EchoRamen

Game Description

A cyberpunk-themed cooking game where players balance ingredients to create the perfect ramen bowl based on customer requests in a neon-lit future.

In EchoRamen, you run a futuristic ramen shop in a sprawling cyberpunk metropolis. Use your high-tech fridge to select and combine ingredients strategically, balancing three key attributes (Richness vs. Lightness, Spiciness vs. Mildness, and Sweetness vs. Savoryness) to match customer preferences. Manage your ingredient inventory and master the art of balancing flavors as you serve the denizens of this neon-lit world.

How to Play

• Select ingredients from your high-tech fridge
• Combine them strategically to balance attributes
• Match customer requests for the perfect bowl of ramen
• Manage your ingredient inventory between customers

Controls

• Mouse to select ingredients
• Click Complete Order to serve the ramen bowl

Game Jam Information

Created for the Gamedev.js Jam 2025 Theme: Balance

Challenges

This game is participating in the following challenges:

• Open Source Challenge by GitHub

  • Full source code available at: https://github.com/d-lowl/echo_ramen
  • Released under MIT License - feel free to use, modify, and distribute

• Build it with Phaser Challenge by Phaser Studio

  • Built using Phaser 3 framework

• $NOODS Challenge by OP Games

  • A noodle-themed game. This game was written largely with the use of Cursor. Vibe coding (прости господи) all the way.

Vibe Coding Experience

I went into this jam with zero Phaser experience, so I figured why not try out this "vibe coding" approach everyone's talking about? Honestly, it was a rather fun.

Working with Cursor (AI-powered IDE), I was able to throw together a prototype way faster than I expected. The key was starting with a structured approach - writing tickets for features before jumping into implementation. This gave the AI clear directives without getting lost in the weeds.

One thing I learned quickly: you have to tone down the AI's ambitions sometimes. Left unchecked, it wanted to build very complex systems for everything, when all I needed was a simple game feature. But once we found the rhythm, the development flow was surprisingly smooth.

For anyone curious about trying AI assistance for game dev, I'd say go for it - just be prepared to steer the ship rather than letting the AI captain take you on unnecessary detours.

Would I use it to further polish this (or some other game)? I don't know yet, but if I do, the workflow will need to be adapted (I'm not sure what exact adaptations are needed, but this workflow is a bit messy -- fine for a jam, but not for a polished game).

Running the Source Code

If you download the source code from GitHub:

1. Make sure you have Node.js installed
2. Run npm install to install dependencies
3. Run npm start to start the development server
4. Open http://localhost:8080 in your browser

Tech Stack

• Phaser 3
• TypeScript
• HTML5/JavaScript

Credits

D. Lowl -- Developer 

DavidKBD -- Music (Pink Bloom Synthwave Music Pack, CC-BY 4.0) 

raylibtech -- Sound Effects (rfxgen)

Notes for Judges

EchoRamen explores the theme of "Balance" through both its gameplay mechanics (balancing flavour attributes) and its narrative setting (the balance between traditional cuisine and futuristic technology).

Challenge-Specific Notes

Open Source Challenge

• The entire codebase is available on GitHub with MIT licensing
• Clear documentation provided in README and code comments

Build it with Phaser Challenge

• This was my first time using Phaser - I learned it specifically for this jam
• Implemented custom component architecture that works well with Phaser's rendering pipeline

$NOODS Challenge

• The game revolves entirely around noodles/ramen as its core concept
• Used vibe coding with Cursor (AI-powered IDE) to rapidly prototype game mechanics
• Created a unique attribute system that allows players to balance flavors in their noodle dishes
• The cyberpunk setting adds a fresh take on traditional noodle preparation