You’re a hungover, alcoholic woman who’s about to be fired, and you’ve no idea what you did last night. 4PM is an experiment in interactive storytelling and is released today on Steam for PC, Mac and Linux, from UK National Film & Television School graduate Bojan Brbora.
4PM tells the story of Caroline Wells as she wakes up to face another day in her downward spiral to self-destruction. Designed as a blend between linear, cinematic storytelling and interactive gameplay, the game begins at 10am in Caroline’s world. As players explore her environment they learn about her life and her struggles, and will make choices that culminate in a powerful, life-changing moment at 4pm the same day.
Featuring high productions values and a visual style that reflects Brbora’s cinematography roots, his debut game also boasts a fully orchestrated score and professional voice acting that belie its origins as a graduate project from the UK’s National Film and Television School (NFTS). Sailing through Steam Greenlight in just 13 days, the game has already gathered a lot of positive attention after being shown in an early form at Eurogamer Expo 2013 and the NFTS graduate show at the British Film Institute in early 2014.
Described by Serbian-born Brbora as a short, experiential drama, the vision for 4PM is an ambitious one, as the developer explains: “Games allow designers and players to explore challenging issues in a way that’s simply not possible in any other medium. I’ve tried to combine a sense of ‘everyday’ realism with an interactive experience that is still satisfying to play, and I hope I’ve done it in a way that’s a bit different from many of the games we see on sale today. I’m keen to continue to explore the approach further in future titles but I’m looking forward to seeing how people react to 4PM.”
4PM is released today on Steam for PC, Mac and Linux at $4.99/E3.99/£2.99.
For more information on the game please visit the official website at www.4pmgame.com, follow on Twitter at @BojanBrbora, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4pmgame.