Design Statement
We interpreted the theme track as a dreamy, mysterious story with a touch of sadness. This inspired us to create a side-scrolling adventure that follows a girl through her inner world, using a stream-of-consciousness approach to storytelling.

We wanted players to immerse themselves in the journey and experience its landscapes and emotions. We therefore kept the gameplay mechanics light, supporting the narrative and atmosphere while leaving room for personal interpretation.

Procedural animation and behavior are central to how we built this world. We used a variety of algorithms to bring its ecosystems to life, from creatures that move and react in real time to gently swaying plants and vibrant coral reefs.

We put our own hard-to-name struggles and feelings into the girl’s story. Her thoughts are hidden throughout the world and surface slowly through the environment, color, fragments of text, and music. As players explore, we hope they’ll come to understand her longing, uncertainty, and sadness.

Game Instructions (launch steps, controls, and gameplay overview)
LAUNCH
1. Download Lightaswind.zip and unzip it anywhere (do not run it from inside the zip).
2. Open the folder and double-click Lightaswind.exe.

CONTROLS (keyboard & mouse | controller)
- Move / swim / climb: WASD or arrow keys | Left stick or D-pad
- Jump: Space | A
- Grab: Left mouse button | Right trigger
- Dash: Shift | Right bumper (crab: hold to run | hold Left trigger)
- Interact: F | X
- Pause: Esc | Start (hold Enter | hold A to skip cutscenes)
On-screen prompts match the device you are using. MIDI keyboards are also supported.

GAMEPLAY OVERVIEW
A dreamy pixel-art side-scrolling adventure. Three plush heroes, a starfish, a swordfish and a crab, set out across the ocean toward a distant sky. Wander through a living, procedurally animated world, interact with what you find, and go at your own pace. Best played with a controller and headphones.

Gameplay walkthrough video
https://youtu.be/ZMtBsU0UsEc

Trailer / Other Additional Video Material (Optional)
https://youtu.be/E369TPUjwCU?si=rcbZFvK34FdwjSpX

Did your project use any AI tools or assets? If yes, please specify.
Every model and animation in the game is generated by procedural algorithms.
All game art is original, except for some UI icons, which were generated with AI.
All background music is original, © EHSV.
Some sound effects were synthesised from samples with AI assistance.
Parts of the code development used an AI workflow.