Alcyone: The Last City

After the fall of civilisation, the City is the only thing still standing.

Outpost Alcyone : the Nihility spread across the universe at close to the speed of light, unmaking & twisting everything it encountered. We had enough warning to protect ourselves as we saw the distant stars flicker out one by one. Alcyone's old name was forgotten and became simply the City.

Shielded and walled away from the decimation and destruction of the void outside, inhabitants have lived for centuries with the serenity provided by the City's protection. Governed under the benevolence of the Six Ruling Houses, humanity continues to demonstrate its tenacity in surviving and adapting to whatever fate befalls it. Normal life continues — after a fashion. We persist. 

But the Six are lying to us.

And the Nihility is more than we've been told.

And there's a way out of the City.

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Important note about versions on sale:

• The $29.99 USD alpha will give you access to the game's alpha (expected to begin in mid 2018); you'll also be included in the beta and receive a download for the full version on release; this also includes the digital artbook & soundtrack as well.
• The $14.99 USD beta will give you access to the game's beta (expected to begin in early 2019); you'll also receive a download for the full version on release; this also includes the digital artbook & soundtrack as well.
• The $4.99 USD launch version will give you a download for your choice of platforms (macOS, Windows, Linux) at the time of full release — this is expected to be sometime in 2023; the $6.99 USD version is a "complete" bundle that includes a downloadable copy of the game at launch as well as the digital artbook and soundtrack.

Your purchase includes cross-platform downloads of the game on three operating systems (macOS — 64-bit; Windows (XP not supported) — 64-bit; Linux — 64-bit) in a single download. Each purchase includes an immediate download of the latest demo build. Buying into the alpha or beta will also give you immediate access to those versions when the respective testing period begins.

Essentially, if you want to get involved early & help test and shape the direction of development, the alpha or beta tiers will allow you to do so. These pricing tiers reflect the pledges available through the May 2017 Kickstarter campaign so they're a great opportunity to get involved with the game if you missed out during the crowdfunding period — or pre-order the full version when it's released and help support Alcyone's development now.

Check out the free demo below before you decide to purchase & get in touch if you have any feedback, issues, or questions. Thanks tons for your support!

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Alcyone: The Last City (pronounced Al-Sigh-O-Knee!) is a sci-fi interactive fiction game set in the last City in the universe. What's "interactive fiction?" It's sort of if you combine a novel and a video game into one — you choose the direction that the story takes and your choices heavily impact the plot, characters, and its ending.

Centuries before the beginning of Alcyone, experiments with hyperspace and faster-than-light space travel ended up destabilising and destroying the universe as humanity knows it. Now, in the game's present, all that is left is Alcyone itself — its old name has long fallen out of use, and its residents refer to it as just "the City."

The City is governed by the Six Ruling Houses who oversee a very strict class & caste system — the rich have everything, and the poor fight for what they can. Movement and travel are heavily restricted and even the wealthy are scraping by as best they're able. The City's climate is a tinderbox ready for a spark — and then you come in.

The player steps into the shoes of a "rebirth." Inhabitants of Alcyone don't exactly die and can be reborn several times in cloned bodies with downloaded memories. Are you from the ruling caste, or was your background simpler? The choice is yours, and that choice is one of many that will dramatically impact your progression in the game.

Alcyone has been inspired by narrative-heavy video games like Killing Time At Lightspeed (Gritfish) & Fallen London (Failbetter Games, who have also graciously provided Alcyone their blessing), as well as sci-fi space operas like Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds and Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton. It includes gorgeous hand-painted digital artwork by Peak Distapan and a full-length soundtrack composed by Michał Korniewicz.

After an awesomely successful Kickstarter campaign concluding in May 2017, Alcyone was fully funded and will also feature the work of an all-star team of special guest writers including: Rhianna Pratchett (Tomb Raider, Mirror's Edge); Dang Duy Minh Nguyen (The Lotus Throne); Snow McNally (Little Witch Story); Anna Irwin-Schutze (Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles); John Kane (Killing Time at Lightspeed); & David Gaider (lead writer & world designer of the Dragon Age series).

Accessibility features include a high contrast, colour-blindness aware palette, labelled art elements, "dyslexic-friendly" fonts, full TTS and compatibility with screen reader systems like VoiceOver, and an interactive tutorial system.

Alcyone is in active development with a planned release coming soon. More information can be found at alcyonegame.com or on the Kickstarter page.