The Novelist

Release Date: December 10, 2013

Adventure, FPP, indie games, experimental/artistic, singleplayer

78%

Steam

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An independent adventure game by Kent Hudson, a former LucasArts employee. In the production we play the role of a ghost who lives in a house where the writer Dan Kaplan and his family move in. The title tells the story of a father who has to work and at the same time wants to devote as much time as possible to his family.

The Novelist asks one central question: can you achieve your dreams without pushing away the people you love? The game focuses on Dan Kaplan, a novelist struggling to write the most important book of his career while trying to be the best husband and father he can be. The Kaplans have come to a remote coastal home for the summer, unaware that they’re sharing the house with a mysterious ghostly presence: you.

Read the family’s thoughts. Explore their memories. Uncover their desires and intervene in their lives. But stay out of sight; you can’t help the Kaplans if they know there’s a ghost in the house. It’s up to you to decide how Dan’s career and family life will evolve, but choose carefully; there are no easy answers, and every choice has a cost.

Dan’s relationships – to his work, his wife, and his son – react and shift in response to your choices. With a different sequence of events in every playthrough, The Novelist gives life to a unique experience each time you play.

The decisions you make will define the Kaplans’ lives, but they may also tell you something about yourself.

Last updated on August 14, 2015

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