A medieval tavern nestled deep in the woods — a place of mystery, intrigue and atmosphere.
“I could feel my skin tingle when the sight of the tavern met my eyes. I had been walking for so long I wasn’t sure I would ever find it, but there it stood in front of me: the grand figure of William Reynard’s tavern. Whether he was still alive, and the tavern inhabited by friendly folk, I was still to find out.”
The scene started life as a short cinematic and a set of still renders. When Level 80 asked to feature the environment on their pixel-streaming platform, I turned it into an interactive story set in this haunted place — and when that platform didn’t suit a single-player experience, I released it on Steam instead, free to download.
It is closer to interactive fiction or a visual novel than a game: walk, run and jump your way through the woods and the tavern, with around 30 minutes to an hour of play (longer if you like to explore). Along the way I had to work out a ragdoll-style fall for the first-person player, which I later wrote up as a tutorial.
Music: Dark Fantasy Studio – Underworld (Haunted), composed by Nicolas Jeudy.
