The Game
Attention has a cost.
So does haste.
Crossroads is a free, original web game created by Ayo Fidis at 16Crowns — built around attention, choice, interpretation, and consequence. Players race through an illustrated world while an opponent moves at the same base speed.
Along the way, players can stop to listen to Orisha-inspired travelers, investigate their surroundings, collect and trade items, uncover hidden shortcuts, and decide whether a clue is worth the time it takes to understand.
Stopping to listen may slow a player down in the moment — but the right interpretation can reveal a faster route. Ignoring a clue may feel efficient until the player reaches a dead end and has to retrace their steps.
How It Works
The Mechanics
Branching Routes
Deliberate dead ends and hidden shortcuts reward attention over speed.
Environmental Clues
The world speaks — but only to those who pause long enough to listen.
Item Interactions
Collect, trade, and use items that shift the path ahead.
Timed Competition
Race an opponent moving at the same base speed. Attention is the variable.
Distinct Worlds
Forests, mountains, rivers, cemeteries, coastal spaces, a royal palace.
Consequence & Choice
Haste has a cost. So does stopping. Neither is always right.
The Work Behind It
Design & Process
Crossroads was developed through iterative AI-assisted prototyping, game-system design, narrative design, UX decisions, environmental worldbuilding, sound-direction planning, and repeated refinement of character behavior, player interactions, route logic, inventory rules, and pacing.
The project demonstrates how 16Crowns can extend spiritual and cultural storytelling into interactive digital experiences without turning the work into a lecture or static educational product. The meaning is carried through play, consequence, perspective, and discovery.
Format
Web-based interactive game
Status
Playable prototype
Created by
16Crowns
Creative direction
Ayo Fidis
Role
Concept, game design, narrative design, UX, worldbuilding, interaction design, and AI-assisted development
Help Improve the Game
Report a Bug
This is a prototype — your feedback goes directly to Ayo. If something breaks, behaves strangely, or just feels off, let us know.