ACOLYTE

This AI-powered detective game is a real conversation piece

Developer/ publisher Superstring

Format PC

Origin UK

Release TBA 2021

Chatbot use has spiked during the COVID pandemic. As businesses adapt to the digital shift, many have been deployed to handle customer queries. But increasingly they’re helping tackle loneliness, too – reportedly half a million people downloaded digital companion apps last April alone. As such, Superstring’s follow-up to ambitious FMV adventure Headspun seems especially timely.

The idea behind Acolyte, however, has been percolating in creator Jamin Smith’s head for years – ever since he played 2015 mobile game Lifeline, in which you exchange text messages with a stranded astronaut. “I was blown away by it,” he tells us. “The scope of that game is tiny, but it achieved so much with so little. I wanted something that was more manageable after Headspun, because that game was just a beast for one person to handle.”

Independently of that, he started talking to technology firm Spirit AI, whose Character Engine is designed to use natural language input to simulate conversations. “Their aspiration is to integrate this into narrative games and really revolutionise how NPCs work in games,” Smith explains, “so that you’re not just selecting from three dialogue options – to an extent, you can say whatever you want.”