Leyenda de la Matlazihua

Survival horror needs sustained dread, but a jam timeline rules out the scripted set pieces the genre usually leans on. The tension had to come from systems that keep working without authored moments.

A sanity resource that drains on contact with the antagonist and is restored by mezcal found in the world, paired with a behaviour-tree stalker that hunts the player through a village and forest. Six collectible VHS tapes carry the story, so exploration and risk stay coupled: the tapes are where the spirit is.

• Survival Horror Experience: Explore a haunted village and survive encounters with the terrifying La Matlazihua, whose presence will gradually erode your sanity.
• Exploration and Puzzle Solving: Collect six VHS tapes hidden in the village and forest to unlock the chilling backstory of La Matlazihua's curse.
• Sanity Mechanic: Interact with mezcal to restore sanity and counter the degrading effects of encounters with the spirit.
• Atmospheric Design: Meticulously designed environments, eerie soundscapes, and optimized textures to immerse players in a chilling world.
• Dynamic Enemy AI: An AI-driven antagonist that uses behavioral trees to stalk and react to the player's actions.
• Award-Winning Game: Recognized for its creativity and execution, La Matlazihua took third place at the Monarca Game Jam 2024.

Making the threat a resource drain rather than an instant fail state kept players moving through the space instead of hiding. Optimising the environment art and lighting for the jam hardware mattered as much as the AI did.