[Preview] We Stay Behind – A Narrative Adventure

We got a first look into the world of We Stay Behind(formerly Resort) ahead of its demo coming to Steam Next Fest June 13th. We have played on earlier demo build and it is subject to change before the demo launches.

The premise of the story is what grabbed my attention, and got me instantly hooked on wanting to know more. A small picturesque town of Laburnum Creek is about to head into a disaster, a comet is heading straight towards them. A few of the residents are refusing to leave, you play the protagonist Laura Tanner  a renowned writer who is on her way to the former health resort to ask the questions that need to be answered.

During the demo it gives you a first look into what you can expect from the game. It is not a long demo, the game itself is short and focuses heavily on the narrative and the dialogue choice you will make along the way. As I entered Laburnum Creek as was already took away by the natural beauty of the resort and setting itself. While the game does focus a low poly art choice, it does not stop it from drawing you in and feel the warm tight-knit community this game is going for. The sun is beaming down on the forest with beautiful flora coming from every angle really pulls the environment together. Of course the demo has zoned you off but with the little that we could explore, it feels like a place where I could really transport myself to.

We also get to have a look on the dialogue choices and how they effect the outcome of the narrative. In most cases you will have multiple choice to choose the answer you would like to reply to, a normal formula in these type of games. The snippet of the character we did get to meet, makes us intrigued to find out even more on what is happening here, they seem to be hiding something  , and that is part of the charm We Stay behind is going for.Currently in this build there is no voice over but for when the game launches there will be voice over in both English and German. This will really pull the piece together as during the dialogue scenes we get the nice ambient sounds but can feel jarring at times when there is dead silence and just text on your screen.

It is honestly shaping up to be a narrative game that can certainly drag you into the world and characters that seem to be people you can come to love, or understand the reasoning behind staying even though a comet is heading straight for them.With the art, narrative and soundtrack to match, of the little we got to experience it makes us want more, and I can not wait to get more.

You will be able to play the demo for yourself on June 13th on Steam.