The Thing from Nowhere

[i]The Thing From Nowhere[/i] is a short visual novel paying homage to classic 1950s era creature feature B movies, where we get to play the part of either Miss or Mr Sam Booker (selectable from within an early stage conversation), returning to the small Alaskan town of Joy following mail received from June, a town resident and friend. Sam's previous visit, with cryptozoologist parents during childhood, had raised interest in the Inuit legendary Qalupalik monster, and upon receiving a report of a sighting along with other, seemingly corroborative writings, (s)he is keen to return and investigate personally. This leads the player into a nicely realised 1950s small Alaskan town with townsfolk ranging from friendly to suspicious to completely disbelieving that there could be a threat to life lurking in the nearby wilds. It is up to Sam to prove that the monster – or whatever else it may be – is out there, to find evidence, and possibly even bring a stop to it. [h1]Positives[/h1] Choosing your gender in the early intro conversation results in your character being addressed accordingly through the game. As the MC is not depicted visually, this works nicely. Both graphics and sound…

Short and sweet visual novel. The story isn't ground breaking, but keeps you interested until the end. Good amount of dialogue choices too. Apart from a few minor mistakes, the translation is brilliant. Also, the background music and the fonts match perfectly with the situation (and place) you're in at any given time. Game's also super cheap, so it's worth the money for a good hour or two of text-based storytelling.

short playtime, but really entertaining cute game for a lazy afternoon

I loved this title, but I'll admit it might not be for everyone. An illustrated story in the style of the Choose Your Own Adventure pocketbooks that were so popular years ago. I'm a fan of 1950's B-movies and this story captures that atmosphere wonderfully. The art and the music are perfectly appropriate for the story. I plan to replay a few times to try out different choices. Comparable to Dagon without the trivia or achievements.

A short but excellent retro interactive story “The Thing from Nowhere” is basically a digital choose‑your‑own‑adventure book, and that’s exactly why it works so well. Most of the “gameplay” is just clicking through text choices, but the writing carries it: the story is engaging, the characters feel distinct, and the setting – a remote Alaskan town in the 1950s with a classic monster‑movie vibe – is atmospheric and fun. I really enjoyed the way it leans into that retro B‑movie feeling, clearly inspired by 1950s monster films and older games like “It Came from the Desert”. It is fairly short at around 2.5 hours for a playthrough, but for the very low asking price it feels more than fair. You get a complete, self‑contained story that doesn’t overstay its welcome, and I found myself wishing there were more games like this – focused, affordable interactive fiction that respects your time and delivers a satisfying narrative hit. If you like story‑heavy games, visual novels, or old‑school choose‑your‑own‑adventure books, “The Thing from Nowhere” is absolutely worth a look. For a couple of hours of cosy retro horror and some meaningful choices along the way, it’s a bargain and an easy…

An excellent Creature Feature VN. Read it while rewatching the X-Files, very fun!