❝When the sun went away, creatures of the dark came out to play.
The hours between dusk and dawn are no longer safe.❞
Before you were born, the earth was overrun by behemoths; spindly, pale creatures with a loping gate.
Billowing smoke expelled from their legs like gas, consuming thousands. The cover of darkness doesn't shield humanity anymore.
Now an adult -- years after the initial apocalypse, you are trying to steer clear of the roving giants. This life of hiding, running, and fighting are all you know. Modern comforts have never been something familiar to you.
With the looming threat of a behemoth approaching your new, broken home, you're force to flee...again. But for how much longer can you continue running? Can you figure where your parents went?
And, most importantly -- what ever happened to the sun?
You had the privilege of being born on the island where it -- the apocalypse -- first happened.
Luckily (or unluckily) for you, the place has been abandoned ever since. Whoever could afford to leave, left for greener pastures. You and a handful of inhabitants now fend for yourselves, abandoned on the island.
Avoid shadow beasts, steer clear of the behemoths, scavenge whatever you can, and hopefully find a safe place to call home.
Survive with companions -- or be a lone wolf, utterly self succificent. Or, perhaps, your only allies are the handful of animals that have eeked out a living on this island. The answer lies within you.
Four romance options and four animal 'companions' are planned. In the demo, one animal companion (feral dog) and the little sibling are introduced. (both are optional companions)
****This list is subject to change! I may hold votes on what the other animal companions will be but otherwise the RO's are already outlined.****
☆ Ranger - M/F selectable
Ranger is serious and reliable, living in a cabin within The Dead Woods. They take on the mantle of the 'wood ranger', despite the title holding little prestige now adays. can you figure out why Ranger defends these fruitless woods, refusing to flee? And what have they got hidden away in their cabin?
☆ Bite- M/F selectable
Bite is a feral man/woman who finds their residence high in the mountain cave. They're illusive and untrusting, thoroughly unsocialized. You don't know why they've been wandering all alone, all these years, but you're determined to find out. Can you figure out Bite's history? And will you foster the darkness inside of them -- or perhaps, show them the light?
☆Wanderer - M/F selectable
Wanderer is a nomadic trader, who refuses to stay in one area too long. They wear a face mask and heavy layers of clothes, obscuring your vision of them. Wanderer enjoys teasing you, but figuring our their true intentions proves to be a challenge. Will you ever find out where they procure their expansive collection of goods from?
☆ Shade - M/F selectable
Shade lives a harsh life in the desert, finding resources -- and company -- rare. Often finicky and jumpy, they've seemed to enclose on themselves, not allowing anybody too close. Can you unearth the reason behind Shade's self-imposed exile?
The Map below basically scopes out all of the areas I intend to be explorable [again subject to change -- some may be removed/added depending on how the plot goes]
The Map can be obtained as an in game item later in the game.
Annd that's all! If you enjoy this, feel free to shoot me an ask or like this post! I'll update this periodically as the IF develops. Thanks for taking the time to make it till here if you stayed that long. Hopefully I'll have more detailed descriptions of all the 'areas' available to exploration later on.
And on that note I want to apologize, again, for the radio silence. Getting accustomed to uni rocked my world, and my laptop broke midway through the year so getting a replacement to write again was an issue.
Now that I've got a new laptop and I'm more settled I'll hopefully be able to write again, I miss Asunder :(
hi !! just wanted to drop by and ask if there’s a reason why the demo link doesn’t work / doesn’t show up anymore ? :0
Hii
I'll definitely check on that later today. I'm so sorry for the radio silence this year, uni has been giving me the WORKSS 😭 I wanna get back to writing again when I have some time, hopefully this semester break
If you read the zine, consider liking the post: it helps us see how many people see it! And sharing is caring! <3
~ EDITORIAL ~
The new year is upon us!
To give us more free time during the holidays, the Team decided to merge last and this week’s Issues together.
The same will be done with the next Issue, which will come out on January 4th! This makes this Issue the last Issue of the year.
More feedback?
As the year comes to an end we in the WNIIF team are once again looking for feedback! The goal of this form is to find out our readers' preferences and wishes, so we can make the 2025 edition even better!
Please spare a few minutes to fill it out. None of the questions are required, so you can answer only what you want!
As the year comes to an end we in the WNIIF team are once again looking for feedback! The goal of this form is to find out our readers' pref
Small Talk with Harris Powell-Smith! @hpowellsmith
Our Interviewers are currently working on a Interview with the awesome Harris Powell-Smith, an award-winning narrative designer and writer of the Crème de la Crème series and Blood Money!
Do you have something you always wanted to ask them? Now is your chance! Send us a message on one of our socials or send us an e-mail. We’ll ask them for you!
We hope you enjoy this new issue!
AJ, DION, BRIAR, JEN AND PETER
~ BE A PART OF THE ZINE ~
THIS ZINE ONLY HAPPENS WITH YOU!
Want to write 1-2 pages about a neat topic, or deep-dive into a game and review it in details? Share personal experiences or get all academic?
WRITE FOR THE COLUMN!
Prefer to be more low-key but still have something to share? Send us a Zine Letter or share a game title for Highlight on…!
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Came across something interesting? Know a release or an update announced? Saw an event happening? Whether it's a game, an article, a podcast… Add any IF-related content to our mini-database!
EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS!
Contact us through Tumblr asks, Forum DMs, or even by email! And thank you for your help!!
~ EVENT SPOTLIGHT : Velox Turbo 2 ~
December 13th to 17th 2024
Velox Turbo is a challenge edition of Velox Fabula (or "Quick Story"), which is a ranked jam about making a complete visual novel based on a community-determined theme, hosted by robobarbie and Allie Vera. The Velox Turbo edition gives creators 4 days (instead of the usual 10) to complete their project, encouraging speed, accurate scope setting, and creativity.
The Velox jam series is heavily inspired by Ludum Dare, a global game jam about making a game from scratch based on a certain theme in a short amount of time.
This Jam's theme: The Eye of the Beholder, was revealed at the start of the jam. Voting was held across several rounds in the week leading up to the jam starting.
Other themes in the Velox jam series were:
Unreliable Narrator
Morally Ambiguous Promise
Enemies with Benefits
Flower Symbolism
Doomed by the Narrative
Trapped with Someone
Forbidden Romance
You Shouldn't Be Here
Participants can now vote for their favourites until December 31st. There are six categories: Overall, Theme Incorporation, Narrative, Visuals and Sound. Even tho you can't vote unless you submitted your own work, definitely check out at least one of the 15 entries!
~ ENDED ~
The voting for A Very Hallmark Game Jam is over. Check out the results!
This year’s Yuri Game Jam is in over. There’s an unbelievable number of 109 entries to check out!
Another bitsy jam has ended. You can now check out 8 entries with the theme "better late than never".
~ ONGOING (SUBMITTING) ~
Media depicting healthy examples of polyamory isn’t that common. The PolyJamorous 2024 is trying to break the status-quo!
The Queer Winter Game Jam is in full swing. Those interested can submit their work until January 16th 2025.
ShuffleComp is a musical interactive fiction competition where you make games based on songs, which are submitted by other entrants. Creators have until January 20th 2025 to upload their works.
Once upon a time, a game jam was held to create stories around the theme of fairy tales… and that game jam is the Once Upon A Time VN Jam. It’s running from October 1st to January 31st.
Concours de Fiction Interactive Francophone 2025 is for all French-speaking enthusiasts. Submissions are accepted March 3rd 2025.
Are you perhaps a fan of more somber, melancholic themes? Then check out the Dying Year - Visual Novel Jam! You have until the end of the year to participate.
The Black Visual Novel Jam is all about working with creative professional developers who work in visual novels to bring more Black stories to life. The goal is to create a space where Black creators can show their unique storytelling through visual novels.
IF Short Games Showcase 2024 is a great way to shine some new light on your projects made in the past year (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024), regardless of whether or not they are previously released! You have until January 15th 2025 to join.
Winter Visual Novel Jam 2024 is here! You have until January 1st 2025 to submit your projects.
Are you familiar with Decker? Then why not take a part in the Deck-Month 2?
SeedComp! is a 2-round interactive fiction game jam, focusing on creativity and the growth of ideas and the Sprouting Round has just started! Check out the Planting round for inspiration.
~ NEW RELEASE ~
Gentleman, Adventurer, Crocodile (Forked) is a twenty-second romp around the Victorian world in the company of an adventurous crocodile. It is a story filled with wondrous lands, strange people, wealth, power, friendship, betrayal, shipwreck and delicious pastry.
Murder Gods Play Pachinko (Super Videotome Engine) - A group of friends gathers in a remote house for the first time in two years. This is the place where Kaya took his life. Tensions are high, to say the least. The snowstorm isn't letting up. It appears they're trapped. The only company they have is each other. Little do they know -- time isn't on their side. He's on his way.
A new era begins in Maroland… The Ancient Talking Dragons have nearly all been annihilated… The Elves hide in their ancient mansions. The future belongs to humans… However, naive human wizards long for immortality. It’s only a matter of time before one of them finds something they can’t control. The Elves of Maroland is now available for free downloading in English language.
You are a prisoner of the jaguar empire, being forcibly marched by your captor to the blood pits at the heart of the empire. In your condition, your choices are limited -- but you refuse to let them have you. Escape your captor, explore the continent, and struggle for survival in this unique text-based roguelike, Wild Continent (Unity).
Echoes in the Deep (Twine) is an atmospheric, choice-driven narrative game set in a failing underwater research station. As Dr. Evelyn Moore, you must uncover the station's secrets, restore failing systems, and escape before time runs out. Will you survive the depths, or will its mysteries drag you under?
Calmaria is the newest companion app developed by the Design School in partnership with the Informatics College, the Student Engagement Office, and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office of the University of ≭∘⊊⊚. Please enjoy Calmaria.
Dive even deeper into the world of A Date with Death with an all-new route. Starting with a fresh Day 6 and unfolding all the way through Day 10, this DLC brings you new conversations, stunning art, four new endings, and of course, the same beloved Grim Reaper. - A Date with Death - Beyond the Bet (Ren’Py). @twoandahalfstudios
As always, don't forget to check out the submitted entries to the events mentioned in the previous pages. They deserve some love too!
~ NEW RELEASE (WIP) ~
Everyone knows vampires: bloodthirsty, unholy creatures, some barely any better than animals. You never thought you'd become one yourself. You're a believer in the new gods - but here you are, trying not to feel that they've abandoned you. Feed, fight, and flee from the sun, all while looking for a cure to turn your life, or lack of it, right again in Glass Fangs (Twine). @glassfangsif
You are the heir to the Dracian kingdom, born of dragon blood and royal lineage—but you know nothing of this truth. To protect you from the tyrannical king of Dracia—your own grandfather—your parents sacrificed their lives. They hid you away, ensuring the prophecy that foretells his downfall would survive, even if they could not. - Rise of the Forsaken (CScript).
Dazzling phantom thief heists, romantic meetings in the dead of night, and making a name for yourself; The Mysterious Thief, Forget Me Not (Ren’Py) is a mostly linear girl's love visual novel that features multiple POVs throughout. The story is set in the fictional city of Twinbells, England, and shows how the lives of our four main characters are changed forever when a ballet company — and its treasured jewel — visits the phantom thief-loving city. @solsketchbook
Rigor Mortis (Ren’Py) is a visual novel for goths of all stripes who are surviving under late-stage capitalism. Discover the adventures of Lunis Culpeper, 12-year-old newlydead, as she learns about (un)life in the (under)world the hard way.
Your life as an alchemist has been safe and comfortable so far... but when your sister makes you one last wish before passing away, you'll embark on a dangerous journey that might change your life—and the lives of your two companions—forever. Hopefully, you'll also learn to see the world in a new light after this Trek to Dead Water (Ren’Py).
Take centre stage as a former-rockstar turned actor navigating your new career and the chilling grip of fan-obsession in Scapegoated (CScript). Your once-famous band may be nothing short of a ghost of the past to you, but the rest of the world cannot seem to let go. The split in 1968 was scandalous, abrupt and mysterious. And although you’ve thrown yourself into acting and secured your first major role with a big time Hollywood director, whispers of blame have been on your tail ever since.
You are the illegitimate child of King Aldric the ruler of one of the seven kingdoms Ceryndor, marked by your half elven heritage and shunned by society. Born under a cloud of prejudice and tragedy, you are feared as the “Black Wolf” – an omen of misfortune and a harbinger of chaos. When the son of a wealthy trader is found dead, the fragile peace in your land begins to crumble. The investigation leads you to uncover secrets that could shake the foundations of the seven kingdoms. Will you embrace the tyranny they accuse you of, or will you rise above the scars of your past and forge your own path in War of Crowns (CScript)?
A Life in a Year (Unity) is a narrative-driven adventure game that explores the emotional challenges of studying abroad. You play as Laura, a 16-year-old exchange student in a Nordic country. The game navigates themes like language barriers, cultural differences, friendship, family, and more.
Your trade as a Keeper is suffering under the rule of the current Emperor, but you've just gotten lucky – the Summit Library, the largest and most important Library in the Eawin Empire, has requested your services. But when you arrive you suddenly find yourself in a dangerous magical mystery: something's wrong with the books, and the Library is falling apart at the seams. Also, there might be a war? But The Summit Library is situated on neutral territory, so that doesn't affect you... Right?
~ UPDATES ~
A Sun Asunder: Post Apocalypse (CScript) updated their demo. @asapostapocalypseif
Meteoric (CSscript) added new content to their demo.
REMEMBER, YOU WILL DIE (CSscript) released Chapter 5. @vapolis
The Ultimate Magic Student (CScript) updated their demo.
Thicker Than (CScript) released their monthly update on Ko-Fi. @barbwritesstuff
Virtue’s End (CScript) updated their Patreon demo. @virtues-end
A Warmth in the Cold (CScript) added new content to the demo.
Spire, Surge and Sea (CScript) updated a new second Chapter.
The Adventures of Alaric Blackmoon (ADRIFT) released Episode 10.
Sentience (Twine) released Chapter 5. @sentience-if
Adrift With You (CScript) released Chapter 2. @kathrinesadventures
A Shriek of Ash and Fire (CScript) released Update 6. @krogpile
Drink Your Villain Juice (CScript) updated their demo. @drinkyourvillainjuice
Oh Mother, Where Are Thou? (CScript) updated their demo.
Dragon Kin (CScript) added new content to their demo.
Soulmates Inc (CScript) is back with a new update. @soulmatesinc-if
Voiceless: A Siren’s Song (CScript) released a re-written Chapter 1.
War of the Divines (CScript) updated their demo.
Hunter’s Requiem (CScript) added new content to their demo. @huntersrequiem-if
~ OTHER ~
Crown of Exile (Twine) offers a limited Access up to Chapter Ten for all their readers. Check it out before it’s too late! @ramonag-if
The Rosebush released an Interview with Chandler Groover, an interactive fiction author known for his influential games such as Eat Me, Toby’s Nose and Midnight. Swordfight., as well as his contribution in Fallen London’s storylines. @the-rosebush-mag
Devil On Your Shoulder is looking for beta testers.
~
As always, we apologize in advance for missing any update or release from the past week. We are only volunteers using their limited free time to find as much as we can - but sometimes things pass through the cracks.
If you think something should have been included in this week's zine but did not appear, please shoot us a message! We'll do our best to add it next week! And if you know oncoming news, add it here!
~ MAYBE YOU NEXT? ~
We did not get a submission this week. But if you have an idea for a short essay, or would like a special space to share your thoughts about IF and the community...
Shoot us an email!
~ HIGHLIGHT ON ~
A couple of games that we thought were cool.
I.A.G Alpha by techniX (INSTEAD)
The interactivity turns the idea of an IF piece on its head!
//submitted by Max//
The Master of the Land by Pseudavid (Twine)
A night of celebration with many storylines to explore. Replay again and again to understand, not to win.
//submitted by Sera//
Wonderland Noir: Behind the Looking Glass by Slim Pickens (Ink)
Delves into heavy topics, reminds me of Disco Elysium. Incredibly evocative writing, almost no attention given.
//submitted by Mouthofdirt//
Your favourite game here?
Do you have a favourite game that deserves some highlighting?
An old or recent game that wowed you so much you spam it to everyone?
Tell us about it! And it might appear here!
WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL! WHETHER IT'S GOOD OR BAD, OR EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN...
Have something to say? Send us a message titled: Zine Letter!
As we end this issue, we would like to thank:
Max, Sera and Mouthofdirt
For sending us a Highlight!!
And as always, huge thanks to all you readers who liked, shared, and commented on last week's issue!
What might be tiny actions are huge support and motivators to us!
Thank you for cheering us on this journey!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We all wish you a great start to next year!
We will see you in January with a 2025 edition of What’s New in IF!
my mc will always feed their sibling (and give them drinks) and the doggy before themselves. basically my mc is the embodiment of 'guess ill die' meme.
im always so soft around children and animals in IFs. U-U why am i making this so hard for myself
During play-testing I was just like you 😭 I had to actually artificially boost the amount of rations and water you can find, since MC's with a sibling and dog were always on the verge of starvation lol!
Just finished reading demo, and I love it so much🥰 Especially, replayability of the game is crazy. I feel there are will be many branches in the future. In my first play I left my sibling alone, so I decided to tag them with me second time to Ranger’s house and discovered so many new options. I just hope nothing happens to sibling. Their behaviour is somewhat concerning sometimes, it seems they still quite ill🫠🫠
So, I also have a question. What is Ro’s ideal partner? What qualities do they admire and like to see in other people?
Have a nice day! Can’t wait for the next update🥰
Hey anon! Thank you for the kind words; getting asks like these really make my day
Yes, I intend for ASA to be as varied as possible [read: have as many paths as i can without exploding lol] and I'm happy people are enjoying exploring them
Surely Sibling is fine and everything's just dandy haha : )
About Ranger -- I suppose their ideal partner would be someone who matches their energy [caring, 'all for one', protective]
hi! loved the update a lot, i will certainly try different paths when I have more time. just wanted to ask, do you need to meet any criteria to adopt the dog? my only option while meeting the dog was to shoo it away:(
Hey anon! Could you tell me which choices you made? [Specifically: did you pick the sibling, and did you choose to run away from/confront the dogs at the start? Are you travelling with Ranger or not?]
Someone else also had this error, but for the life of me I can't find anything wrong with the code...I might have to add an alternative check so that if one variable check fails, atleast one other will pass
I can't believe playtesting took me three whole days lmfao I'm crying
A SUN ASUNDER: POST APOCALYPSE UPDATE!! [65k]
Special note: this update is on dashingdon only for now, since cogdemos.ink is giving me problems again [I'll try to have that figured out soon]
**extra note: if you find any bugs/stuff that doesn't make sense lmk please...even w all the strenuous playtesting im sure I missed a lot [due to the branching]
This update introduces ~30k words of new content, here's a rundown of what you can do:
- explore the cabin [or the watch tower] first
- meet Ranger and learn more about them [or rob them, if that suits your fancy]
- adopt the dog [if you didn't kill it already, of course]
- multiple paths [I tried to make all paths somewhat equal in content, so players wouldn't feel like their path is lacking. Feel free to have multiple saves! Go crazy, there's a lot of variance!]
- time, day, hunger and flashlight systems introduced! Also one death added [on a certain path]
- get the map
- blow up a cabin
- find an old man
- two unique responses if you name the dog certain names
I can't believe playtesting took me three whole days lmfao I'm crying
A SUN ASUNDER: POST APOCALYPSE UPDATE!! [65k]
Special note: this update is on dashingdon only for now, since cogdemos.ink is giving me problems again [I'll try to have that figured out soon]
**extra note: if you find any bugs/stuff that doesn't make sense lmk please...even w all the strenuous playtesting im sure I missed a lot [due to the branching]
This update introduces ~30k words of new content, here's a rundown of what you can do:
- explore the cabin [or the watch tower] first
- meet Ranger and learn more about them [or rob them, if that suits your fancy]
- adopt the dog [if you didn't kill it already, of course]
- multiple paths [I tried to make all paths somewhat equal in content, so players wouldn't feel like their path is lacking. Feel free to have multiple saves! Go crazy, there's a lot of variance!]
- time, day, hunger and flashlight systems introduced! Also one death added [on a certain path]
- get the map
- blow up a cabin
- find an old man
- two unique responses if you name the dog certain names
Finally...finished off all the leftover writing and ended up on the current demo being 64k [instead of my intended 60]. All that's left is to playtest/correct some bugs [cries] and finish up some minor threads before I can publish the update!
I'll definitely have it out sometime next week, but this update should bring to you 30k words of new content and branching that I'm proud of :) evil players will have the Time of their lives lol
Anyway, that's all for now. Sorry for the long wait on this yall <3 I hope it'll be worth it when I get it out
Quick little update: the second RO's [Wanderer's] gender will now mirror Rangers gender [so if Ranger is male, Wanderer will be male and vice versa]
This is because [spoiler spoile-
Lol, the real reason is that you can talk to Ranger about Wanderer before ever meeting them, and referring to Wanderer as 'they' until you choose their gender feels a little clunky plot wise.
I hope this is fine rip < / 3 I tried to work around it, but there's no better solution as of rn
