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Press release:
Wiesbaden, Germany 20th May, 2021.
The Germany-based indie games publisher Assemble Entertainment and indie games studio DigiTales Interactive, today announced with great delight and pride that their pixel art sci-fi noir adventure/detective game “Lacuna” is now available for PC via Steam.

In the game, players will wrap themselves in the sodden trenchcoat of grizzled Central Department of Investigation (CDI) agent Neil Conrad as he seeks to unravel a mystery that could have immensely dire consequences.

Dive deep into a complex system of branching dialogue options, dynamic conversations, shifty NPCs, and multiple unique endings that will have players guessing until the very end. Conrad must trust no one, ask plenty of questions, and keep his eyes peeled for important clues as he searches for answers in his unorthodox quest to get to the bottom of this conspiracy.

“Lacuna is a thrilling mystery that takes everything players love about the Noir genre and envelops it in a sci-fi twist, while updating the point-and-click genre for modern players seeking something fresh,” said Assemble Entertainment CEO Stefan Marcinek.

“Players loved the prologue, and we’re pleased to finally allow them to get to the bottom of the mystery!”

Jasmin Pfeiffer and Julian Colbus, Co-Founders of DigiTales Interactive, added, “Lacuna is our debut title, and we can’t believe it’s really finished! It’s a work of passion that has accompanied us since our university days, and we are so happy we can finally share it with the world and see the decisions players will make. We believe that games are the best medium to tell an immersive and poignant story, and we hope that you will get exactly that from our game.”

Winner of ‘Best Prototype’ at Game Award Saar and 2nd place as ‘Best Game’ at the Indie Game Fest 2019 and the one-hour prologue enjoying an extremely positive 92% Steam review rating, Lacuna is a contemporary take on a classic formula.

While on the surface the game appears to follow the tropes of the tried-and-true point-and-click blueprint, Lacuna does away with cumbersome mechanics like repeating dialogue options, counter-intuitive puzzles, pixel hunting, and interruptive story breaks. Instead, the game uses WASD/controller controls, permanent changes to the plot based on the player’s choices, story-driven mysteries, optional interactive elements, multiple endings, and a deep, complex story that revolves entirely around the player’s actions.

Key Features Include:

A System-Wide Conspiracy: What seems like a simple, albeit high-profile murder is just the tip of the conspiracy iceberg, as one death leads to another and the body count begins to rise
Die-alogue for Days: The crux of any investigation is conversation. Chat with a wide cast of unique NPCs with an extensive dialogue system where each interaction can reveal something new and the discourse doesn’t repeat.
Choices Have Consequences: What players say and do will impact an ever-evolving story that forces them to make tough decisions and live with the outcome. With multiple unique endings, each player’s experience will be unique and the answers at the end of the investigation will vary depending on the steps and decisions they make along the way.

Published by Assemble Entertainment and developed by DigiTales Interactive, Lacuna is now available on Windows PC via Steam for £12.39 / €15.99 with a 15% launch discount. In addition to the standard edition, Assemble is also releasing a ‘Save The World’ edition on Steam for £20.49 / €25.99 USD, where 10% of the proceeds go to GoGiveOne. GoGiveOne was founded by the WHO Foundation and collects donations to provide COVID-19 vaccines for countries that cannot procure them.

Stay up to date with Lacuna by following DigiTales Interactive on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Discord.

About Assemble Entertainment
Based in Wiesbaden, Germany, Assemble Entertainment is an independent games developer and publisher, best known for modernized award-winning Leisure Suit Larry series, featuring two new entries in the iconic decades-spanning saga, and the multi-award-winning Endzone – A World Apart, that challenges players to survive and thrive following an environmental apocalypse. Assemble Entertainment also organizes GermanDevDays, an annual conference that attracts more than 1,200 attendees from across the German-speaking video game development industry.

About DigiTales Interactive
DigiTales Interactive is a micro game development studio based in Saarbrücken, Germany. The team has a diverse background in various disciplines including literature, music, marketing, pixel art, and programming. The studio’s games employ established storytelling wisdom from various media to convey philosophical ideas and other thought-provoking subject matter without sacrificing fun and entertainment. Learn more at https://digitales.games/about.