The Novelist (2013) · Tastebuds

The Novelist asks one central question: can you achieve your dreams without pushing away the people you love? The game focuses on Dan Kaplan, a novelist struggling to write the most important book of his career while trying to be the best husband and father he can be.

Simulator Strategy Adventure Indie Stealth Drama ghosts exploration story driven steam walking simulator digital distribution voice acting descendants of other characters moral decisionsLinux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac

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Character

Contemporary, contemplative, grave and spare.

contemporarynostalgic
contemplativerelentless
gravecomic
sparerichly built
earnestironic

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From the critics

A few lines from each review; the whole review is on the critic's site. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.

GameGrinEmsey WalkerDec 201310/10
The Novelist is the most personal and beautiful game I have ever experienced. The creator, Kent Hudson, has quite plainly poured his heart and soul into this game, and the outcome is genuinely something to behold. Never before have I felt so emotionally involved in the characters, their situation and potential future, as in this truly player-driven story.
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Hardcore GamerMarcus EstradaDec 20134/5
We're simply not used to having real emotional reactions to video games. Sure, some titles are getting better at it, but for the most part that's something truly lacking in the medium.
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Tom's GuideJill ScharrDec 20134/5 stars
He may be the novelist, but you're the one who writes his story in this introspective, story-driven indie game released today on Steam.
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Rock, Paper, ShotgunAlec MeerDec 2013
I was deeply disappointed to find after all my worrying and all my sacrifice that The Novelist's conclusions are suspiciously neat, too mechanical and too implausible in the family permanently cutting off one option in favour of another rather than pursuing compromise later in their lives – the destination is, sadly, not the measure of the journey. Some familial interactions ring hollow too, sound too scripted, too dramatic, too perfect. Nonetheless, it's a journey I'm glad I made.
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Slant MagazineAaron RiccioDec 20132/5 stars
These mechanics aren't broken so much as literally insane, in the sense that each chapter requires you to do the exact same things, somehow expecting different results.
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Snippets via OpenCritic, where 33% of critics recommend it.

About the game

Platforms: Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac
Developer: Orthogonal Games
Released: December 10, 2013
Modes: Single player
Perspective: First person
Engine: Unity

IGDB rating 6.5/10 from 19 ratings.

Screenshots

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