December 2, 2016
[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Game Developer and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press]
Author: Fancy Fish Games
Arizona - December 2nd, 2016 - Fancy Fish Games is excited to announce that their visual novel, ＜/reality ＞ has entered the final week of its Kickstarter campaign, which will end on December 10th. The game - a futuristic exploration of the philosophical questions posed by virtual reality technology - will release March 2017.
＜/reality ＞ imagines a near future in which virtual reality has become the norm, and the lines between reality and fantasy have begun to blur. The game is a character-focused, open-minded look at how we think about our own reality. What can be categorized as “real”? How do virtual experiences fit into our everyday lives? And, in the end, is it only our perceptions of our realities which matter?
The story blends sci-fi and fantasy elements, taking inspiration from films such as The Matrix and Inception, as well as the anime series .hack//Sign. The narrative regularly switches perspectives between Lilya Martel, a gamer who struggles with social anxiety, and Jacob Lessard, a tech developer with a greater purpose in mind.
“In Lilya’s character, we are striving to represent a serious mental health affliction in an accurate and non-romanticized way. We hope to make Lilya a realistic and relatable character, and for those who may not be aware, give a glimpse into the everyday battle of living with - and managing - anxiety,” explains project lead Natalie Maletz.
Key Features
A Thought-Provoking Narrative - with several mind-bending twists and two perspective characters, the story is both philosophically ambitious and deeply personal - over 90,000 words.
A Plethora of Choices - a heavily branching storyline makes the game replayable. Player decisions have major consequences - ranging from shifting a character’s attitude, to placing them on a different story branch, to re-directing the outcome of the entire narrative.
Expressive Character Art and Visuals - 14+ characters (each with various poses and expressions), 12+ background scenes, 16+ CGs/special illustrations, 15+ ending panels.
Character and Relationship-Building - Rich, in-depth character development affected by your choices, with opportunities for both romantic and non-romantic relationship-building. Romance is optional, and may be pursued from either Lilya or Jacob’s perspective.
Original Music and Sound Design - by the talented composer Chase Bethea.
Find out more about ＜/reality ＞:
The Kickstarter page is here, and an early trailer is available here. Plenty of screenshots and other media is available on the game’s PressKit page. ＜/reality＞ has also been greenlit on Steam.
To keep up with the latest news from Fancy Fish Games, follow them on Twitter or Facebook.
About Fancy Fish Games
Founded in 2012, Fancy Fish Games is an indie game development studio dedicated to creating imaginative and thought-provoking experiences. Fancy Fish Games develops and self-publishes quirky, story-rich games that challenge the norm and inspire reflection. The team of collaborators has a prolific work history including Quotidian, I Can't Escape, Deity Quest, Deus Shift, Drawscape, A Different Color, AdventureLib, and I Can’t Escape: Darkness.
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