External Links

Itch.io (PC Version)
Windows Installer (Windows 8.1 and later)
App Store (iPad)
Defaults - All Systems Installer

Have you played this game?

You can rate this game, record that you've played it, or put it on your wish list after you log in.

Playlists and Wishlists

RSS Feeds

New member reviews
Updates to external links
All updates to this page

The Ice-Bound Concordance

by Aaron A. Reed and Jacob Garbe

Science Fiction
2016

Web Site

About the Story

The Ice-Bound Concordance is an award-winning indie game with cutting-edge interactive story technology, enhanced by a printed book using augmented reality. Inspired by the mysterious fiction of writers like Borges and books like House of Leaves, the story will take you deep into the frozen ruins of a sinking polar research base.

When a digital simulation of a long-dead author is created to complete his final masterpiece, a story of explorers trapped in at the end of the world, the player must help by exploring hundreds of permutations of these famous stories. By conversing with the troubled A.I. and rearranging his fragmented stories, you'll decide how (and if!) his novel should end. A logic-driven combinatorial narrative system allows the player's input to shape the story in a way completely unlike most story-based games.

The game takes on a new dimension when combined with the physical printed book "The Ice-Bound Compendium." This full-color 80-page art book drives the game forward by unlocking new levels and new pieces of the A.I. writer's past. Seen through the iPad camera, pages come alive via augmented reality technology, inscribed with new layers of secrets. Find out how to get the book at http://www.ice-bound.com/


Game Details

Off-Site Reviews

Rock Paper Shotgun
"This is a game that defies easy explanation."
A love triangle I’d accidentally wrangled from the light permutations was forgotten about for three layers then re-appeared suddenly further down. When I realised quite the extent to which the story was procedural and responsive, it felt like a dizzying pit had opened up. How was this made, I began to wonder. What needs to be done to make a game like this?
See the full review

Killscreen
Death of the Author
Highlighting certain imagery (environmental objects, characters’ possessions, etc.), the player chooses points of focus for Ice-Bound’s narrative, and each choice ramifies as the player helps the AI unlock new chapters to build and order the book from incomplete data.
See the full review

Page Update History

v.3: 23-Mar-2016 20:19 - JTN (Current Version) - Edit Page - Normal View
Changed author
v.2: 23-Mar-2016 20:22 - aaronius
Changed description
  v.1: 23-Mar-2016 20:19 - aaronius
Created page