103 secures $12,000-plus on Kickstarter

Written by Jack Allin — October 12, 2018 at 12:59

Kickstarter may not be the financial bonanza it once promised to be, but it's still a boon for indie developers like Dystopia Interactive, whose surreal first-person mystery 103 recently received enough crowdfunding support to continue towards its year-end launch target. 

103 tells the story of Lily, a young woman who "has never been quite like other people" but whose "wild imagination and strong memory have given her the talent to create her own home. A place in her mind away from the dangers of the world, to keep her dreams and memories safe." After a night out with her friends, however, "something terrible" occurs that changes her life forever. If she's to overcome the trauma, players will need to "help Lily use her imagination to unlock her memories and relive the events of that night."

Presented in first-person 3D, 103 has a unique visual style, as befits an adventure taking place entirely in the protagonist's imagination. Here you will find elements of Lily's "past, her dreams, everything until the event of that one night that changed her life." The surroundings should feel familiar and comfortable, and yet something is different. Now Lily "doesn't feel safe here anymore. There is something underneath that she has hidden, a suppressed memory that only you can help her remember." Designed to take about 2-3 hours during which the environment itself tells most of the story, the game asks players to "read messages, solve puzzles, view pictures and objects as well as experience events and encounter characters that all help you understand what happened."

Already well along in production before the successful Kickstarter campaign, it's full speed ahead for 103 towards its targeted release on Windows, Mac and Linux sometime before the end of the year, with a Switch port later on. To follow the game's progress down the home stretch, check out the official website for additional details.