 3 the lights turn to marigolds and the souls' table appears on every floor.
The same descent for everyone today, three daily missions, day streaks and 20 achievements in the Codex.
Thirty seconds of prototype 0.13, recorded while the game plays itself: random floors, the Alux at work, Ah Puch and his circles, and the choice at the Gem.
Game in development · real prototype footage.
From prototype 0.13. Tap one to enlarge it.
On each floor the pixán relives one of its lives, and each one brings its own power for the big button. The last two are earned by descending.
Stalk: it becomes a shadow and the hunters can't see it.
Buzz: a wingbeat that pushes the souls away.
Shell: three seconds of invulnerability.
Radiance: a flash that blinds the dead stars.
Flight: nothing can catch it; it sees in the dark room.
Molt: faster, and souls pass right through it.
Pixán was born from the Path of the Pixán in Xibalbá: El Descenso: in the PC game, when Jacinto dies, his soul walks the path back. We turned it into a full mobile game. This is the journey, version by version.
The Path of the Pixán leaves the PC for the phone: portrait screen, touch controls and rooms randomly assembled on every floor.
Enter the soul candle, the choice at the Gem (descend or return), light combos and music with Maya instruments: conch shell, tunkul, ocarinas and rattles.
The cenote bridge collapses behind you, the dark room shows only what your candle lights, and Hun-Camé appears on floor 5.
Gem blessings, floor records and the Altar of the Ancestors to spend your Ch'ulel.
Marigold flowers, the souls' table with its offering, a daily challenge that's the same for everyone, and the daily offering.
Tunkuluchú the owl and Kan the serpent are earned by descending. Cracks in the walls hide jade chests.
A learn-by-playing tutorial, options, the Codex, app icon and loading screen.
A bot plays hundreds of floors and logs how much candle it has left; with that data we tuned the difficulty so every floor weighs more than the last. Lights switch off when they're out of view, so it runs on modest phones.
Shadow fists telegraphed by a circle, Lords who grow enraged with every lever, and a third one: Ah Puch, on floor 15.
Three new missions every day, consecutive-day streaks and 20 achievements.
The screen shakes with every hit, petals fall when you set a record, and a card lets you share your descent.
The whole game in English and the Google Play listing ready. Next up: the closed test with real players.
What did you think of the path of the pixán? What's missing? We read everything.
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