branching narrative Archives

AppWizard

August 9, 2026

‘I am a big roguelike guy, but also a fan of minimalism and elegance’: Sam Barlow, creator of Her Story, guides us through the games in his Steam Library

Sam Barlow is the director of Half Mermaid and a notable figure in interactive fiction, known for his work on games like Arrival, Ghost Rider, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Her Story, Telling Lies, and Immortality. He has a fondness for the game D: The Game, appreciating its cinematography and atmosphere despite its design flaws. Barlow has dedicated over 500 hours to Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island, which he considers one of the greatest roguelikes. He also treasures Riven, keeping it installed at all times for its artistic value. On the non-gaming side, he relies on Fade In, a screenwriting software that he finds essential for his work. Barlow's desktop is chaotic, as he saves everything there, leading to a cluttered environment.

AppWizard

July 24, 2026

Free PC game giveaway will save $20, one for Baldur’s Gate 3 players

The Epic Games Store is offering the game Foretales for free from July 23 until July 30 at 4 PM BST. The game can be downloaded from the Epic Games Store and is yours to keep indefinitely. Foretales is a story-driven card game with turn-based combat, set in a fantasy realm, and features a narrative about a thief named Volepain who must stop a curse. It has a retail price of .99 and is also available on Steam for .99 until July 28. Foretales has a Metacritic score of 74 and an 86% rating on Steam, with gameplay lasting approximately 15 hours for the main story, 20.5 hours including side quests, and up to 32 hours for completionists. The game is narrated by Travis Willingham.

AppWizard

July 14, 2026

Survival is Optional, Death is Inevitable: Celestial Return Launches Today on PC

Metaphor Games and Shoreline Games have released a dice-based narrative RPG titled Celestial Return, now available on PC via Steam. The game features players as Detective Howard in the neon-lit Netherveil City, with plans to expand to PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo consoles by Q1 2027, including support for three new languages. Players use dice as a currency to navigate the game's narrative, which is influenced by their choices and character attributes. The game includes features like a gameplay loop focused on dice management, a branching narrative, and a unique visual style combining manga and American comics.

AppWizard

May 31, 2026

There’s one game Don’t Nod narrative designer Nina Freeman won’t ever uninstall from her PC, because it’s banned on Steam: ‘It’s tragic, because everyone should play this game’

Nina Freeman's first gaming experience was with the 1991 game Rodent's Revenge, which she played on a friend's computer or at school. She has developed autobiographical games like Cibele and Last Call, and worked as a level designer on Tacoma and Open Roads. Currently, she is working on an undisclosed project with Don't Nod and developing an indie horror game titled Size Zero with her husband. Freeman recently played Angeline Era on her Steam Deck and completed Scarlet Hollow, which she describes as a masterpiece with a complex branching narrative. The oldest game installed on her PC is Rollercoaster Tycoon Deluxe, released in 1999. She has logged over 2,101 hours in Dota 2, which she and her husband enjoy together. Freeman considers Devotion by Red Candle Games one of the best horror games and will never uninstall it from her library. She relies on OBS for her work as a game developer and Twitch streamer, and maintains a tidy desktop for streaming purposes, although her external hard drives are less organized.

AppWizard

May 16, 2026

PC Free Game Offer Will Save You $80, 2 Games Are Yours To Keep

The Epic Games Store is offering two free titles for PC users: Sunderfolk - Standard Edition, a tactical RPG valued at .99, and The Telltale Batman Shadows Edition, typically priced at .99. Sunderfolk allows up to four players to engage in multiplayer online or local couch co-op, using mobile phones as controllers. It has a 94% rating on Steam. The Telltale Batman Shadows Edition features a branching narrative in the Batman universe and consists of five episodes, holding an 86% rating on Steam. Both games are available for free until 4 PM BST on May 21.

AppWizard

May 16, 2026

PC Free Game Offer Will Save You $80, 2 Games Are Yours To Keep

The Epic Games Store is offering two free games for PC users: Sunderfolk - Standard Edition, valued at .99, and The Telltale Batman Shadows Edition, typically priced at .99. Sunderfolk is a tactical RPG developed by Secret Door and published by Dreamhaven, featuring online multiplayer and couch co-op gameplay. It has an all-time score of 94% on Steam. The Telltale Batman Shadows Edition follows a branching narrative in the Batman universe and has an all-time rating of 86% on Steam. Both games are available for free until 4 PM BST on May 21.

AppWizard

May 12, 2026

Directive 8020 review: One giant leap for sci-fi body horror

A new horror game developed and published by Supermassive Games is set to release on May 12, 2026, priced at in the U.S. and £40 in the U.K. It features a branching narrative where player decisions significantly impact the story and includes a multiplayer component. The game has been reviewed on a setup with an RTX 3070 graphics card, an AMD Ryzen 5 5600G processor, and 16GB of RAM. Compatibility with the Steam Deck is yet to be confirmed, and it is generating interest on platforms like Steam.