25th June, 2024: Indie publisher Ratalaika Games, together with solo developer Miguel H. Death, who is already working on a sequel, are pleased  to announce the forthcoming release on June 28th of Nocturnal Visitors  launching on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox One & Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Steam PC.  A thrilling and challenging experience as you Investigate morally grey crimes in this fantasy thriller in which magic and science, chaos and order, are two sides of the same coin.

Scene Setting with more to come

Nocturnal Visitors is the first in a five-episode series which tells the story of Jamie, 16 year old boy, who, on one ordinary November night, witnesses a paranormal event. Shortly afterwards, he is transported to Aliorbis, a mysterious alternate version of Earth where magic and science coexist in almost perfect harmony. It’s the place where all the legends that we know of are born. There Jamie learns that he is what is known as a “Visitor”, someone who can cross the barrier that separates his world and Aliorbis. He quickly becomes part of SEEK, an organisation that investigates crimes that are a threat to both worlds. Through his adventures with SEEK, Jamie slowly becomes acquainted with Aliorbis’ dark and twisted past filled with corruption and chaos, and gradually begins to wonder if he is truly on the right side of this story.

One for all

In this episode you play as multiple characters, the main one being Jamie, who acts as “the chosen one” in Nocturnal Visitors. However, the point of view changes, some of the chapters being narrated in their entirety by different characters, as a way to provide different points of view, backgrounds and, most importantly, clues to understand the overall mystery of the Nocturnal Visitors series.

The storyteller explains –  Miguel H. Death, “ Nocturnal Visitors is all about environmental storytelling. The player is highly encouraged to explore all the areas in the game and interact with everything, as ninety percent of the elements present in the game are interactive and provide context for both the plot and characters. While the player is always given clear and simple objectives to make the story progress, were they only to do that, they would probably not be able to understand the story as a whole once the climax of the series is reached. Nocturnal Visitors asks players to be curious and to pay attention to every single piece of information provided by both the plot and the gameplay, as it will be essential to understand the mystery that will develop throughout the series.”

Getting in there

Nocturnal Visitors takes place in Aliorbis, an alternative version of Earth where both magic and science, chaos and order, coexist. The premise is that every element of folklore that we know of – like magic, witches, ghosts, dragons, etc., do exist in this world and the reason why we know of them is because of the existence of Visitors, people from Earth, like Jamie, who can cross the barrier that separates both worlds. This has allowed them to become acquainted with these fantasy elements and to share their knowledge with the rest of the world.

However, what may seem at first sight as a magical world everyone would love to live in, hides a darkness underlying truth that becomes more and more present as the series goes on, increasingly showing more scenes of corruption, chaos and violence that resemble what we experience on a daily basis on Earth. As the best works of fantasy do, Nocturnal Visitors aims to create parallels with real life, as a way to explore why we play video games as a form of escapism, when in reality video games usually resemble many of the struggles of our daily lives and help us understand them more.