Gustyard

About the game

Every player gets a chalk corral, a blower, and a lawn buried in autumn leaves that has to end up in somebody’s square. Herd yours home with the WIDE nozzle, then switch to the NARROW one, reach nine metres across the yard, and blow a rival’s heap straight back out of their chalk — while they are doing exactly that to you. Every leaf is really simulated: cones of moving air, wet leaves that weigh more, a pond that swallows what falls in, and bins you can shove around as barricades.

Stand still on your own pile for a second and a half and you tamp it into a bale no jet in the yard can shift — but standing still is time you are not collecting, and at 2:45 the LAST GUST lifts everything that is not tied down. Five yards open one at a time, the weather is never the same twice, and the shed sells eleven things that change the physics rather than the numbers. The other blowers are fifteen neighbours with names and habits, and whoever finishes above you twice running becomes your rival until you beat them.

How to play

1. Hold the left mouse button to blow, and aim with the cursor — your blower points where it is on the ground.
2. Use the WIDE nozzle to herd your own leaves home into your chalk corral.
3. Switch to the NARROW one to reach across the yard and blast a rival’s pile out of theirs.
4. Stand still on your pile without blowing for 1.5 s to tamp it into a bale nobody can steal.
5. Watch the clock: at 2:45 the Last Gust lifts everything that is not baled.

Controls

• WASD / arrows — move
• Mouse — aim, hold left button (or Space) to blow
• Right-click / Q / E / Tab — swap nozzle
• Touch — drag left to walk, drag right to aim and blow
• Stand still on your pile — tamp a bale