Gameplay
How a game in Davia plays out, from the map to the scene.
How a game unfolds
A game in Davia plays out on a map and inside scenes. You move your character across a world drawn on a map, stopping at places of interest. Once you step inside a place, the game zooms in to a scene — a single illustrated moment with characters, atmosphere, and something to react to. You respond, the world responds back, and the story moves on.
On the map
You start your game on a world map split into cells. Hover a cell to see what's there; click to move. Places you've already visited stay revealed; the rest sits under fog until you get close enough to discover it.
Most cells are background — fields, roads, forests — but a few hold something to do. Those are places of interest, marked with their own icon.
You don't have to rush. The map is yours to explore at your own pace, and the story waits for you between scenes.
Places of interest
A place of interest is a named location — a tavern, a temple, a market, a ruin — that holds people to meet or things to do. Click its marker on the map to open its panel: a photo, a short description, and the characters who are there right now. Tap Travel to and your character heads over.
Inside a scene
A scene is an illustrated moment. You see a wide image of where you are, a few short lines of narration, and one or more characters either present or doing something near you. The story pauses here, waiting for you to act.
Talking to the world
You drive a scene forward by writing what you do.
Read the scene. Take in the image and the narrator's lines. Notice who's around and what's happening.
Pick a suggestion or write your own. Two short cards appear under the scene with the kinds of things your character might naturally do. Tap one to fill the input — or ignore them and type your own response. Anything goes: dialogue, an action, a thought, a question.
Send. Tap the send button or press Cmd-Enter. The world considers your move and replies.
The suggestions are a nudge for when you don't feel like writing. Your own words always carry more weight — the world reads whatever you type literally.
Drawing on a scene
Sometimes you want to point at something specific in the image — a sword on the wall, a person in the crowd, a door behind a character. Davia lets you do that directly.
Tap the pencil icon over the scene to enter drawing mode. You can mark a spot with a single click (a crosshair lands where you tapped) or sketch a stroke to circle a person, underline an object, or trace a path. Then describe what you mean in the input — "Look at the sword on the wall" with a circle around it tells the story exactly what you're noticing.
Drawing isn't required. Use it when something on the screen matters more than it can be described in words alone.
Continuing your game
You can leave a game any time. Davia remembers where you are, what you said, what the characters know about you, and the time of day in your story. When you open the app again, your game is waiting under Continue Playing on the home screen.