I’m a huge book nerd, so I always seek out interesting story-based games. I’ve been really enjoying what Telltale has done to the adventure game formula (stripping the point-and-click in favor of almost-purely narrative-driven game), and have had fun with games like Lifeline ($2.99). Not a surprise, then, that the description of Buried, an upcoming interactive fiction game by Bromoco Games, caught my eye. The developers of Buried try to bring together the branching storyline gameplay of the Telltale games and of Heavy Rain (great, if flawed, game), with text-based storytelling; in other words, Buried is in a way a piece of interactive fiction that introduces more extreme branching choices than most other interactive fiction games. What I like about Buried is that it accompanies the text with plenty of photos and a soundtrack, both of which should turn the immersion levels up and should help highlight the darker elements of the story.
Barry Napier, Buried‘s main writer, has quite a writing resume with over 50 short stories and poems in print and online publications, and is the author of The Masks of Our Fathers, The Bleeding Room, The Hollows, and many more. While I haven’t read his work, I’m hoping that having an experienced horror writer on board will help Buried‘s writing and world-building. The game should be an entertaining, dark journey through the forests of Kentucky, and you’ll get to compare your choices to those of other players Telltale-style, always an interesting sociological exercise. The game should be out early January and will cost $2.99.
