Design Statement
HopeWell started from the feeling of the theme track: something quiet and lonely that slowly lifts toward the light. I imagined a little princess and her cat at the bottom of a dark well, with only one torch between them.

The game is built around one movement: up. The water keeps rising, so standing still is never safe and every climb feels like holding your breath. Between the climbs, dry caves slow the pace down: you build a fire, cook, look after the cat and sleep. Like the music, the game breathes in and out, tension on the walls and calm by the fire.

The torch is your light, your weapon and your warmth. The cat has to be fed and kept warm, so you are never surviving only for yourself.

The story is told through painted scenes and a lost knight's notebook. The theme plays as they climb and again when they finally reach the morning, because the game is about one idea: even in the darkest well, they never lost hope.

Game Instructions (launch steps, controls, and gameplay overview)
Download the ZIP, extract it, keep HopeWell.exe and HopeWell.pck in the same folder and run HopeWell.exe (Windows).

Controls: A/D move, W jump, F light the torch, Space swing the torch, E pick up, Q drop, C craft, 1-4 choose an item and press again to use it, Esc pause, hold R to restart. Gamepad is supported. All keys can be changed in Settings > Controls.

Gameplay: Climb the well before the rising water catches you. Keep your torch lit and your cat fed and warm. Rest in the dry caves: sleep in the bed to save, build a campfire, cook food and clear the creatures to move on. Reach the light at the top.

Gameplay walkthrough video
https://youtu.be/NxcmHiPs5aQ

Did your project use any AI tools or assets? If yes, please specify.
Yes. AI tools were used for: the opening and ending story illustrations; environment art (caves, tunnels, boulders); other 2D art (menu art, logo, character/creature/item sprites, UI icons, game icon, mouse cursor); the narration voice (text-to-speech); the typewriter sound effect; and parts of the game code (AI coding assistants). Game design, levels, direction and the selection, editing and assembly of all content were done by me. Full details are in the AI disclosure on the game page.