Simulacra
AVAILABLE ON: Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mobile
DEVELOPER: Kaigan Games
PUBLISHER: Wales Interactive
CONSOLE RELEASE DATE: December 3, 2019

Some of the more unique gaming experiences I’ve had over the years have come from publisher Wales Interactive. From live-action FMV games like The Bunker and Late Shift to the theatrical murder mystery Knee Deep, their library is a great place to look for short, unique experiences unlike what we’re used to seeing in gaming.

Now comes Simulacra, which was first released a couple of years ago but made its way to consoles this month. What makes this one different from most games is that there is no navigating a map, no inventory to manage, no upgrading skills, nothing like that. This game’s story plays out entirely on a smartphone screen.

A launch trailer has been released for The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker from developer D’Avekki Studios and publisher Wales Interactive.

The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker is a live-action interactive story, or FMV (full-motion video) game. It’s a Lovecraftian murder mystery in which you play as a psychiatrist who must not only help the patients of the recently deceased Dr. Dekker with their problems, but also try to figure out who killed the doctor. You do this by asking questions, either by typing them in yourself or choosing from some suggested options, and looking at the evidence, watching replays, and more before you come to a conclusion. The game features over 1600 video responses, which actually set the Guinness World Record for most full-motion video in a game.

Continue below to read more about the game and to watch the launch trailer.

Late Shift
AVAILABLE ON: Xbox One, PS4, PC, Mac
DEVELOPER: CtrlMovie
PUBLISHER: Wales Interactive
RELEASE DATE: April 18, 2017

Another fully live-action video game/interactive story, Late Shift is a crime thriller in which your choices determine how the story will play out.

The story opens with a student named Matt (Joe Sowerbutts) heading to his night job as a security guard. While on the job, a boring evening quickly takes a drastic turn when he finds himself being kidnapped at gunpoint and being forced to fill in on a heist. That’s where the roller coaster ride begins, and it’s up to you to decide how it all plays out. Will you jump on opportunities to try to escape or foil the criminals’ plans; do you play along as best you can for fear of your own well-being; or do you, with a promise of a cut of the prize, take a detour from your boring day-to-day existence and live a little dangerously.

Recently we saw an entirely live-action video game from publisher Wales Interactive titled The Bunker. Now Wales is back with another live-action game, this time from developer CtrlMovie, titled Late Shift.

The game—or interactive experience, more of a movie and video game fused together—is a crime thriller written by Michael Robert Johnson, who’s worked on the screenplays for Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, Pompeii, and Duncan Jones’ upcoming Mute. It features nearly 200 choices as you make your way through the story, each said to alter how things play out.

You can read more about the game and watch a trailer below.

Knee Deep
DEVELOPER: Prologue Games
PUBLISHER: Wales Interactive
RELEASE DATE: January 31 (PS4), February 3 (Xbox One) 2017

Have a seat, ladies and gentlemen, and let me tell you about a little indie game called Knee Deep.

Part mystery, part stage play, this is one strange ride. The game follows the investigation of the suicide of a famous actor in a small town in Florida. As those investigating begin to dig, a chain of events starts to unfold and the story becomes much larger than it initially seemed. But how things play out while those events are unfolding is where you come in.