Fallen London
Fallen London Failbetter Games, Browser
I’ve been playing Fallen London since it was Echo Bazaar, which is a long time ago now, and at some point I ended up losing my original character down the sofa somewhere (I can’t remember now if this was on purpose or I just lost the email address I signed up with, it was a confusing time) so I’ve had this character meandering around the glorious gothic underground London (and beyond) for eleven years now.
Built on the principles of storylets, where stories unfold in short paragraphs and present the player with choices of what to do at that moment in time, it’s been the perfect game for me to dip in and out of a couple of times a day, no stress, no worries. There’s a limit to how much you can play a day regardless and that suits me down to the ground. I like a game that says no, that’s enough.
I tend to play often but largely just ambling about, occasionally I find myself filled with the urge to maybe do something of use or note. After eleven years then, I finally achieved my ingame ambition to complete the Vake Hunt (yes, I know) this week, a tremendously indepth and sprawling quest to bag the head of a beastie. And you know what? I’ve loved every minute I’ve spent in this game, every minute I’ve spent on this quest alone, because the prose is an eternal delight and the stories are, at their worst, highly enjoyable. At their best, they’re stories I’ll find a place in my heart for.
Can’t ask for much more than that and yet, Failbetter keep giving me even more game to play, which seems somewhat excessive but I can’t really complain.
Here’s to the next eleven years or whatever.