Perception: Heart and Mind

Perception: Heart and Mind is a 2D side-scrolling game set in Rootbranch 12, a community built on a giant oak tree at an altitude of 3,110 meters. Misty clouds surround the mountain, and the community has recently changed as the darker sides of its residents emerge. The oak tree grieves silently. You try to save Rootbranch 12 by deciding whether to meet events with positive energy and light or let malice prevail.

Combat and perception

You use precision platforming, mental and physical combat, and perception-reaction choices to make your way through the game. An upgradeable iron crowbar lets you attack robots physically, while you use the positive magnetic field that currently dominates your character, heart or mind, to attack shadows.

Choose how you perceive the world, raise the corresponding perception and earn points to improve your abilities. The reaction system asks you to respond from the heart or the mind without showing your response in advance. You must predict your own reaction, and your choices have irreversible consequences.

Progress and puzzles

The game includes item collection and use, environmental puzzles, multi-directional combat, weapon upgrades and a day-night cycle. NPC behavior is unpredictable, and there are different ways to progress. The story takes a philosophical approach and has multiple endings.

Music and mini-games

The soundtrack has 37 original tracks, alongside handmade sounds. Two mini-games are also included: a football game for one or two players, and a slime ball game with eight stages.