A puzzle-horror game set within a 90s desktop
THE STORY
June, 1995
You are Joanne Saunders, a newly hired secretary at the Canadian pharmaceutical company, Aster Initiative. As dark secrets from the company begin to unravel, you decide to dig deeper and take the company down from the inside—on your work computer.
GAMEPLAY & PHILOSOPHY
PC & MAC - Aster Initiative is more than just a love letter to the early days of computing. It’s a story-based “analog horror” inspired experience with choices that matter, deep world-building and an open world or “open web” sandbox philosophy.
With the tools and programs provided by fictional operating system, LapetusOS, you can:
Surf a truly authentic and colourful early internet
Call and message a cast of unique characters
Download and manipulate videos, pictures, documents and music
Play fun minigames
Customize your desktop environment
Decipher codes and solve puzzles
Find e-mail passwords to log into accounts and snoop
Create art with PicassoPro
Avoid phone scammers and harmful viruses
But beware of your watchful supervisor, who doesn't tolerate slacking off.
Experience the main story and reach one of several endings or freely explore a massive fictional 1995 internet full of side objectives, memorable events, new puzzles and unlockables to customize the inside and outside of your desktop computer.
The story is short but sweet. Each playthrough introduces new variables and gives the player a chance to make different decisions. No two playthroughs will be the same.
ART DIRECTION & 1995
The design direction for Aster Initiative is to create the most visually faithful representation of 1994-1998 computing and web design in gaming.
To accomplish this, Aster Initiative uses full HTML websites made with actual tools, rare assets and design techniques used in the 90s. We also work with computer historians and consultants to ensure Aster Initiative is authentically 90s from the inside out.
Do you want to work with us to design your own website that will appear in-game?
Aster Initiative will also feature references and parodies of real historical events. Whether you’re a 90s kid or not, it’ll feel like exploring a familiar new world.
