Guiding Light

"I suppose it was foolish of me to think you would be just like all the other souls that showed up here."

Navigate the ominous realm of the dead in this blind-accessible, narrative-driven game about death and what comes after. Guided by their cheeky gatekeeper, newly-deceased Uri must track down their missing memories in 3 eerie levels of the afterlife.

This game was created by Distance Over Time Studio, a team of devs formed out of the IGDA Foundation's 2023 Virtual Exchange Velocity cohort.

Download the full game for free with this Google Drive link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qBv35Wbzil4F4PR0yrAvMH1m2Oz5YIQN/view

Original Game on itch.io: https://candlesticklibrary.itch.io/guiding-light (this is where you will find the updated accessibility documentation and audio cue glossary for the new version of the game in the Google Drive link)

Alt Text for Header Image: the title of the game "Guiding Light" in pixelated red and white text. "Guiding" is above "Light" with a pixel picture of a lantern next to the "Light" text. In the red lantern is a yellow flame with two eyes.

Gameplay

Controls

Movement and Selecting Options: Arrow keys or WASD keys

Toggle on/off Text-to-Speech (only accessible on menu screen): Spacebar

Observe Item (when Exclamation Point is seen and Observe sound is heard): Enter key

Pause menu: Esc Key or M key

Progress and Skip dialogue (only within dialogue mode): Spacebar

The Afterlife

Navigate three blind-accessible levels while avoiding monsters, poison goo, and lava.  Each level was created in Unreal Engine using 3D assets with a shader applied to create a consistent pixel art look.

The first slider image is the player character— who is a white human-shaped blob with a heart shape in its chest and holding a lantern named Uri—facing forward at a wall near some purple mushrooms. The second slider image is the player character facing right at a lava pit with stalactites in it. The third slider image is the player character facing forward is a dirt area with some grass bushes around. The forth and last image slider is the player character facing forward on a rocky, small path with an abyss on each side of the path.

CGs

Pixel art CGs between levels help uncover Uri's story.

Alt Text: First image is Uri looking forwards holding up a lantern with a yellow flame inside that has two eyes. There is a foggy mist behind them. The second image is a shadowy, hooded figure with yellow eyes reaching towards the screen. There is a cracked-glass effect layered over the image. The third image is a sad, injured dalmatian sitting with a red collar and what looks like a service dog vest. The dog has splatters of red and one of its eyes are closed. The image is framed with spiky branches. The forth image is a close up of a character with short hair and glasses who looks like they are waking up. One of theit eyes is closed and the lens of that eye is cracked. There is a nose of a dog in the bottom left corner of the frame. The fifth and final image is a zoomed out version of the previous image where the character seems to be surprised with the injured dalmatian from the third image jumping on them and licking their face. The dog's tailis wagging and their bloody paw is smearing the character's white shirt.

Player Character

Guided by their cheeky gatekeeper, newly-deceased Uri must track down their missing memories and discover how they came to be stuck in the afterlife.

Alt Text: This is a slider of five images. The first is a paper drawing of a hooded and cloaked figure holding a lantern facing forward. You can see its two white eyes and a small hand holding the lantern's handle. The second image is a digital sketch of a humanoid blob with a heart carved out of their chest facing left. They don't have a hood but a wisp comes off the top of their head. The third image is a pixel art version of the last player character but they are facing forward, holding a lantern, and looking at it. The forth image is the same as the last but now it is colored and shaded. The lantern has a flame with eyes, and the background is a cave. The fifth and final image is player character's sprite sheet showing its walking cycle.

Level Design

Three full levels created in the shape of objects key to the narrative including a dog collar and broken glasses.  Each level includes unique hazards and multiple collectible objects that add context and tell Uri's story.

Accessibility Features

Guiding Light is a fully blind accessible adventure game.  Audio indicators help blind and low-vision players navigate the maze-like levels and discover collectible objects.  Toggleable text to speech and environment descriptions as well as a built in compass allow all players to enjoy Uri's underworld adventure. Find the accessibility documentation and audio cue glossary on our itch.io page (updated for new version downloaded from Google Drive link).

Credits

Ashley Phipps, Production & Narrative
Ashley's Portfolio | Ashley's LinkedIn

Jacob Wheeler, Technical Level Design
Jacob's Portfolio | Jacob's LinkedIn

Kelly Carino, Programming, Technical Art
Kelly's Portfolio | Kelly's LinkedIn

Monkey KG, Art/Animation & Narrative
Monkey KG's Portfolio | Monkey KG's Twitter

Ross Minor, Accessibility Consulting
Ross' Website | Ross' LinkedIn

Ryan Davis, Programming, Optimization, UX, & Art
Ryan's Website | Ryan's LinkedIn

Sai, Composer & Narrative
Sai's Website

Sophie Galley, Production, Narrative, & Playtest Coordination
Sophie's Website | Sophie's LinkedIn | Sophie's Twitter

Taylor McElroy, Production
Taylor's LinkedIn

Playtest Volunteers

Fae
Ton
Chad Bouton
Darrel Bowles
Alex Carey
Jessica Hodges
Drew Mochak
Skyler Novak
Katie Tudela

Thank you Ryan, Ross, Kelly, and Sophie for patching the new version of the game with assistance from Ashley and Sai!