
A visual novel exploring a near-apocalyptic vision of North Texas, told through the poetic words of a young woman going home.
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About
INTERSTATE 35 is an evocative narrative game from Radiant Array which follows a young woman returning to her hometown in Texas after a nuclear disaster. Through lush, poetic writing, we follow her literal journey through the post-apocalypse on a scavenging mission, and retrace her figurative journey to see how she got here and where she might head next.
Players click through text to both advance the current plot, and discover memories that they are able to salvage in their inventory as keepsakes. Each keepsake reveals a bit more about the main character and, and/or the post-apocalyptic world she now finds herself in. Which you decide to salvage, and which you discard is up to you.
Lush, poetic writing.
Interesting characters
Stunning, post-rock influenced soundtrack by Josie Brechner
Vivid, surreal illustrations of a Hopper-esque near-apocalypse by Porcelain Bones (Persephone Kavallines)
Moody, textured background art and UI design by Ariyeh Korva.
Keepsake System: Sift through memories of the past and decide for yourself what's worth keeping.
A melancholy, magical vision of an apocalyptic Texas, broken by nuclear disaster
Keyboard and Mouse + Controller Support
Explore the past. Go home. Come back breathing.
"A near-apocalyptic road trip story, INTERSTATE 35 is a game about coming home when home is all wrong. I wanted to explore an apocalyptic disaster in a way that felt honest to the way real disasters happen. They're strange, isolated, and way too easily forgotten. My hope is that INTERSTATE 35 will make for a good piece of interactive archaeology-- a means of finding the future by sifting through the ruins of the past.
Inspired by titles like Kentucky Route Zero and We Know the Devil, I'm calling INTERSTATE 35 an experimental visual novel. But just as much as that, it's a work of interactive poetry, with a bit of memoir thrown in for good measure. It's very special to me, and I hope you find something to hold onto in INTERSTATE 35's slow apocalypse."
– Julie Muncy, Creative Director @ Radiant Array
Genres
Stats
All-time low is the lowest price we've recorded for this game since we started tracking it.
Languages: English**languages with full audio support
Engagement
Hours played at review time, across 40 reviews with recorded playtime.
Reviews
Themes across 40 recent reviews and how positive each mention is. A keyword signal, not full sentiment analysis.
positive critical· bar length = how often the theme comes up
Reviews
Very evocatively written, dealing with questions of faith and community after the end, and the universal pain of coming home after a long absence, and all the memories that dredges up. Love the art and audio, really hope we get to see more from this dev team.
Short, but incredibly evocative and with such a vivid aesthetic. Worth it for fans of Norco and Richard Linklater
Interstate 35 is a short visual novel, written so vividly that the post nuke Texas setting came to life before my eyes, despite never being fully illustrated to us. The art work that was included was just enough to set the scene while still abstract enough to get the imagination going. The rest of the visuals set a post apocalyptic, psychedelic vibe that is completely unique compared any other VN I have played. This all comes together to form a memorable atmosphere. It is very unfortunate how few people have played this game. It deserves more attention, and I would love to read some discussion, as while I have my theories about what happened at the end, I am not entirely sure whether my interpretation makes sense.
short and suffocating
The aesthetic, music and writing would all hold up on their own but they combine to create some of the best uses of form within a visual novel I've seen, a must play!
Spent my Saturday evening playing through INTERSTATE 35. Very thankful I did. Blown away by the moving writing, its excellence matched by a stunning soundtrack. The art is killer, too. The Disco Elysium & Norco comparisons are apt and Interstate 35 is absolutely a must play if you like those games, but I thought a lot about Citizen Sleeper too. Particularly how both games offer narration with beautiful prose ruminating about a broken world. A lot to chew on thematically. So many layers. I’ll be thinking about I-35 and it’s ending for a while. Play this game!!
i never felt like i belonged there, not really
A moving story that's supported with some evocative art and great soundtrack/soundscape. Kinda has a similar vibe to NORCO.
really beautiful short story, almost a poem. the artwork and music in this game is incredible, really atmospheric and i love the use of the geiger counter sounds.
without wanting to give away anything story-wise, its good! lovely art and music. well worth your time
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Trends
Concurrent players on Steam, sampled daily since tracking started.
Audience
Estimated from the language of this game's reviews — a proxy for where players are, not official Steam demographics.
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