Today I’m releasing the first chapter of a five part game called The Lord of Hunger.

I’ve wanted to write a story game that toys with syntax for a while. You ever read a sentence and thought, wow, every word is so well chosen? I wanted to make something that’s the linguistic equivalent of a cobbler in the woods lovingly carving a chair from a single piece of wood, each slice of the knife intentionally placed. The Lord of Hunger has been a project about the process, for me.

I’ll post a devlog every time I release a new chapter, which should be weekly. In addition to following me here on itch you can follow me on twitter to get updates.

FAQ

Is this a game?
I don’t know, maybe.

Are there branching paths?
No, but there are variable passages.

I don’t understand who is narrating.
That’s fine.

Why is this in parts? Why not release it all at once?
To be honest, I struggle to read long interactive stories in one sitting. I’m releasing The Lord of Hunger in a way that would be palatable to someone like me.

Is this an Achilles/Patroclus thing?
The Lord of Hunger is not directly based on them, no, but I did read Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles last year and it left me sobbing in bed at 2AM so that kind of thing ends up sticking with you.

How can you have “Frequently Asked Questions” for a game that you literally just released today?
Listen, I just want to make a few things clear and the Q&A format was a convenient structure.