State of Presence is a visual novel that delves into the afterlife of a Polish man named Kacper Takarski. After venturing through the last day that Kacper can recall, players are left to uncover how exactly his life ended. While his new environment is unfamiliar, Kacper is lucky enough to be able to communicate with both the dead and the living. Through interacting with the world and others, he must adjust to existence as a spirit, dig deeper into the events of his past, and establish bonds with the people around him along the way.
Each character holds their own history. Kacper’s Post-traumatic Stress Disorder makes facing his own a challenge, however, he doesn’t have to endure it alone. By connecting with others, you can establish the support he needs to make it through. You may even uncover character arcs as you press on…
Features
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The choices you make can affect the Behaviour value, as shown by the meter that appears on-screen. This meter ranges between risky, neutral, and cautious. While a decision may only nudge you towards one direction or the other, where you fall will have an impact on Kacper's behavior throughout the game.
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During point-and-click segments, you can interact with your surroundings by either talking to someone, looking at items, or leaving the area.
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The Memory Timeline tracks Kacper’s unlocked memories in chronological order. The timeline is two-toned, one side representing pre-death and the other post-death. Each memory is depicted as a marker. When hovering over a marker, bullet points appear summarizing important notes from the event. If you’d like to experience a memory again, clicking a marker will replay it.
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The Characters screen shows every individual Kacper has met post-death with icons indicating what Kacper believes their impression of him is. Clicking a character will bring you to their Profile, where you’ll find Kacper’s notes on each character, their likes and dislikes, as well as their own Memory Timeline. Other characters’ Memory Timelines function much like Kacper’s timeline, except they only include memories those characters have shared with Kacper.
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The wardrobe is where you can swap Kacper’s outfit for one you’ve already unlocked.
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On certain days, you can freely roam different areas and choose how to spend your time.
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Items purchased at the shop can either progress the plot, be gifted to characters, or used for paintings.
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By opening the inventory, you can check what items Kacper has on hand.
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You can earn money by picking up shifts at the bakery.
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During Free Time, Kacper can take a moment to paint on a blank canvas. The end result depends on which emotion and focus color combination is selected during the painting process. Emotions will change day by day and new focus colors can be unlocked through the Shop. Finished paintings can be given to other characters as gifts.
Content Warning
This visual novel is being developed by Harmony Frontiers, an organization that strives to include LGBTQ+ representation in its projects and address stigmatized mental health topics. In State of Presence, you’ll find heavy subject matters being discussed, including but not limited to: loss, trauma, abuse, self-destructive behavior and frequent dissociation. Those that are sensitive to this content are advised to use discretion before choosing to delve into the game.