Sturmi — World War II learning game.

The challenge

World War II is a broad part of the Finnish eighth-grade history curriculum. Events, dates, participants and concepts need to be understood both chronologically and as part of a larger whole. I built Sturmi to make learning active: instead of only reading about events, the player advances through them one mission at a time.

A learning path, not just a game

Each checkpoint begins with a commander briefing that introduces the historical situation, the player’s role and one key concept. The player then completes a mission, unlocks a period newspaper and answers two questions. Stars are awarded for completing the mission and answering correctly, connecting play with historical understanding.

Nine checkpoints across Europe

The journey begins with the invasion of Poland in 1939 and continues through the Winter War, the fall of France, the Continuation War, Stalingrad, Normandy, Tali–Ihantala, the Lapland War and Berlin in 1945. The viewpoint and vehicle change with the event, placing Finnish history within the wider European context.

Gameplay serves the subject

Missions involve holding a position, destroying targets, reaching a destination or collecting historical material. Terrain, objectives and events change at every checkpoint. The final Berlin level is not a battle: the player travels through ruins collecting newspapers. The purpose is to understand war and its consequences, not to glorify it.

Desktop and mobile

The game runs in a browser without installation. On desktop, the tank is driven with the keyboard and its turret controlled with the mouse. Mobile players use touch controls, aim assistance and a simplified interface designed for a small landscape screen.

Quality and sources

Automated browser tests make a bot play every level to verify that each can be completed. The mobile controls are tested as well. Historical images and other material are documented with their sources and licences, and the content can be aligned with the textbook used in class.

My role

I designed the game concept, learning path, historical content structure and user experience. With Claude Desktop, I implemented the map, missions, battle engine, soundscape, touch controls, questions, automated tests and Firebase deployment. The project combines educational content, game design and AI-assisted software development.

Result

Sturmi is a complete browser-based learning game and an example of turning a broad subject into a progressive, interactive experience. The public Finnish-language version can be played from the button below.

Tools

• HTML5
• JavaScript
• Canvas
• Python
• Playwright
• Firebase