A wasted writer who doesn’t write goes tripping across dimensions in a first-person explorer inspired by the life and works of Philip K. Dick? Yes, absolutely, go on, thank you. That’s Californium [official site], which came out this morning. I’ve played half an hour so far and goodness me, I have been delighted to explore this slice of ’60s California and peel away the corners of reality to peek into worlds beyond.
Prolific American author Philip K. Dick is perhaps best remembered for his contribution to science-fiction. If you can’t place the name, I’m sure you’ll have heard of films made off the back of his Orwell/Huxley-esque interpretations of state control and altered consciousness, including Blade Runner, Total Recall (the good one, obviously), and A Scanner Darkly. Inspired more broadly by Dick’s writing and ideas, the upcoming Californium [official site] is a strange and wonderful first-person game about a writer who seems to be slipping between realities as his life falls apart. It looks great:
