Combining the meandering, ambiguous narrative of Dear Esther, the multi-linear structure of Gone Home, and the unfathomable, warping environment of The Stanley Parable, The Old City: Leviathan is the ambitious story-driven début from PostMod Softworks.

Set in the outskirts of a long-abandoned metropolis, The Old City sees players accompanied by nothing but the protagonist’s poetic musings and an atmospheric score. You’ll need to explore and absorb the world around you if you hope to understand the history of the eponymous city, and how you came to be there.

This is a world that morphs and changes when you least expect it, teetering on the boundary between dream and reality. Your only goal: to understand.

PostMod Softworks sought to discard the esoteric puzzles and repetitive gameplay loops of traditional games in favour of a pure narrative experience that delves into philosophical themes oft neglected by the medium.

"Our goal is to create a story that relies on your ability to explore, and in doing so we are exploring new topics in the gaming medium. Beyond this, we want to show that narrative and visuals alone can make a fantastic experience, and that they are not necessarily secondary to elements like gameplay" PostMod Softworks says. "Games can be for whoever and about whatever, and our game is for people willing to discover and about how to exist with differing beliefs."

Players have the option to simply walk from start to finish, but the real meat of the game lies in the hidden nooks and crannies of the world; in secret areas, behind closed doors, and in a 30,000-word novella that reveals itself as the game progresses. There are no weapons, no items, and no skill-trees. All that exists is you and the world. You will make choices simply by the pathways (which will be described in detail to you whilst in-game) you choose to walk down, and each of said pathways is independent of the other. You will not loop around to another pathway or go through other pathways for the duration of that play through. Thus, to understand the game fully, you will need to play through it multiple times to explore all the other avenues that exist.

Up to five hours long in its own right, The Old City: Leviathan is the first part of a larger story..

Key Features

• Detailed environments powered by Epic’s Unreal technology
• Dark narrative exploring philosophical themes
• Atmospheric and haunting score