Means of Egress
Philosophical Dungeon Crawler [Interactive]
Interactive Fiction. This is a philosophical slow-burn dungeon-crawler, discussing the discovery of one’s purpose. It breaks the forth wall, and includes a NPC point-of-view. It is published in Unearthed Stories.
A Wanderer awakens. A dungeon opens ahead. A quest to explore and survive. An almighty Dungeon Lord of dungeon-twisting wrath. A path predefined by the League and the Nobleblaze lineage. A waltz of questions on the Wanderer’s mind—What do I want? What do I seek? What is my path? A chance to defy the Dungeon Lord. This is a philosophical slow-burn dungeon-crawler, discussing the discovery of one’s purpose. This story is presented like a continuous, non-stop single chapter due to plot reasons; take breaks whenever you need it.
A particularity of Means of Egress is that is (at the moment of release!) the most complex and highly combinatorial book in Unearthed Stories (so far!). Livia did a bit of math, it may have 182 different ways of crossing the dungeon. There are some caveats to that calculation, though.
Are you wondering about the reading experience? In the below video, you can hear me (Livia!) narrate the first half of the first chapter. I’m not a professional narrator, but I tried my best!
“If you were to die tonight, truly, and not by the Dungeon Lord’s will, what is the one thing you’d regret missing out on? Figuring out what that ‘one thing’ is will help you define your purpose, thus leading you to discover and define your identity.” ~ Lahill, the Guild Master. Means of Egress
Means of Egress was released through Unearthed Stories, as part of the update ELUSIVE PATHWAYS.
Content Warnings: The Dungeon Master gaslights the Wanderer by saying how they should feel about a situation, prescribing actions, and/or mocking their feelings. You will find mentions of wounds (this is a dungeon with traps and enemies), and a heavy set of expectations. At different moments, this story-game breaks the fourth wall, also relying on different narrators (the Dungeon Master starts in third person, and the Wanderer in first person).
“That is your problem, Wanderer. Choosing is dangerous, and you have been toying with desperation.” ~ the Dungeon Lord, Means of Egress.