Grayout
By: Mrgan LLC
**Update: The game is now available. You can download it here and see this little gameplay video here:
You might be wondering what that jumbled title is all about. It was my way of having a bit of fun announcing the upcoming text adventure game called Grayout, a prequel to the dystopian censorship game Blackbar by Neven Mrgan and James Moore.
Grayout puts you in the shoes of a woman named Alaine, who wakes up in a hospital with problems communicating, otherwise known as aphasia. The game tries to capture this feeling by giving you a word cloud from which to choose words to form a response to the people talking to you. As the developer pointed out, it’s a bit like fridge magnet poetry.
I’ll have a proper review with screenshots out when the game is released, but I just wanted to spread the news. I had a chance to play through the game already and those who liked Blackbar should definitely look forward to this one. If you didn’t like Blackbar, there’s still a good chance you might enjoy Grayout, as it’s much more fleshed out, both in story and puzzles. The tone is similar, since it’s a prequel, but darker and more disturbing. It also features an equally jarring soundtrack that changes to match Alaine’s emotions.
I don’t want to give away too much right now, but it’s an idea that works surprisingly well. The game should hopefully be out before Christmas, so you shouldn’t have long to wait.
Here’s a little teaser gif:
**Update: The game is now available. You can download it here.
See my interview with Neven Mrgan.
Already playing the game and need help? Try my complete walkthrough!