[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaHw97l7-Lc]
Sam Barlow, writer and lead designer of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories and Aisle has announced that his first independent title, Her Story, will release simultaneously on PC, Mac, iPhone and iPad on June 24th.
Her Story is Barlow’s first release after going independent in 2014. Playing like an interactive true crime documentary, the game lets you go hands-on with a police database full of live action video footage. It stars Viva Seifert, actress and one half of the band Joe Gideon and the Shark.
Her Story was passed through the Steam Greenlight process in only two weeks and has since received the backing of the prestigious Indie Fund. With its innovative use of video and a non-linear narrative, Her Story is one of 2015’s most hotly anticipated independent games.
How does it work?
Her Story sits players in front of a mothballed desktop computer and logs them into a police database. They search through hundreds of video clips that cover seven interviews from 1994 in which a British woman is interviewed about her missing husband. Players explore the database by typing search terms then watch the clips where she speaks those words and piece together her story.
Barlow says “Her Story is unlike anything you’ve played before. I’ve worked hard to tell a personal story that is both moving and truthful and I’ve told it using something you rarely see: a game that asks you to listen.” He continues: “My passion is to do for games what True Detective did for the cop show and what Serial did for the true crime podcast. Both those shows expanded what is expected of the crime genre whilst entertaining a broad audience. Likewise, Her Story is scratching a deeper itch than most games that explore police work… but at the same time anyone can pick it up and play.”
