The wind path mechanic features traversal of an environment by ear. The mechanic features two wind sounds, one lower, one higher, each one intended to lead to one of two ends of the path. As the player traverses the wind path, each wind sound will indicate the direction of the path towards the respective exit. To facilitate better differentiation of the two sounds, only the sound that points toward the opposite path end can be heard when the player is at either end of the path. As the player moves further along, the wind sound associated with the end through which they entered the path will be faded in. This makes sure that the player can always find a way back to either end. Furthermore, the sound sources move along the winding path, resulting in a dynamic panning in the stereo field. For example, if the sound representing the desired exit is coming from the left, the player must turn so that this sound is coming from the front and move forward, eventually arriving at the path’s end.
The example video above features two wind paths. The first path is outdoors. Here, the player can see where they are going. However, straying from the wind path will lead to a dead end. This section was designed for players to familiarize themselves with the wind path mechanic. The second path leads through a cave that the player must traverse without relying on vision. This part features a resting area halfway through the cave, intended to indicate to the player that they are on the right track. In the video, after the player traverses the dark cave, they return to it and move back towards the resting area, following the lower frequency wind sound. This is to to demonstrate the possibility of following either wind sound towards the respective exit.