ShortWave

In ShortWave, the player takes on the role of a conspiracist living in their van. By carefully tuning in to their radio channels, the player begins to learn more and more about the local radio channels and deduces that something isn’t quite right with one channel in particular. 

The player also gets a message on a potential lead through the radio from a fellow conspiracist, nicknamed Jackalope. This prompts them to start investigating further into this potential conspiracy. The more the player investigates, the more they begin to find and the more investigating they must do in order to get to the bottom of the mystery.  

Physical control mechanics and an intriguing narrative keep the player engaged as they sort through the clues they uncover, but it quickly starts to seem like it might not all be fun and games. As things start getting a little bit creepy and out-there, the player is given a sensation of tension and urgency in their work. This may spur on the player taking advantage of the ability to multi-task. 

Perhaps one of the most fulfilling aspects of ShortWave, the player can turn on the radio, listen for clues, turn around, look over the clues the player already has and contemplate their importance, sort through the map at where they have been and where they might need to go and it all suddenly comes together when a clue from the radio sets everything in motion.

We intend for the feeling of really solving a mystery to be delivered through the tension, physical input controls (turning of the dial and the like using touch controls) but also the player’s willingness to see the mystery through to the end as the plot thickens, and their role in solving it grows as the evidence piles up and the demonic scheme becomes more obvious.

ShortWave is being developed for tablet and mobile devices to allow for greater interactivity and more interesting control schemes, where the player must manipulate their environment to progress; doing things like turn radio knobs and sort through clues physically recorded in the space.