Genre: Walking Simulator/Exploration Game
Explore the past as you resolve the present in Anamorphine, a surreal adventure of rendered emotions. Journey into the mind of the main character, a young man in post-traumatic denial. His subconscious is pushing him to face his past - or be consumed by it. Anamorphine conveys the narrative through environmental storytelling as you delve into physical and mental turmoil, using first-person exploration with no language, cut scenes, UI, or action button. Unlike most story-driven games, Anamorphine emphasizes the narrative through exploration and natural interaction with the environment instead of through text or voice-over (like Gone Home or Firewatch).
The narrative follows a thirty-something man named Tyler, his wife Elena, and a succession of relationship milestones that define their lives together. By playing through Tyler’s memories, the player traces the couple’s relationship from its happy beginnings to a difficult accident that leaves Elena without the ability to play the cello, which is both her livelihood and emotional outlet. As she quietly slips into a depression, Tyler struggles to understand how to support Elena, and faces his own limitations in his ability to help her. The player is faced with the choice of diving deeper into his painful memories to unblock the things he has been unwilling to face, or “escaping” into a limbo-esque existence through denial of his past.
We made Anamorphine to shine a light on the idea that mental health is as valid and important a topic to create a game about as any other. As games grow as a medium, we are excited to see the breadth of human experience reflected in them. For a little more about our perspective on mental health and games, you can watch this NoClip Session interview with our Producer, Samantha Cook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJVnGRH6NyA