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Code by Pawpu

2026

Skyrealm

Browser action-RPG — fly with a Guardian, bond Aetherlings, and play in the Aether.

Lab · Solo founder · product & engineering (Momentra Labs)

Written by Al Beltran (Al Andrew Paul Beltran), Software Engineering Lead.

Open live site

Desktop, tablet, and iPhone 16

01 · The problem

Most personal game demos never become a public URL someone can open in a browser. Skyrealm needed a playable fantasy loop — Guardians, Aetherlings, quests, and aerial combat — without an install.

Skyrealm is a browser action-RPG Al Andrew Paul Beltran (Al Beltran) designed and developed as founder of Momentra Labs. The public game at skyrealm-ruby.vercel.app is Guardians of the Aether: fly with a Guardian, bond Aetherlings, and come home with coins, eggs, and glory.

02 · My role

Solo founder · product & engineering (Momentra Labs)

03 · The result

Shipped a React + Vite web game on Vercel with a magazine-like marketing cover, Play Now into the session, and in-browser controls (drag / WASD, auto-fire, E special). The live demo is the product.

04 · Architecture

  1. 01

    Public Vite SPA on Vercel at skyrealm-ruby.vercel.app

  2. 02

    React game and marketing surfaces in one browser bundle

  3. 03

    Play Now session with Guardian loadout, Aetherlings, and HUD

  4. 04

    End-to-end founder ownership of product and engineering

The story

The constraints
A personal game has to be playable from a URL. No store listing. No install.
The hard part
Cover, first Guardian, and controls have to land in one browser session.
The trade-off
One Vite bundle is honest and shippable. It also means the marketing cover and the game loop share a release.
What broke
Not a published outage. The failure mode to avoid is a trailer page that never plays.
What changed
The live demo is the product.
What I would do differently
I would still ship the loop first. I would split the cover route only if the bundle started to hurt first paint.

Diagram

Sanitized architecture. Hover is optional — tap or focus a box.

Player

Purpose
Opens a URL. No install.
Trade-off
Browser constraints are the console.
Scale
One session, one machine.

Implementation

  • Play in the browser — no install
  • Guardians of the Aether cover, including Aurelia, guardian of dawn
  • Bond two Aetherlings; coins, eggs, and glory as the run rewards
  • Drag / WASD movement, auto-fire, and E special
  • Guardians, Treasures, World, and How to Play surfaces
  • Public demo at skyrealm-ruby.vercel.app

Challenges & outcomes

Challenges

  • Keeping a fantasy web game readable as a cover and immediately playable
  • Shipping a Vercel demo that is the real product, not a trailer page

Outcomes

  • Public web game live at https://skyrealm-ruby.vercel.app/
  • Shipped as a founder-owned Momentra Labs product, not a client case study

Lessons

  • A game belongs in a portfolio when someone can play it from a URL
  • Cover, controls, and a first Guardian have to land in one screen