Four Video Game Adaptations

Imperial Messenger: Escape from The City Absolute2027, WuYa Software An adaptation of the Kafka parable A Message from The Emperor. After a brief cutscene in which the anonymous player character is seen leaning over the enormous deathbed of a stereotypical quasi-orientalist despot, gameplay begins sans tutorial or explanatory popup. A third-person camera follows the player character (ambiguously gendered, clad in tunic & sandals) as they navigate a labyrinthine, procedurally-generated imperial city. 3D platformer mechanics allow the player to navigate the open-world map in three dimensions. A compass in the bottom-left corner of the screen ostensibly indicates the direction of the messenger's destination, but its orientation gradually shifts in random directions as one explores deeper into the city. Though obviously frustrating, critics praised the richness of the game's procedurally-generated environments. As one explores, it is possible to encounter winding staircases, lofty…