Playing Kafka: An atmospheric narrative adventure game
The world of Franz Kafka is coming to gaming in a bold new way. Charles Games, the award-winning indie studio behind titles like Beecarbonize and Svoboda 1945, has announced the release of their latest project, Playing Kafka. This narrative adventure game is an adaptation of three Kafka works and has been developed in collaboration with Kafka experts. It promises to be an experience full of impenetrable schemes, insidious plot twists, and conversations that slip out of hand. The game is set to release on May 21st for PC, iOS, and Android platforms and will be completely free, with no premium purchases or paywalled content.
Playing Kafka invites players into a world where they've been arrested for no reason, their assistants are unrecognizable, and a pervasive sense of guilt lingers. The game is an exploration of modern society's alienation and unresolved family issues, wrapped up in an atmospheric narrative adventure. The game boasts a fully voiced branching story, based on Kafka’s The Trial, The Castle, and Letter To His Father. It also features atmospheric puzzles, fateful decisions, and a unique drag and drop gameplay that brings characters and environments to life. You can check out the full teaser here:
Visit the game's Steam page for more detailed information about each of the three chapters.
The team at Charles Games didn't merely want to illustrate Kafka's works. They aimed to craft a game that reimagines his themes for the 21st century, telling his stories in ways unique to the videogame medium. The developers have studied Kafka’s books, diaries, and letters meticulously to create a game that embodies the atmosphere and social critique found within Kafka's works. The developers believe that Playing Kafka will bring Kafka’s work and its themes closer to the young generation, making it a game for everybody, gamers and non-gamers, of all ages. The game stands as a testament to the studio's mission of creating socially engaged titles.
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