Unarchived (Season 1, Episode 1)

Jonathan Blow’s The Witness with Jason Boyd (host), Jeremy Andriano, Patrick Dolan Broadcast date: 14 February, 2023 Writer: Jason Boyd Producer: Patrick Dolan In The Witness, the player wanders around a mysterious and gorgeous island solving increasingly complex line-drawing puzzles. But is that all there is to the game? What about the statues and audio logs that are to be found all over the island and the videos that can be watched in the theatre beneath the windmill? Is there a story or message in The Witness? All audio clips in the podcast quoted from The Witness (puzzle screens sound … Continue reading Unarchived (Season 1, Episode 1)

DEVICE 6

https://simogo.com/work/device-6/ Entry by Jason Boyd A. BASIC INFORMATION Creator: Simogo (https://simogo.com/) Creation technology: Unity Publisher: Simogo Date (of original release): 2013 (October 17) Platform(s): iOS Peripherals required/recommended: head/earphones (recommended) Rating: 12+ (Apple Store) Awards/Distinctions: Version used for entry: iOS (Air Pad 2) B. GAME INFORMATION Game/eLit Genre(s): Puzzle, Exploration, Digital Narrative (Simogo says DEVICE 6 belongs to the genre of ‘Textual Thriller’). Time to complete: Approximately 3 hours, depending on one’s puzzle-solving skills. Replay required/useful?: As a linear story, a player will encounter all elements of the work in a single playthrough. Gameplay: Using the iPhone/iPad’s touch screen, the player … Continue reading DEVICE 6

Return of the Obra Dinn

https://obradinn.com/ Entry by Jason Boyd (revised 10 August 2024) A. Basic Information Creator: Lucas Pope (https://dukope.com/) Creation technology: Unity Publisher: 3909 LLC (Lucas Pope) Date (of original release): October 18, 2018 (PC: MacOS/Windows) Platform(s): PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox Peripherals required/recommended: Keyboard and mouse; speakers/headphones Rating: ESRB M (Mature 17+) Awards & Distinctions: Version used for entry: MacOS (High Sierra 10.13.6) B. Game Information Game/eLit Genre(s): First Person Detective/Mystery; Environmental Narrative Game (Walking Simulator). Lucas Pope describes the game as “an insurance adventure with minimal colour.” Time to complete: 8-9 hours. Replay required/useful? If one plays with the goal of discovering … Continue reading Return of the Obra Dinn

Playable Stories Archive Entry Template

A. BASIC INFORMATION Title of Work Work website Creator(s) [Studio & Creative Team, with roles] Creator or Studio website Creation technology [software, eg. Unity] Publisher Date (of original release) Platform(s) Version used for entry [incl. OS version] Peripherals required (incl. speakers/headphones) Rating Awards/Distinctions B. LITERARY INFORMATION Related Literary Genre(s) Story/Plot Summary Suitability for Teaching C. GAME INFORMATION Game/eLit Genre(s) Gameplay [What kinds of activities does the player undertake? Including difficulty] Time to complete Replay required/useful? Walkthrough D. SOURCES AND RESOURCES Wikipedia entry Metacritic critic reviews URL [note that critic reviews for a single game are separated according to platform, so … Continue reading Playable Stories Archive Entry Template

Tacoma

https://tacoma.game/ Entry composed by Jason Boyd A. Basic Information Creator(s): Fullbright (https://fullbrig.ht/) Creation technology: Unity Publisher: Fullbright Date (of original release): 2017 (August 2) Platform(s): Windows, MacOS, Linux, XBox One; PlayStation 4 (May 8, 2018) Peripherals required/recommended: Keyboard and mouse; head/earphones Rating: ESRB M (Mature, 17+) Awards/Distinctions: Eurogamer, Top 50 Games of 2017 (#22); Best Graphics, Game Informer, 2017 Adventure Game of the Year Awards Version used for entry: MacOS (High Sierra 10.13.6) B. Game Information Game/eLit Genre(s): First Person Exploration; Environmental Narrative Game (Walking Simulator) Gameplay: Environmental exploration (including moving, reading, watching, listening, examining). The player uses the WASD … Continue reading Tacoma