On Jun. 18, Auriea Harvey and Michaël Samyn, creators of Belgian development team Tale of Tales, took to Kickstarter to fund their new walkabout first-person narrative, Sunset. They did not have to deal with much worrisome anticipation to meet their $25,000 USD goal, however. The mark was hit in 42 hours.
At the time of writing, the innovative indie, set place during a fictional South American revolution, found $62,934 worth of support, with 24 hours left on the clock — the window will be open until Jul. 17, 12 p.m. EDT. For $15, donators will receive a digital copy of the game. One generous, to say the least, backer who parts ways with $10,000 earns the prize of the development duo cleaning their home next summer while they’re away, leaving messages around the living area. There are one out of one spots left.
Wait, why cleaning? Don’t interrupt me while I write, I hate that. So, if you’re done, Auriea and Michaël’s grand prize actually involves them taking their game into the dimension of the real world, where people sometimes have to move themselves.
See, in the game, you take on the role of Angela Burnes, a housekeeper for a 1970’s Playboy-inspired bachelor pad. As you go through menial tasks, your temptation to rummage about the aristocrat’s articles and items grows strong. One thing leads to another, and oh, now your playing a role in the rebellion against your region’s dictator. You have until sunset to make your decision on how the events unfold.
According to Sunset’s Kickstarter page, the game is inspired by the extras in military action games, and the success of other narrative explorations, like Gone Home and Dear Esther. You interact with your employer, whom you do not actually see. You can choose how these interactions go, e.g. flirty, aggressive, etc. Choice is heavily weighted in this game, which can cause it to last as short 90 minutes or as long as six hours.
Tale of Tales has employed Austin Wintory for the soundtrack. Wintory has been nominated for a gaggle of awards, including a nomination for a 2013 Grammy Award for “Best Score Soundtrack Album,” for the acclaimed Playstation 3 art-driven adventure Journey.
Tale of Tales themselves have history as well: seven games to their name, the most notable being a fellow narrative-driven, The Path.
Sunset has a tentative release for Mac, PC, and Linux in March 2015. Visit their Kickstarter page if you feel like donating, or securing a digital copy of the game. All excess proceeds go directly to the employed artist team to maximize the game’s quality.