Ziyan Zhao





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The Friend in the Shadows


Group Project | Nov 2025 | Background Art | CLIP STUDIO PAINT
Play link: https://ye-will.itch.io/the-friend-in-the-shadows







 

This is a dark fairytale-style puzzle game about a lonely girl named Milly.

Milly claims she can see spirits, and has a powerful invisible friend: you, the player. But no one believes her. To prove she’s telling the truth, Milly accepts a dare to explore a haunted Victorian mansion. There, she discovers that those rumored ghosts aren’t scary at all: They are just stuck, and a little sad.

With your help, Milly solves puzzles, unlocks rooms, and uncovers the stories each spirit left behind. What begins as a spooky challenge slowly turns into a gentle friendship between a child, some ghosts, and a player only she can see.

 
 
 
  

Team Introduction

Jiaxuan Ye
Game Design Programming

                                    

Yiting Tao
Character Design Animiation

                                    

Ziyan Zhao(Me)
Background Art 
UI & Props Design







Gameplay Overview


The game map is composed of 12 square room tiles, including:



  • 4 rotatable and movable hallway tiles
  • 2 fixed hallway tiles (one unlocked later in the game)
  • 4 ghost NPC rooms (zoomable and explorable, also primary locations for item collection)
  • 2 empty slots used as temporary storage for movable tiles



Players need to rearrange and rotate room tiles to create continuous paths, guiding Milly through the haunted mansion to uncover puzzles and story events.






Item Interaction & Puzzle Design



The game’s item system is full of playful surprises, often breaking the fourth wall to reflect the idea that the player is Milly’s “invisible, all-powerful friend.”

For example:
  • Pulling the gear-shaped “Settings” UI off the screen to repair a broken mechanical door
  • Blocking the flooding water with a broom
  • Enlarging a tiny fish with a magnifying glass and gifting it to a disappointed fisherman

The image below demonstrates such ideas:






Art & Asset Showcase
 While character art was handled by my teammate Yiting, I focused on shaping the rest of the game’s visual identity—from atmospheric backgrounds to interactive UI and props.

I also contributed to early worldbuilding and character ideation, helping translate keywords like “scary characters” and “artsy twins” into distinct narrative prompts for the team. Also, many of the visual elements were designed to reflect character presence: props tied to NPC preferences, traces of their routines, or subtle clues to guide player interpretation—making the mansion feel like a space truly lived in.

A young inventor lives here. Gears and modified toys suggest someone who’s always tinkering with new ideas.
This room is home to a woman who loves knitting. There’s fabric all over here, from quilts to curtains.
The collector’s side is tidy and sharp. The musician’s? Loud, messy—and there’s coffee on the piano.
This fisherman dreams of catching something huge—but so far, he only gets  disappointment.
Visual Exploration