This game was created for the ItaloCurso 2025 Game Jam, where the participants were asked to create a max 30 minutes game inspired by the Italian Folklore. Our project has taken inspiration by the legend of the Dama Bianca, the ghost of a lady who appears into the woods and old manors to those who are living in grief.

The game features a hidden mechanic, known during development as “Madness.” Instead of relying on a traditional UI element, we wanted the player to feel their growing instability through the world itself. As the player’s madness increases, the music becomes progressively more intense and disorienting, accompanied by changes in atmosphere such as thickening mist and unsettling sound effects.

The main track evolves dynamically to reflect this descent, while additional pieces appear at key points of interest and during the different endings. Each composition was carefully crafted to evoke feelings of grief, mystery, and disorientation, mirroring the emotional arc of the experience.

We made this game for the ItaloCurso Game Jam, and thanks to the long development time, we had the chance to explore new possibilities in Unreal Engine 5. During the process, I decided to dive into MetaSound, which gave me full control over how the music reacts in real time.

The dynamic track changes based on the player’s state, especially tied to the “Madness” mechanic, gradually evolving in intensity and texture as the gameplay progresses. This way, the soundtrack becomes an active part of the experience rather than a simple background element.

After finishing the system, I also made a small tutorial explaining how I built the dynamic track inside Unreal Engine using MetaSounds.