Waning Light Demo

Waning Light is a story-rich card battler with life-sim elements that explores how mental health can shape everyday decisions and experiences.

In this demo, players take on the role of a young adult over the course of five days, balancing responsibilities in the waking world while confronting those same pressures in a dream world at night.

Core Loop

During the day, players decide how to spend their limited energy.

Time can be spent on school, work, relationships, or self-care, but not everything can be done. What is neglected does not disappear, it carries forward.

Night / Combat

At night, those choices take form in a dream world.

Players explore shifting environments and engage in turn-based card combat against enemies shaped by what was left behind.

Cards are earned through choices and actions, and can change in effectiveness depending on the player’s emotional state.

Mental Health / Intent

Waning Light is designed to reflect aspects of mental health, including depression, through its systems and structure.

The goal is not to provide solutions, but to create a space for reflection, understanding, and conversation.

Demo Scope

This demo presents a contained five-day experience that introduces the core systems, narrative tone, and gameplay loop. It was developed for a capstone project by the following Mohawk College Students:

• Ignacio Cajiao

• Jennifer Rodriguez Corpas

• Johann (Jayce) Carlos Gagui

• Rowen Daley

• Logan Benson

• Varsha Vinod

• Dave Coventry

• Trevor (TJ) Beckham

Note: The demo is a prototype of the concept and is not a reflection of the finished project. It offers a glimpse into how choices, emotional state, and gameplay intersect.