Introducing Aurora Zen: Paint the Sky with Light
There’s something magical about the northern lights; those sweeping curtains of color dancing across the night sky. For most of us, witnessing an aurora in person remains a bucket-list dream. But what if you could do more than just watch? What if you could create one?
That’s the idea behind Aurora Zen, a new app I’ve built for mobile and VR that puts the paintbrush in your hands and the entire sky as your canvas.
What is Aurora Zen?
Aurora Zen is a relaxation-focused creative experience where you paint vibrant auroras across stunning nighttime landscapes. On mobile, you use the touchscreen to sweep ribbons of color overhead. In VR, you can use controllers or hand tracking to physically reach up and draw light across the heavens.
The goal isn’t to win or achieve anything specific. It’s simply to relax, experiment, and find your zen by filling the sky with brilliant shapes and colors.
Beautiful Environments to Explore
The app features multiple handcrafted scenes to paint within, from serene azure waters to the rugged beauty of mountain ranges, blossoming gardens with torii gates, tranquil koi ponds, and sweeping desert vistas. Each environment offers a different mood and backdrop for your luminous creations.
Available Now Across Platforms
Aurora Zen is available on:
- Steam (PC/VR)
- Meta Quest
- iOS
- Google Play
- Itch.io
You can find download links for all platforms at aurorazen.app.
A Personal Project
Building Aurora Zen has been an exercise in combining technical challenges such as real-time aurora rendering, intuitive gesture controls, cross-platform deployment with something I care deeply about: creating spaces for people to slow down and breathe. In a world full of games demanding our attention and adrenaline, sometimes you just want to paint the sky and watch the colors flow.
I hope you’ll give it a try. And if you do, I’d love to hear what you think.
Aurora Zen is developed and published by Virtex Edge Design. Learn more at virtexedgedesign.com.