The Novelist
Orthogonal Games · 2013 · Story Rich, Choices Matter, Atmospheric, Stealth, Indie
PC
Mostly Positive78% · 55266Metacritic
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About The Novelist
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. The Kaplans have come to a remote coastal home for the summer, unaware that they’re sharing the house with a mysterious ghostly presence: you.
Read the family’s thoughts. Explore their memories. Uncover their desires and intervene in their lives. But stay out of sight; you can’t help the Kaplans if they know there’s a ghost in the house. It’s up to you to decide how Dan’s career and family life will evolve, but choose carefully; there are no easy answers, and every choice has a cost.
Dan’s relationships – to his work, his wife, and his son – react and shift in response to your choices. With a different sequence of events in every playthrough, The Novelist gives life to a unique experience each time you play.
The decisions you make will define the Kaplans’ lives, but they may also tell you something about yourself.
Read the family’s thoughts. Explore their memories. Uncover their desires and intervene in their lives. But stay out of sight; you can’t help the Kaplans if they know there’s a ghost in the house. It’s up to you to decide how Dan’s career and family life will evolve, but choose carefully; there are no easy answers, and every choice has a cost.
Dan’s relationships – to his work, his wife, and his son – react and shift in response to your choices. With a different sequence of events in every playthrough, The Novelist gives life to a unique experience each time you play.
The decisions you make will define the Kaplans’ lives, but they may also tell you something about yourself.
DLC & expansions
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What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
I liked the concept of being some kind of ghost in a summer house spying and helping a little family of three. However, it became repetitive. Just one location which you will go through over and over again trying to find new notes and objects. You also go into memories where you're exploring the same house, finding the same people with each one just saying one line. Should have been more and actual dialogue. I liked reading the notes outside the memories, though. They were well written. Considering the title, it would have been a shame if they weren't. Appreciated it was a different time of day with different lighting each chapter. I did not like the faces of the characters, too inexpressive, but at least it was a distinctive art style. Weird that the ghost couldn't go through doors as sometimes I'd be stuck waiting for one to open or stuck in a room with closed doors. The stealth part, not being seen by the family, jumping from light fixture to light fixture was very easy and pretty much an afterthought. It could be toggled off, which I almost did. What I liked most and what makes this a tentative recommendation, after going back and forth on the subject, was having to decide pr…12 found this helpful
I don't know what's more depressing, the story or the gameplay/UI...but thanks to both, I just ended up removing this from my account.1 found this helpful
Intriguing and with a very human story line.1 found this helpful
Chill and thoughtful. Would like to play more games like this. Thanks for reading.1 found this helpful
I see the vision the devs has with this, but I'm at a point where I'm too bored to finish it for the plot. It's just far too repetitive jumping from light to light in the same house. I'm sure a lot of love was put into this, but it's not for me.
NAH, to depressive and not rly great in its telling or gameplay, its more of a visual novell where you "Ghost" arround and watch em suffer.
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