After years of vigorously shaking our heads at the idea of computer games, this, third, digital release marks the point where our computer games now outnumber our traditional games (this is no longer true - Ed.). Worrying stuff, indeed. But not quite as worrying as the contents of Pandora's Box ...

Please note: Sound is a really important part of the game, so please put on your headphones to get the most, erm, enjoyment out of the game.

About Pandora's Box

DOWNLOAD: Windows (32Mb zip), Mac (28.7Mb zip), Linux (27.2Mb tar)

This game was originally planned to be my entry into Ludum Dare in December 2011. Ludum Dare is quite an epic undertaking by game developers all over the world to produce a complete game from start-to-finish inside a strict timeframe. There are several "competitions": the 24 hour, the 48 hour and then the 72 hour jam. This year the theme was ALONE.

However, as each successive competition deadline slid by, my game became more and more involved. I decided to use the visual novel engine, Ren'Py that I used for Ewe of the Falklands since it's basically the only way I can make a game in any timeframe. Originally, Pandora's Box was just a mood piece that vaguely fostered feelings of loneliness and isolation, but what got me intrigued was a system of "dynamic madness" that I built into the game early on which would change the game's assets (the background, character art and the music too), depending on when you take certain decisions. Because of this ever-changing nature it ended up being not just more complicated than EoF (there are many more story branches) but far more disconcerting too. This is what my planning map looked like by the end of Day 2.

Once I realised (with heavy heart) there was no hope of submitting a valid Ludum Dare entry, I eased off the gas a bit and started to craft the storyline more. I added in elements of a kind of treasure hunt. The "clues" are not only necessary to "complete" the game, but will maybe, possibly help you understand what the hell is going on. Literature boffins probably have a head start here, but don't go searching for meaning too much. It *is* incomplete. Deliberately so perhaps, but still not a cohesive work. Anyway, enough rambling ...

Please note: Sound is a really important part of the game, so please put on your headphones to get the most, erm, enjoyment out of the game.

As always, we are very interested to hear your feedback. It helps us improve our games, but it also encourages us. So, careful.