All posts tagged in Interactive Fiction
Sep 11, 2024
Life is simple in Caravan SandWitch, developed by Studio Plane Toast. There’s no combat, no death, and no timer. It’s just you journeying across a beautiful sci-fi world in search of answers. Your sister has gone missing and it’s up to you to figure out what happened. So explore the bright, post-apocalyptic world in search of answers. Drive your van across different terrains. Get to know the people of the settlements you come across, and even help them out with tasks. And use an array of tools to track down clues to where your sister has gone.
Climb to new heights and zipline down ropes as you traverse the ruins and landscapes of Cigalo. Race across bright sandy beaches in your van, too. Upgrade your van to unlock new tools that will help you in your journey. These tools will not only help you find clues, but will open up paths that were previously blocked. As you look around the broken but gorgeous world of Caravan SandWitch, get to know the unique cast of characters you meet along the way. From humans who stayed on the planet after everyone else left to robots that were simply left behind, everyone has an interesting backstory. They may even have tasks for you to complete that will let you contribute to the community in your own way. Regardless of how you play, you can take your time!
Release Date
Caravan SandWitch releases on Steam and PlayStation September 12th! You can add it to your Steam Wishlist now, too, so you can be notified when it releases.
- Aug 22, 2024
Thalassa: Edge of the Abyss is a first-person interactive fiction adventure that takes place in 1905. You play as Cam, a deep sea diver who’s part of a crew of adventurers and pioneers. Aboard the Thalassa, you and the crew prepare to a Spanish galleon from the ocean, but what should be a momentous occasion quickly turns into anything but. After the incident, you took some time to heal, but have learned the crew of the Thalassa have all disappeared, and so has the ship. To find out what happened, you decide to dive down to the wreckage to gather clues about what happened that fateful day.
This atmospheric adventure isn’t exactly a horror story, but it does explore the complexities of human emotions and sorrow. You’ll navigate through the beautiful ocean surroundings of Thalassa: Edge of the Abyss to get to the wreckage of your old ship. Once aboard, you must navigate through the debris and search for clues while dealing with the grief of losing friends. Find the necessary tools around the ship in order to open blocked doors and clear obstructions. Leave no stone unturned in the Thalassa to figure out what happened to your crew.
Release Date
Thalassa: Edge of the Abyss is set to release on Steam at some point. Add it to your Wishlist now to get notifications when it releases!
If you prefer an ocean-based game with less mystery and more exploration, check out Beyond Blue!
- Jul 24, 2024
Ready for a wholly engaging story about long-lost family secrets? Open Roads by Open Roads Team is an immersive interactive fiction featuring gorgeous artwork that tells exactly that story. Play as Tess Devine as she and her mom discover a old notes and letters hidden in the attic. Within these pages are hints of a family secret and the location of a lost treasure located somewhere along the Canadian border. And instead of leaving well enough alone, Tess and her mother, Opal, set out on an unforgettable road trip.
On this road trip, you’ll explore a series of old family properties that have long since been abandoned. There, you’ll search for more information about the family secret. Dig up memories and more hints as Opal begins to remember past events she’d long since buried. As you search these old homes, you’ll not only discover the truth of those family secrets, but you’ll discover a deeper relationship with Opal. In classic road trip style, you’ll fiddle with the radio and chat with Opal as you journey from location to location. And experience the beautifully hand-drawn animations while you engage in unique dialogue systems that move the story along!
Release Date
You can find Open Roads on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox now!
If you enjoy interactive fiction, maybe give Zipp’s Cafe a look!
- Jun 27, 2024
Garage Sale, developed by Bug Burrow, is a super charming interactive fiction where you play as the young resident Juniper. She’s a shy girl, but is eager to overcome that shyness while curing her summer boredom. The perfect opportunity to solve both problems happens to come in the form of the town’s summer garage sale!
Explore the beautifully wooded town of Lettuce Village looking through the different treasures people have put up for sale. Stop by the numerous garage sales, yard sales, and shops to discover fun items. You’ll come across things like antiques, handmade crafts, and items that give a glimpse into the owner’s past. Of course, you have to buy these items as the sellers aren’t looking to just give them away, but if you explore every nook and cranny of Lettuce Village, you should be able to scrounge up enough coins!
Your quaint village is in the middle of nowhere, so your neighbors are a bit quirky, but summer is the perfect opportunity to get to know them. As you explore what Garage Sale has to offer you, get to know your neighbors through conversations and help them with tasks. These tasks will reward you with pieces of the town’s history, money, unique items, or just plain friendship. And despite its tiny size, Lettuce Village holds onto a rich history. There’s even some secrets, so it’s well worth it to help your neighbors out!
Release Date
You can find Garage Sale on Steam, where it releases in full on Friday, June 28th!
Enjoy collecting things? Try Collector’s Cove!
- Feb 22, 2024
Garage Sale by developer Bug Burrow welcomes you to the curious little hamlet of Lettuce Village! You play as Juniper, a young girl who’s shy but eager to make friends. You’ll do that by exploring the town during the town’s communal garage sale, picking up some fun trinkets along the way.
This peaceful town is in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by beautiful forest lands. Therefore, the townspeople of Garage Sale are a bit… weird. Get to know your neighbors by completing quests for them, and they will reward you with bits of history about the town. Lettuce Village might be tiny, but it harbors a very interesting past. If you play your cards right, you might just uncover its secrets. While you’re hunting down town secrets, search every nook and cranny for treasures and coins. Then, use that money to purchase fun knick knacks from the different garage sale tables you come across!
What can you discover from your neighbor’s old trinkets?
Release Date
Garage Sale is coming to Steam in Q1 of this year, so hopefully very soon!
Bug & Seek has you catching bugs for the museum like in ACNH, but has the same toned-down visual style this game has!
- Feb 15, 2024
Zipp’s Cafe by developer The Wild Gentlemen is a cozy noir interactive fiction game full of love, betrayal, and coffee. You run a cozy cafe in between a city of animals and a district of insects. Talk to your customers to learn their stories. Cook some unusual dishes, prepare coffee, and even get involved in some shady dealings. Ultimately, you’re just trying to start a new life while searching for love and some revenge.
Similar to Coffee Talk and Coffee Talk 2, Zipp’s Cafe features a small cast of quirky characters that regularly visit your cafe. Play in full color or noir mode as you get to know 5 different characters and get caught up in their lives, whether you like it or not. They’re all connected somehow, and you might just find out how by listening to their stories. Brew and serve coffees and teas. Prepare unique meals to serve your customers. Even do the dishes, because someone has to. You might even find love, and lose it. Choose if you’ll move on or seek revenge!
Release Date
Zipp’s Cafe is currently available now on Steam!
- Dec 7, 2023
Tales from Hazelwood Post is a cozy combination of puzzles and visual novel-like gaming. Your grandmother has fallen ill, so you return to the small town of Hazelwood to care for her. You unwittingly take on the job of being the new postmaster at the post office, and today is your first day! The post office is a small, dusty little operation that ought to be an easy task to run. However, the homes of Hazelwood don’t have addresses!
You’ll experience a gentle day-to-day cycle where you open the post office each morning. Explore the ongoing story of Tales from Hazelwood Post as you get to know the residents of the town and nearby Lighthouse Point and Crow Hollows. Piece together clues and figure out who everyone is, then deliver the mail to the people you think it belongs to! Sometimes it’s the regular newspaper delivery, and sometimes it’s a special delivery. You might even come across lost love letters with no signatures, and it’s up to you to deliver every piece of mail properly.
Your choices affect the story, so choose wisely and see what happens!
Release Date
Tales from Hazelwood Post is listed on Itchi.io and Steam. There is no release date available, though!
This game reminds me a lot of Witchy Life Story, Coffee Talk, and Tavern Talk! But if you’re looking for more games that deal with mail, try Lake and Mail Time!
- Feb 8, 2019
A Reddit user has shared the exciting response he got from Kan Gao, who is the designer, writer, composer, and director of popular game To The Moon.
In the exchange between the user and the developer, the user enthusiastically asks whether there are any plans for the game to come to Nintendo Switch. Although rather cryptic, the developer appears to confirm a Switch release (or at least plans for one) in his reply.
A screen capture of messages exchanged between the Reddit user and game developer Kan Gao However, it’s important to bear in mind that an official announcement confirming the port has not yet been made.
About the game:
To The Moon is a Story-Rich indie Adventure game with a plot somewhat reminiscent of popular sci-fi thriller series Black Mirror. Although the game was released for Windows back in 2011, it is still highly regarded. This is evident with ‘overwhelmingly Positive’ reviews on Steam (where the game is often praised for its emotive narrative), and in the fact that the game was also released for MacOS and Linux in 2014, and for Android and iOS in 2017.
Story: (Contains some spoilers)
To The Moon features two doctors who are capable of giving patients on their deathbeds another chance to live, right from the beginning. The only catch is that the experience is only in the patient’s head, and that they will die once they reach the end of that life.
The game focuses on an elderly patient named Johnny, and the two doctors’ attempt to fulfill his lifelong dream. As they uncover fragments of his past, it becomes as ‘clear as day’ that Johnny only ever had one real wish; To go ‘To The Moon’.
