New release: A Closed World

I’m behind the times on this one, apparently: I actually found A Closed World while I was browsing the official selections at Indiecade. A jRPG by Todd Harper and MIT’s Gambit Game Lab,

This console RPG-like game puts you in the shoes of a young resident of a village just outside a forest that everyone says is a place of no return. Supposedly home to hungering demons and a beast that would destroy the village, the forest is forbidden and nobody knows what’s on the other side. However, our hero’s beloved — tired of the oppressive attitude of the villagers — decided to go there, as anywhere would be better than home. Now it’s your turn to follow after. Are you willing to risk everything to find out what’s on the other side?

Here’s a gameplay video:

Truth be told, it strikes me as more of a proof-of-concept than a complete game. The mechanics of combat are imaginative in theme but undercooked in implementation, the narrative is never really explored too deeply, and the whole experience is ultimately quite short. However, with that said, the game is free and available to play in-browser, so it’s hard to complain. Try it here.