Behind the Anvil #1 — Mini-Games

How to craft a proper shovel using rhythm-based mechanics

Blacksmithing is not just about strength — it’s all about rhythm. Imagine: crackling coals, roaring bellows, clang of the metal. That’s the core idea behind Cinderling’s mini-game systems — and it’s what we’ve been working on over the past few months. Today, we are ready to tell you a bit more on how we are turning the art of forging into a beat-matching experience. This is your sneak peak, welcome to ‘Behind the Anvil’

Why rhythm-based mini-games?

Cinderling is a game about creation, and we wanted every swing of the hammer matter. That’s why we decided to take a step away from the traditional way of crafting. We needed something tactile, something that will make you feel the heat of the forge and weight of the hammer. Rhythm-based mechanics let us do that. They turned crafting into an engaging audio challenge.

These mini-games are a core part of our forging experience, and they make the world of Cinderling feel more alive, it creates a meaningful experience — you are not just crafting an item, you earn it.

Forge mini-game is the first one you will meet in the game

At its heart, our mini-game system is a series of rhythm-based challenges tied to the blacksmithing process. Each mini-game represents a different stage of crafting: Heating, shaping, quenching, engraving. Each one plays differently, but shares the same core pillar: match the beat, master the craft.

How we are doing?

At this point we have three mini-games fully prototyped, implemented and playable, and we’re now polishing them. Here’s where they stand:

• Heating: first game of the crafting loop. You follow the main beat by hitting the ‘Spacebar’ in time, while also covering over circles that pop up on the off-beat. The game represents crackling coals and roaring bellows. And for you — it’s a test of multitasking and timing.
• Shaping: once your metal is heated enough, you do the shaping on your very own anvil. As simple as it is: catch your rhythm and do QTE mechanics to stay synced with the main beat. Notes appear on the screen, outline shrinks toward the centre: press the button before time runs out. Simple, yet truly satisfying — rhythm sync makes it feel like you’re truly hammering metal into the shape.

Anvil mini-game is the second one: and now being revamped visually

• Quenching: stay focused — one mistake and everything screwed. This mini-game is split into acts: plunge, soak and release. One input, yet lots of tension. It’s not a mini-game — a whole rhythm journey that ends with relieving hiss.

At this point — all three are playable, we’re now fine tuning the feel, the feedback and difficulty curves.

Challenges we faced

Making rhythm mini-games is not as easy as it may sound. Early on, our mini-games felt sturdy, static, and didn’t match the rhythm. We had to dial back and pivot mid-way through development: remove visual noise, focus on tactile feelings of the actions. Simplifying mechanics, adding more feedback and hints, rework difficulty curves. We wanted to give players a better sense of progression within the mini-games. We added combos, error counters and visual responses.

We were afraid of boredom and repetitiveness — so each mini-game now has a unique set of songs! Procedurally layered audio means that no two minigames sound the same. We do this by making dozens of small beat sequences, and combining them together each time you launch the mini-game: so each combination is unique, and there are hundreds of them. Not only that but the minigame music tracks change depending on how well you’re playing.

Quenching is a third mini-game with most of iterations so far

Difficulty was also a problem — we wanted them to be accessible, yet rewarding for mastery. The solution is simple: adjustable parameters. Number of sequences, lengths of the opportunity windows, speed of the beats. And you are the one to decide — which difficulty to choose: ease in as a novice, or sweat as legend?

Lessons learnt

It is important in a mini-game to rapidly prototype, test & verify ideas. Some ideas are too complex and players get overwhelmed before they even understand the basics. Stripe down unnecessary difficulty, rebuild from there and check the result. Ideate, prototype, test. And do not be afraid to kill the darlings.

Future

We’re not done yet — mini-games are still early in development, and we are actively polishing and making changes to them. We want them to be more dynamic, more active, more engaging. We are tightening timing, refining visuals, adding more audio feedback to make every action impactful. But we are also looking ahead: now we are planning our fourth mini-game.

Sneak-peak of reputations window

Our next big focus is to tie mini-games to narration and progression systems. We want to give players more control over their experience — whether that’s adjusting the difficulty of the mini-game, or skipping the mini-game at all using some… Magic.

Conclusion

Rhythm and blacksmithing may seem as an odd pair, but in ‘The Cinderling’ they fit together. These mini-games are more than a mechanic — it’s a core part of our game’s identity. We can’t wait for you to try them out!

What do you think about it? Does this idea sound good to you — do you want to wear your blacksmithing apron and craft some axes? Let us know — your feedback will help us shape the final experience!