Creative Vision / Rationale / How Did You Incorporate the Theme
Alongside is a first-person sailing game about longing, loss, and reunion.

The jam theme was interpreted as a state of yearning defined by asymmetry: two beings just out of reach of one another, one actively stretching in effort while the other is absent, unconscious, or unable to respond. This notion of being just out of reach is embedded both in the narrative and the gameplay.

The story follows two characters sailing together on the ocean. During a storm, one of them falls overboard. As the player searches the surroundings, hoping the lost companion is still alive, they repeatedly believe they are about to find them, only to recover fragments of their presence instead: first a boot, then a hat. Each discovery reinforces the feeling of almost, but not quite, being reunited.

The sailing mechanics echo this same idea of things being barely out of reach. The boat is designed to be operated by two people: one steering, one managing the sails. In the opening sequence, this cooperation feels natural and effortless. Once alone, the player must constantly run between stations, making control more difficult and creating near-miss moments when trying to reach floating objects.