apartment: a separated place
The Elsewhere Company · 2020 · Adventure, Indie, Text-Based, Story Rich, Romance
PC
3 user reviews100% · 3
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About apartment: a separated place
Nick Connor just got dumped by Madison, his girlfriend of four years. Enter his life in the wake of their breakup and explore his memories of their relationship. Apartment: A Separated Place is an intimate look at Nick's state of mind as he picks through the wreckage of his relationship with Madison. Join him as he seeks self-consolation in the apartment they once shared. Venture outside to visit his neighbors: a displaced loner, a lost daughter, a grieving widow, an uncertain newlywed. Enter their apartments — their lives, their relationships, their innermost thoughts — as they seek their own resolutions.
a•part•ment is a story-driven game, a bit like an interactive novel or movie where the way you play helps to tell the story rather than giving you power over it. We wanted to create a strong connection between you, the player, and the characters whose stories are told in the game. Different sections of a•part•ment have different mechanics that put you in the lives of the characters you play. In some sections you actively build the story, in others the story is in the environment and unfolds as you progress through it.
Key Features
a•part•ment is a story-driven game, a bit like an interactive novel or movie where the way you play helps to tell the story rather than giving you power over it. We wanted to create a strong connection between you, the player, and the characters whose stories are told in the game. Different sections of a•part•ment have different mechanics that put you in the lives of the characters you play. In some sections you actively build the story, in others the story is in the environment and unfolds as you progress through it.
Key Features
- A Personal Story: a•part•ment explores the story of a breakup first hand. You will join Nick as he reflects on his relationship with Madison -- how they met, how they broke up, and milestones in between leading to that point.
- An Interactive Anthology: Just beyond the walls of Nick's apartment are his neighbors, each with their own struggles for you to discover. Their stories are told through a series of interactive vignettes, with different mechanics designed specifically to convey their stories in a relatable and emotionally powerful way. In these vignettes you get to step into their shoes, experience a part of their emotional turmoil, and understand how they relate to the important people in their lives.
- Text-Based Experimentation: In games, text is often something you want to skip in order to get to the “good parts.” In a•part•ment, we want to make text the “good part” by using it in unique and interesting ways. Text and reading are central to the game.
a•part•ment is a short game! A playthrough of a•part•ment runs about the length of a movie (2-2.5 hours, shorter if you hustle).
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
✦ AI summary
Players praise this walking simulator as a deeply moving, artistic exploration of relationships and apartment life that resonates emotionally and encourages reflection on their own connections. They highlight the exceptional writing, music, sound design, and innovative use of typography and text as both narrative and visual elements that create a poignant, atmospheric experience. The main criticisms center on the limited player choice and some uncertainty about how much agency actually matters in the branching stories, though most feel the 2-hour length is perfectly balanced and the experience
This game made me want to call up old friends to see how they were doing. That's how you know it's good.4 found this helpful
This is one of my favorite indie games. I'd best liken it to a surreal Gone Home - it's a walking sim that explores the relationships and lives of people dwelling in several neighboring apartments. This is strongly experiential and emotive, with an artistic and innovative storytelling method that uses text as a way to draw your eye around the spaces you explore as well as almost an object in the world. The writing, music and art are all fantastic, and the minimalist 'overworld' style keeps the focus on the more inward nature of the stories being told. This game is about 2 hours long, which is the perfect length for it as it doesn't overstay its welcome but likewise doesn't feel rushed. You're looking into snapshots of peoples' lives and memories. Some have a resolution to them while others do not, just like in life. This is a creative and engaging little game that I'd recommend to people who love strong character-driven focus and experimental narrative style.4 found this helpful
Apartment is a poignant, pensive walking simulator primarily focused on the main couple's story, but featuring vignettes of their neighbours. A couple of the neighbour's stories were sentimental enough to evoke a few tears. The music and writing were top notch, with the graphics and gameplay serving the atmosphere of each individual story. The game did not feature much choice but the overall experience was definitely worth trying.3 found this helpful
Beautiful game, great typography and sound design. a * part * ment is deeply atmospheric. I've never had a game deliver a creeping sense of claustrophobia as well as this did when my character was locked at a computer screen typing away in enforced solitude while someone who loved them was moving around behind them, in and out of the house, as the sun rises and sets. Excellent reason to wear headphones. The main viewpoint character, Nick, comes across as one of those very caring jerks who try to do the best for people around them but keep tripping over themselves. Large and varied amount of interface shifts packed into the game, although the central loop of collections becomes natural after a few repeats. I don't know how much my choices matter in the other stories besides Nick's, and I'm kind of worried about that. If there are possible different endings across the segments, I'd appreciate the developers adding in some Steam Achievements to reflect the various options. If there's not, at least the unlockable pictures showing my progress are nice. Some small graphical glitches like light shining through cracks in walls. The camera movement with the mouse was slightly odd,…3 found this helpful
There are a lot of 'break up' games and this is by far one of the best I've ever played. There's a sophistication and maturity to the storytelling that's hard to find. Relationships are never simple and each of the vignettes explore the complexities of relationships that fall apart, never come together, or eventually find a way to work. The design of each vignette combined with the story it's telling is one of the best aspects of this game. There's a meditative quality when playing--where I found myself reflecting on my own relationships as I played. May and Rose's stories were probably the most moving and interesting--with truly unique interactions exploring losing or finding the person for you. Overall, if you want a thoughtful game with interesting interactions and a lot to say about relationships, definitely worth the time!2 found this helpful
I love this game. I have feels. :)2 found this helpful
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