Addy and Cynth must rush home from their factory jobs to avoid deadly Ursawraiths and the anger of their guardians. On their way, they discover the Eldritch Orb, which grants them mysterious abilities. Amidst the danger, they must unravel the mystery of their vanishing fellow wards. Will they make it home in time, or will the night consume them?
AUTHOR
Erika Reynolds
VOICE ACTOR
ElevenLabs
SUITED FOR
Teens, Adults
PLAYING TIME
15 min
CHOICES
15
ENDINGS
4
Game Flow
Medium
ATTENTION LEVEL
Medium
In a world where curfew is a matter of life and death, Addy and Cynth find themselves in a race against time. After a grueling shift at the factory, they must hurry home to avoid the wrath of both their fearsome guardians and the terrifying Ursawraiths that roam the streets after dark. But fate has other plans.
As they dart through the dimly lit subway tunnels, an eerie glow catches their eye. There, lying abandoned on the cold concrete, is a mysterious object known as the Eldritch Orb. Drawn to its otherworldly aura, the duo can’t resist the urge to touch it. In an instant, they are imbued with strange and powerful abilities they could never have imagined.
However, their newfound powers come with a price. Despite their urgency to reach the safety of home, Addy and Cynth soon realize that they are far from secure. A sinister mystery looms over their community: fellow wards have been vanishing without a trace, and no one knows why.
3.5 out of 5 stars (based on 8 reviews)
The premise itself was interesting enough, and it could have been an exciting story. However, my experience was pretty average. First, most of the choices felt inconsequential and unnecessary. Second, the ending was unsatisfying — the story felt incomplete. It would make sense if there was part 2, but it doesn’t work too well on its own. And third, AI voices. I don’t know how voices/accents/intonations are chosen for the characters, but it seems random. Cynth’s voice was incredibly annoying and unfitting for her. It could be suitable for a 20-something year-old American social media influencer, not this girl 🙂
I start by saying, that I do really like this story. The world is rich and imaginative, I like the idea of that cleric’s factory and the scifi metro system.
However, I’m missing a clear goal to follow. After you master to leave the factory and get home, things just … happen. I had no idea what I was working towards or needed to achieve. It was hard to follow the storyline after this and it becomes a bit chaotic with new characters, prophetic dreams and story elements that haven’t been introduced enough to make sense to me. For example, what is an Ursawraith?
Also, I don’t mind the AI voices that much, some of them sound pretty good but Cynth’s voice threw me off a little.
Overall the story explores a very intruiging story of two teens stuck in an industrial distopian sci fi world, where the odd are stacked against them and help and trust are rare.
I could tell the author had a lot of ideas they wanted to fit into this story. At times it was a bit too much, I was confused on certain elements when they were introduced – the teleporters for example or the ob, they just came out of nowhere.
Lastly, the AI voices threw me off, especially Chynths voice – it just didn’t fit the character. There’s overall room to improve, but I see the potential!
Although, I was here and there a bit confused by what was going on in the story, I was still very captivated by its world and characters. I would really love to see this story continue, so that we can further explore this interesting world and the characters journey.
I also really appreciate the use of individual voice actors.
Love the aesthetic and the overall setting; it’s thoroughly immersive throughout and it’s easy enough to relate to the characters. I found myself being brought back to the Golden Compass series while playing it, despite this being a sci-fi piece with fantasy elements.
The phrasing of the questions doesn’t feel natural in relation to the characters’ dialogue. It takes me out of the story when Cynth is asking us, the audience, a two-choice thing rather than the narrator, especially when the narrator reiterates the question right after. It would feel smoother if Cynth’s questions were removed and replaced by internal monologue from the player.
Upon finishing the story, I didn’t find the conclusion satisfying. I had a ‘good’ playthrough – I tried to pick choices which were based around helping my companions and trying to survive, which I felt was the point of the story with its tone and themes. But upon reaching the ending and teaming up with Noita, I immediately was told ‘Thanks for working with me! If anyone who works for me fails at something, failure is punishable by death’! It feels like the hero is left in a situation just as bad as the one they started out in.
