Fallen London redesign spruces up the horror, the horror
Works better on phones too
Failbetter Games have launched a shiny redesign of Fallen London, the browser-based alt-history Victoriana horror RPG which spawned Sunless Sea then Sunless Skies. Failbetter last updated the site's look in 2009, when I'm not sure computers even had came in colour? Now it looks fancier and it works better on different screen sizes too, so I suppose you can fill your pocket telephone with horrors and oddities.
The new website is now live. Here, compare the same screen from the old with the new. Don't mind the curious new friend I've made.
Along with the new look, it now uses HTTPS to be more secure, and the site automatically scales to fit the screen size, so it's as home on PC as it is on whatever else you've got. Failbetter are closing the game's mobile app, partly because the new site makes it less necessary and partly because it was wonky.
Failbetter explain that the redesign was long-overdue.
"Fallen London is beautiful but old - we've not really changed its look since it was released eight years ago. We know that's part of its charm and adds to the atmosphere, but we felt it really needed a new lick of paint.
"For the game's long-term health and future, we need to modernise the aesthetics. We want it to be fresh and accessible to all, particularly to new players. Fallen London is a large and complex game - the cramped interface can be hard on the eyes, and the Myself page can be overwhelming, especially for non-veterans."
They are still making tweaks and fixing a few things, but this is largely its new form.
But hey, look, Fallen London is prettier. Our dearly-departed Adam has written before about his time in the subterranean London, and Cobbo delighted in a long and harrowing quest which made quiet clear you'd lose everything.
Fallen London is free-to-play through its site. Failbetter sell a number of extra for real cash (through a microtransaction currency), as well as optional subscriptions with extra stories and other perks, and have an option to buy more of the action points which limit our actions. But it's a game one can happily play without paying loads.