Design Statement
We interpreted the theme track as a journey from solitude toward companionship: a small, fragile beginning that gradually opens into warmth and possibility. Carry the Light turns that emotional arc into a visible change in the world.

The game begins in near darkness, with only a lantern moth visible. Calling to it gives the player a first spark. Sharing that spark back temporarily reduces the player's own light, but lets the moth lead the way. This makes generosity a practical choice as well as the central theme. The moth returns when the player falls behind, so companionship is expressed through behavior.

Later encounters expand this exchange: Mossback carries the player across Mirrorwater, sleeping trees receive embers, and collected light eventually kindles a distant beacon. The collection bar and gold embroidery on the cape make progress tangible. Gentle movement, simple keyboard controls, gradual lighting, and checkpoint saves support a quiet journey of about twenty minutes. We use Jason Grace's original theme recording unmodified.

Game Instructions (launch steps, controls, and gameplay overview)
Windows 64-bit, keyboard.
1. Download Carry-the-Light-Windows.zip from the game page and choose Extract All.
2. Keep the extracted files together and run Carry the Light.exe.
3. Select Enter the grove.

Controls: WASD or arrow keys to drift; Space to call; hold E to share a spark or use the displayed interaction; Esc to pause/resume. Use A/D or Left/Right to steer on the water.

Begin by approaching the only visible moth and pressing Space. Follow its light and hold E when an interaction appears. Gather light through the grove, ride Mossback across Mirrorwater, carry embers to the orchard, and reach the ridge beacon. Allow about 20 minutes. The first checkpoint is the shared resting clearing; later encounters save automatically. Checkpoints are stored in a Saves folder beside the game.

Walkthrough video: use the link in the video field, then download Carry-the-Light-Walkthrough.mp4 (3:01, 720p). It shows the complete route and ending, with captions, no audio, and accelerated travel clearly labeled.

Gameplay walkthrough video
https://zhoumiaosen.itch.io/carry-the-light#download

Did your project use any AI tools or assets? If yes, please specify.
Yes. OpenAI Codex was used to write Unity gameplay and interface code, in-game text, shaders, procedural environment generation, and code that synthesizes call and spark sounds. Codex also wrote the Blender scripts for the original Wayfarer, lantern moth, and Mossback models, the Wayfarer's animations, and the Unity companion motion code. Game design and creative direction: Yokagoo Studio. The music is Jason Grace's official jam recording, used unmodified; it is not AI-generated. This disclosure is also included on the public game page.