Ithaca is in a very early conceptual stage, one that might lend itself too early for any real criticism. If you’ve watched Double Fine Adventure, you might have a clue as to how early Ithaca’s in development—there are still scratch voices and most of the game isn’t functioning. Still, it’s out for public viewing with the intention of gaining support and funding.
Ithaca follows an environmental lawyer fighting destructive corporations hell-bent on keeping their profits. We learn and shape the character with our decisions, and learn why she’s kidnapped someone who’s trapped in the back of her trunk. Your goal is to keep your friends and family from knowing what you’re up to.
So you drive to Ithaca. We will find out its importance when we get there, but we must get there, and we, as the players, will find out the result of this body in the trunk. While driving, you can put the car in autopilot—we’ve made it that far into the future. Check text messages, call people, listen to the radio, search your car for knick-knacks, or stare into the horizon. After certain plot points, you can use your experience to enhance your characteristics like Empathy, Logic, or Creativity. It seems the point is self-realization as you transport this body.
One of the main selling points is that the story is meant to bring awareness to climate change. I’d find that more believable if the body weren’t in the trunk. But I know climate change isn’t going to be a selling point for most people, so the body in the trunk must be the draw. The way the two subjects will intertwine isn’t demonstrated well. Climate issues like wildfires are shoehorned into the dialogue; our main character is a lawyer fighting against those who abuse the Earth; and news alerts that occasionally pop up seem to exclusively discuss environmental issues. But there are several other interpersonal relationships that will undoubtedly complicate the nature of the story. The challenge will be to weave all of that into a cohesive and interesting story. I’m not seeing the potential there—yet.
Stories take time to develop. I wonder if it would’ve been more advantageous to demonstrate their storytelling chops rather than try to show us the current build. Keep the endless driving, sure, but show us what an Ithaca story looks like at its most interesting moments. There’s hardly any detail anyway; it’d all come off as a teaser.
Thank you for reading The Daily Demo! Did you play it? What’d you think of it? I’d love to hear your thoughts.