Temporal Debt is an experimental narrative-driven puzzle game where time itself is the main resource. Players can borrow time from the future to freeze the world, solve puzzles, and manipulate events, but every second borrowed creates a temporal debt that must later be repaid. As the debt accumulates, the game world accelerates, becomes unstable, and forces players to survive the consequences of their own decisions.
The core experience focuses on managing time as a currency, turning problem-solving into a risk–reward system where short-term control leads to long-term pressure. Instead of relying on combat or scores, the game adapts to how players use time, shaping difficulty, environment behavior, and narrative progression. Temporal Debt delivers a unique psychological and strategic experience where the future is not a promise, but a liability.
ChatGPT was used as an AI-assisted development tool primarily for ideation, system design, and problem-solving support throughout the project. It helped in refining the core game concept, structuring the game mechanics, and converting high-level ideas into a clear design plan. ChatGPT was also used to generate and validate algorithmic logic for key systems such as the time management and temporal debt mechanics, and to suggest improvements in code structure and modular design.
In addition, ChatGPT was used as a debugging and learning aid to understand errors, optimize logic, and explore alternative implementations for specific features. Some code snippets were iteratively refined using AI suggestions, but all core implementation, integration, and final decisions were done manually by the developer. The tool was mainly used as a productivity and reasoning assistant.
