Archive 13 is a narrative-driven investigation game where the player takes the role of a tabloid editor in 1990s New York. The player investigates cases, analyses evidence, and decides what information to publish. Every choice affects the player’s safety, reputation, and the direction of the story.
📌The game focuses on decision-making and consequences rather than action or combat.
Core Gameplay
Investigation
⚙Players examine emails, photographs, documents, and audio messages using an evidence analysis system. By inspecting details such as dates, metadata, and inconsistencies, players uncover hidden information and decide what evidence can be trusted.
Editorial Choices
⚙After investigating a case, players must decide how to present the story. This includes choosing headlines and deciding whether to publish information fully, partially, or not at all.
These choices affect:
- Readership: how successful the newspaper becomes- Determines the financial stability of the newspaper and unlocks access to higher-profile cases.
- Risk: the level of danger the player faces- Increases surveillance, threats, and dangerous encounters during fieldwork.
- Reputation: how trustworthy the player appears- Affects how sources, colleagues, and the public respond to the player.
Mini Cases
⚙The game is made up of several short investigative cases. Each case works on its own but gradually connects to a larger hidden conspiracy known as Archive 13. Earlier choices influence later cases and the final outcome.
Fieldwork
⚙At certain points, players leave the office to meet sources or investigate locations. These moments focus on tension and dialogue, with choices determining what information is gained and how much risk is involved.
Progression & Endings
⚙There is no traditional failure state. Instead, the game features multiple endings based on the player’s decisions. These endings reflect whether the player prioritised uncovering the truth or protecting themselves.
Character Pressure
⭐Key characters such as the editor-in-chief and office staff apply pressure on the player, encouraging certain decisions while discouraging others. Their reactions change based on the player’s choices, reinforcing the tension between professional survival and ethical journalism.
Player guidance
⭐After each major decision, players receive feedback through changes in headlines, public reactions, character dialogue, and shifts in gameplay variables, ensuring that consequences are clearly communicated.
Tone & Atmosphere
⭐Atmosphere plays an active role in gameplay. Lighting, sound design, and environmental storytelling change in response to player choices, increasing tension as risk rises and reinforcing the emotional impact of decisions.
Replayability
⭐The branching narrative and multiple endings encourage replayability, allowing players to explore alternative investigative approaches and moral outcomes.
Prototype