---
title: Zâmbești
url: 'http://simon.com.mt/games/zambesti'
markdown: 'http://simon.com.mt/games/zambesti.md'
date: '2012-04-03'
description: "Zâmbești\_is 2D puzzle/stealth game where you must hug as many people as possible. It was created in 48 hours during the Molydeux Game Jam in 2012. “Imagine livi"
taxonomy:
  category:
    - 'Digital Game'
  tag:
    - programming
    - flixel
    - music
---

# Zâmbești

## [Zâmbești](http://simon.com.mt/games/zambesti)

    3rd Apr 2012   [programming](http://simon.com.mt/blog/tag:programming#body-wrapper) [flixel](http://simon.com.mt/blog/tag:flixel#body-wrapper) [music](http://simon.com.mt/blog/tag:music#body-wrapper)  

*Zâmbești* is 2D puzzle/stealth game where you must hug as many people as possible. It was created in 48 hours during the Molydeux Game Jam in 2012.

![](http://simon.com.mt/user/pages/games/zambesti/zambesti-header.png)

> “Imagine living in a world where all anyone can do is hurt each other. You on the other hand, your only ability is to hug those around you.” – @petermolydeux

I participated in the [Molydeux Game Jam 2012](http://www.whatwouldmolydeux.com/), a game jam that occurred world wide. The aim of the jam was to make a game in 48 hours based on one of the tweets by [@petermolydeux](http://https//twitter.com/#!/PeterMolydeux), a parody Twitter account based on the famous game designer [Peter Molyneux](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Molyneux).

The game, called Zâmbesti (the Romanian word for smile) was based around the tweet at the top of this post. I was also inspired by Nina, a Romanian friend and fellow student at the IT University of Copenhagen. The game is a 2D puzzle/stealth game built using ActionScript 3 and Flixel where you control Nina and try to hug as many people as possible.

I did all the programming, composed the music, and did the pixel art. Since I was working alone, I tried to simplify things where I could. For example, to fit in with the natural 8-bit feel that Flixel provides, I decided to have pixel art for the art in the game. I also tried to keep the music as simple and minimalistic as possible by using square waves, sine waves and other simple waves. Since I wanted the game to be extendible infinitely and didn’t want to go through the trouble of designing levels, I deciding on implementing an algorithm that could generate the levels for me. I decided on implementing a maze generation algorithm, but when I researched the problem further, I realized that most of the algorithms were for thin walled mazes, where the walls were the cell borders in the grid. I wanted to implement thick walled mazes, where any cell in the grid could be either a path or a wall. I looked through [different algorithms and maze classifications on Think Labyrinth!](http://www.astrolog.org/labyrnth/algrithm.htm), as well as downloading a program called [Daedalus](http://www.astrolog.org/labyrnth/daedalus.htm) which implemented all of the algorithms, making it easy to see what my mazes could look like.

View the game’s profile on the Molydeux Game Jam 2012 [website](http://www.whatwouldmolydeux.com/display.php?GameID=36).

EDIT: ValiantGamers on YouTube made a [Let’s Play video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3PpJo6BXlU)!

[gallery] ![Zâmbesti gameplay](http://simon.com.mt/user/pages/games/zambesti/zambesti-gameplay.png "Zâmbesti gameplay]")[/gallery]

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