You open your eyes and find yourself aboard a fishing ship, floating aimlessly in the ocean. You have no recollection of how you got here. Or of who you are.
You hear a strange sound coming from the bridge. And you start exploring …
This is
Journey Beyond the Edge of the World. An atmospheric first-person adventure game set on a ship lost at sea.
Uncover a mysterious retro-scifi story set in 1953, through exploration and puzzle solving.
By combining pixelated retro graphics with modern visual effects and incorporating 3D audio in its gameplay mechanics, Journey Beyond pulls you into its world.
A world confined to a fishing ship, lost at sea — with a twist, because multiple timelines are accessible through portals, giving access to previously locked-off areas, items, story fragments. Over the course of the game, you explore more and more of the constantly changing and evolving MS Constance and find out what happened to the ship and to its crew.
The deep narrative is encapsulated in an engaging puzzle-centric gameplay loop which revolves around finding and combining items, repairing broken devices and interacting with the environment.
Solving a puzzle unlocks a narrated music track and advances the main storyline about the journey’s sole survivor — the Unnamed Fisherman. A story about loss and hope — and about making and accepting choices.
Go anywhere and interact with almost anything on the ship: Discover new places and objects that tell you something about a lost crew member or about a part of the story.
Handcrafted sounds take you into the world through Spatial Audio, providing three-dimensional sound that works on regular headphones. Use it to focus on specific sounds and discover hidden memories; allowing you to step through time and to uncover new parts of the story. *
* Accessibility features will include non-spatial options upon release
Advancing the main story requires solving increasingly complex puzzles. Fix broken navigational equipment, repair a leak in the ship’s hull, use ropes in environmental puzzles. It is all about finding the right item for the right purpose.
The year is 1953. In the early morning hours, a decommissioned fishing trawler is leaving the port of Hamburg, Northern Germany to go on an expedition into the unknown. On board, an unconventional crew made up of fishermen, small time criminals, scientists, artists. Led by a mysterious and secretive stranger from out of town – who is keeping the true nature of the journey from everyone else.
Following a range of surreal events, the ship gets into a storm and all onboard are lost to the sea.
All but one: The Unnamed Fisherman, who is unwillingly taken on a journey to uncover the true intentions behind the trip and into their own troubled mind.The mnain story is told through narrated ambient music tracks. Each story chapter is locked behind a puzzle. Solve the puzzle – unlock the music. With each chapter, the ship and it’s surroundings change, adapting to the events that take place in the music; taking you closer and closer to the Edge of the World – and beyond.
The pixelated retro look of the game is complemented by atmospheric lighting, modern visual effects, and a realistic water simulation, making for a truly unique visual experience.
Game features
- Exploration of an interactive ship
- Spatial Audio as a gameplay mechanic
- A compelling mystery retro-scific story set in 1953 about a ship lost at sea …
- … and about loss, hope, and about making and accepting choices
- Item-based and environmental puzzle solving
- Narrated ambient music
- Handcrafted sounds
- Pixelated retro graphics …
- … with atmospheric volumetric lighting & modern visual effects
- Realistic water simulation
About the dev
Journey Beyond the Edge of the World is solo-developed by me – Markus Koepke. I have worked as a freelance cinematographer and post production generalist in the advertising industry for more than a decade. A couple of years ago, I found a new passion in making games. Crafting visually unique virtual worlds with a strong narrative is super exciting to me. I also make electronic ambient music, and
Journey Beyond lets me blend the two art forms in a unique way.
