The Lapis game

Goal: find the 3 signs, then reach the golden gate. Eight free levels, Game Boy-style controls (D-pad + A jump + B read). Observation, Sowa Rigpa, vows, Label, causes and care. Progress is saved on this device.

How to play

Goal: find the 3 signs, then reach the golden gate.

Move freely with the D-pad (or arrow keys). A = jump / fly a little. B = read the nearby sign. An on-screen arrow points to the next objective.

At the gate, answer the question. A wrong answer costs nothing. Progress is saved on this device.

Challenges: on the path of some missions, a problem blocks your way (a fallen tree, a heavy web page, a cold traveller, a worried villager). The screen changes: your character, seen from behind, faces the problem. Choose with the D-pad and A: Observe, Think, Help or Leave. You solve it by understanding and helping, never by fighting.

Pause: during a mission, press Pause (❚❚) or Esc. You can change character, pick a level, mute music or sounds, resume or go back to the start. Sixteen missions, all sourced.

The facts in the game

Every card in the game rests on a serious source.

• Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) — NCCIH (NIH), Chamomile, 2024
• Dew — NOAA National Weather Service, Dew and frost development
• Peppermint (Mentha × piperita) — NCCIH (NIH), Peppermint Oil, 2025
• Ginger (Zingiber officinale) — NCCIH (NIH), Ginger, 2025
• Fireflies (Lampyridae) — A brief review of bioluminescent systems, 2019 (PMC6620254)
• Myrobalan (Terminalia chebula) — Bag A. et al., Asian Pac J Trop Biomed, 2013 (PubMed 23620847)
• Lapis lazuli — GIA, Lapis lazuli description
• Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) — NCCIH (NIH), Rhodiola, 2025
• Mountain air — CDC Yellow Book 2026, High-Altitude Travel and Altitude Illness
• Turmeric (Curcuma longa) — Daily J.W. et al., J Med Food, 2016 (PubMed 27533649)
• Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) — Barthlott W. & Neinhuis C., Planta, 1997
• Green tea (Camellia sinensis) — NCCIH (NIH), Green Tea, 2025
• Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) — NCCIH (NIH), Ginkgo, 2025
• Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) — NCCIH (NIH), Asian Ginseng, 2025
• The dawn sky — NASA Space Place, Why Is the Sky Blue?
• Kelp forests — NOAA Ocean Service, What is a kelp forest?
• Light in the deep — NOAA Ocean Exploration, What is bioluminescence?
• Stars that stop twinkling — NASA Science, Why Have a Telescope in Space?
• The northern and southern lights — NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, Aurora
• Nebulae — NASA Space Place, What Is a Nebula?
• Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) — Smithsonian's National Zoo, Przewalski's horse
• Deserts — USGS, Deserts: What is a desert?
• The Acropolis of Athens — UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Acropolis, Athens
• Penguins — Australian Antarctic Program, Penguins
• Antarctica — Australian Antarctic Program, Weather and climate
• The space station — NASA, Space Station Facts and Figures
• The undersea station (lab, health tips) — RNLI, Cold water shock · WHO, Drowning, fact sheet
• The medicinal plant greenhouse (lab, health tips) — NCCIH (NIH), Chamomile · WHO, Physical activity, fact sheet
• The water-quality hut (lab, health tips) — WHO, Drinking-water, fact sheet · NHS, How to wash your hands
• The temple apothecary (lab, health tips) — Goyal et al., JAMA Internal Medicine, 2014 (meta-analysis, 47 trials) · Kirby et al., Behavior Therapy, 2017 (meta-analysis, 21 trials) · NCCIH (NIH), Using Dietary Supplements Wisely
• The old pharmacy (lab, health tips) — Johnson et al., Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2018 (840 patients) · NCCIH (NIH), Using Dietary Supplements Wisely
• The observatory (lab, health tips) — NHS, Altitude sickness · WHO, Ultraviolet radiation, fact sheet · Bernardi et al., BMJ, 2001 (23 healthy adults)
• The yurt lab (lab, health tips) — WHO, Physical activity, fact sheet · Bull et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2020 (WHO 2020 guidelines)
• The solar lab (lab, health tips) — NHS, Heat exhaustion and heatstroke · WHO, Ultraviolet radiation, fact sheet
• The restorers’ lab (lab, health tips) — de Witte et al., Health Psychology Review, 2020 (104 trials) · NHS, Breathing exercises for stress
• The monastery infirmary (lab, health tips) — NHS, How to wash your hands · Benson et al., American Heart Journal, 2006 (STEP trial, 1 802 patients)
• The research lab (lab, health tips) — WHO, Healthy diet, fact sheet · WHO, Ambient (outdoor) air quality and health
• The open lab tent (lab, health tips) — WHO, Deafness and hearing loss, fact sheet · Bull et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2020 (WHO 2020 guidelines)
• The polar base (lab, health tips) — NHS, Frostbite · NHS, Hypothermia
• The mineral lab (lab, health tips) — WHO, Radon and health, fact sheet · CDC, About Histoplasmosis
• The orbital station (lab, health tips) — WHO, Physical activity, fact sheet
• Sunflower lecithin (nutrient) — Küllenberg et al., Lipids in Health and Disease, 2012 (review)
• Magnesium L-threonate (nutrient) — Slutsky et al., Neuron, 2010 (rats) · Liu et al., Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 2016 (44 adults)
• Omega-3 DHA (nutrient) — Swanson et al., Advances in Nutrition, 2012 (review) · NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• Phosphatidylserine (nutrient) — Glade & Smith, Nutrition, 2015 (review)
• Choline (nutrient) — Zeisel & da Costa, Nutrition Reviews, 2009 (review) · NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Choline
• Collagen peptides (nutrient) — de Miranda et al., International Journal of Dermatology, 2021 (meta-analysis, 19 trials)
• Vitamin C (nutrient) — Carr & Maggini, Nutrients, 2017 (review) · NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin C
• Creatine (nutrient) — Kreider et al., Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017 (review)

A prototype

This game is made by Lapis: original code and pixel art, made for this game, no image or music taken from another game. The whole game weighs less than 400 KB compressed (images included), not counting the music. Images load only when you start.

Later: two more modes, Philosophy and Let off steam.