This is a short demo (about 15 minutes should see you through depending on how much exploration you engage in) that teases an interesting story to come.

A comet is coming, and the small town of Laburnum Creek is in its way. Most people have left, but not all. Laura is a writer who wants to know why, and at the start of the demo she arrives in her van. It doesn't take long for things not to feel right.

According to the Steam page, what is to come is a puzzle free experience, so the narrative will clearly be the thing. In the brief time you can spend in the town at this stage, you can go almost anywhere and talk with the remaining locals. They may or may not want to talk back, and how you respond might make a difference. A map will help you get around, one that contains a number of locations to start with, and to which an additional location will be added once you engage with a particular character. That added location is where the demo ends, so if you want to have a good look around before finishing, visit that particular location when you have had enough.

The game plays in the third person and uses the keyboard almost exclusively. The mouse controls your POV, and in combination with the WASD keys is the easiest way to get around; just keep the POV behind Laura and the W key is all you need. Moving the mouse essentially swings the scene around Laura, keeping her at its centre, and you can rotate it up as well as down, looking straight down on the top of her head should you want. While it can take a little getting used to, you should settle in relatively quickly.

Getting around outside is relatively pain free, but inside buildings can be different. This is partly the result of the POV being a fair way away from Laura (think of it as an intermediate shot) and the way buildings behave. It's a bit hard to explain, but a building is like a self-contained isometric space, one which doesn't necessarily fill the entire screen (large black spaces might be present) and in which changing the POV can result in you in essence seeing through the walls (and seeing more than the black spaces). It's a little weird, and also rather intriguing, but can make navigating the internal space a little fiddly.

I hope that makes some sense. The easiest way to see what I am talking about is to play the demo yourself!

There are no voices in the demo but according to the Steam page the final game will be fully voiced. There is some nice ambient sound plus a soundtrack, and it looks good if a little flat.

I can't tell you anything about how it saves as the function isn't part of the demo.

I particularly liked the snippet of the tale that unfolded, and it feels like it will be its strength. There is certainly enough here to make me want to come back for the rest.

Thanks flotsam and Drac! I have this on my wishlist, but no puzzles? I'll have to take a closer look at it!

Thanks for the demo review, flotsam! It sounds interesting!

Thanks, Drac!

Ana

Thank you for this first look flotsam. I am very interested in this one. Guess it is time to run this new demo

Thanks Drac

Thank you for this first look, flotsam. I appreciate hearing about it and will take a look at the demo.

And thank you too, Drac.

Thank you flotsam (and Draclvr)