The first major update to our natural-language narrative ARG is AVAILABLE NOW, alongside our first sale for the game, with 25% off for a full week.
The Acolyte Voice Within Update brings some key new functionality to the game, including:
Full, dynamic AI voice-over
New 'Daily Horoscope' module
New facts added
New jokes added
100s of lines of new dialogue
Improved Hint system
Performance Improvements
Additional fixes & polish
The TTS (Text to Speech) feature is the real star of the show here, melding with the game's Natural Language Input to offer dynamic voice-over, bringing your Acolyte to life through spoken word. Here, we've partnered with ReadSpeaker to give Ana her voice, which not only benefits the narrative of the game, but also introduces an important layer of accessibility that was missing before now.
Ahead of some bigger news relating to Acolyte's upcoming 1.1 Update, a quick note on music. Since the launch of the game, we've had a bunch of folks asking where they can listen to the Acolyte OST. And I never had a good answer to this question other than: "boot the game and have it running in the background on max volume??" which was far from ideal.
I'm excited to announce, however, that the official Acolyte OST is now available via your streaming platform of choice, including visualised versions of the three tracks which are now available on YouTube.
Shout-out to the fantastic Jack W Thompson and the team at Feel For Music for their work on the music, and for making the tracks available to stream.
First things first: HUGE thanks to those of you that have picked up Acolyte and chucked yourself down the rabbit-hole of ARG sleuthing. I've been watching as many streams and videos of the game as I can, and seeing how different players tackle the game via its open-ended input is fascinating.
To the small subset of players that have managed to solve all the game's puzzles: kudos. The game game has - and I quote the NME review here - "some of the hardest video game puzzles you’ll ever solve" - so to welcome some of you to the elusive Club100 so soon has been a pleasant surprise.
There will be a bigger update with more substantial feature additions in due course, but I wanted to get a first patch out the door as soon after launch as possible to address a few of the smaller issues that have been cropping up.
In this first update to the game, we've added:
Expanded valid-inputs for certain puzzle solutions
Revised hints for certain puzzles
Improved scene flow for moving between LOI (Lines of Investigation)
A fix for the 'Crossing the Ts and Dotting the Is' Achievement not popping for some players
New additional valid responses for the 'GET TO KNOW YOUR ACOLYTE' task.
A bunch of very boring but very needed typo-fixes
And that's it for this very minor first patch.
Huge thanks once again to everybody that has checked out the game.
The day has finally arrived. Acolyte - Superstring's ambitious natural language narrative ARG - is OUT NOW! And there's 10% off to celebrate launch.
Acolyte is a narrative ARG/Detective game that gives you your own Acolyte; a digital assistant you can talk to freely with unlimited dialogue options. Just like a real conversation.
Become an employee of Nanomax, a well-funded tech start-up looking to change the face of consumer AI with its upcoming Acolyte application. As a remote-worker for the company, you'll interact with its employees and absorb its culture. But unexplained firings, missing employees and a strange, highly-classified bug in the Acolyte code-base point to something being very wrong.
If you've ever dreamed of having your own PA who you can solve crimes and take down corrupt institutions with, Acolyte will be right up your street.
Missed the launch trailer? Give it a watch:
There's not much more worth talking about, really. The game is out now, and your very own Acolyte is waiting for you to say hello.
If you decide to play, and enjoy the game, please do leave a review - for a small studio like Superstring, it's one of the most significant things you can do support us.
Huge thanks, and until next time,
Jamin & The Superstring Team
The Big 'One Week Until Launch' FAQ!
We are now one week from the launch of Acolyte. In seven days time, the game that Superstring has been working on for the past three years will land on Steam.
Questions about the game? We've got you covered.
ACOLYTE HAS ‘ARG ELEMENTS’? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!? It means that the game also takes place outside of the game client itself. To unravel Acolyte’s mystery and solve some of its puzzles, you’ll need to expand your thinking, and be prepared to think outside the box….
I'M STUCK ON PUZZLE [x] - WHAT DO I DO? Firstly, please don't post story/puzzle spoilers here on Steam or otherwise - half the fun is working out what to do here, but they can involve some 'out of the box thinking'. If you're really stuck and think there might be a proper, real life bug - please get in touch - support[at]superstring[dot]studio
I'VE FOUND A *REAL* BUG! Ack! Sorry! Acolyte will still be receiving updates post launch. Please let us know your issue here on the Steam boards or email support[at]superstring[dot]studio, and we'll fix it up asap for you. Apologies for any trouble here.
DO I NEED AN INTERNET CONNECTION TO PLAY? Not as such, no. You can play Acolyte without any connection at all, but in order to experience the full story and be able to solve certain puzzles, you will need access to various web pages.
WHY DOES ACOLYTE HAVE A PORTRAIT RESOLUTION? Acolyte is designed to emulate a mobile device. The full release will also be coming to mobile, but the PC version also retains this resolution to best suit it’s design. The game is also designed to be played in a way that allows you access to other windows and tabs…
WHAT'S THE PLOT OF ACOLYTE? GIVE ME THE GIST! You got it! In this Steam post we take a look at the company of Nanomax, and the world of the game that you'll inhabit as a new employee of the company.
CAN I CLEAR MY SAVE DATA TO PLAY AGAIN? Yup. There's a button for this off the main menu by hitting Escape.
WHAT IS "CLUB 100"? Ah, saw that did you? Be one of the few to 100% Acolyte - solving all its puzzles - and you'll gain entry to the highly exclusive Club 100 and earn your place in the game's credits.
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And that's it for now. Until next Tuesday, then!
Acolyte is due for release June 28th 2022. Wishlist now!
I’ve made the difficult decision to push the release of Acolyte by a month. Due to the natural language input at the heart of the experience, there are an infinite number of ways a player might interact with the game and it’s puzzles, and my general feeling is that the game can be much tighter, and deliver a more polished experience.
At this stage of production, Acolyte is developed by a team of one; canvasing the game and properly testing the infinitude of routes through it is tough work. I want to dedicate some extra time to playtesting the final versions of the game, squashing bugs, and generally ensuring the game is in the best shape it can be for launch.
Thanks for your patience, and rest assured - come June 28th - that it will all be worth it.
Missed it? You can watch the new trailer below:
More soon.
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Acolyte is due for release June 23rd 2022. Wishlist now!
Ahead of release later this month, we've released the final trailer for Acolyte - showing the game's natural language dialogue, ARG sleuthing and general corporate conspiracy in action.
"Blackmail, harassment, a secret they'll do anything to hide. If tech giants like Nanomax are left unchecked. Unchallenged. Who knows where things will lead..."
Watch the new trailer below:
More soon.
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Acolyte is due for release May 26th 2022. Wishlist now!
Not only is Acolyte a natural language game - meaning you can talk freely without pre-defined dialogue options - it's also an ARG. This means that the game spills out of the game client itself, and starts to unfold across the web.
Everything spins around the fictional company of Nanomax, who you'll 'work for' as a QA tester when you begin the game. The nature of your relationship to Nanomax will change as the story-progresses, but the company is a constant throughout the narrative.
The ARG components of Acolyte are largely tied to this tech company, and their real-world presence. You'll be trawling through their web presence, social media accounts and internal documentation in your investigation to expose their true intentions.
This means, as a detective style experience, you'll need to think outside the box, and apply very different logic to your puzzle-solving. Leaving the game experience for the first time might feel odd - or even like you're cheating - but it's very much by design. While you don't *technically* need an internet connection to play, many of the answers and solutions can only be found as your investigation begins to unfold over the internet.
There is little hand-holding here, but you are, of course, not alone. Ana - your Acolyte - is the Watson to your Holmes, and can be leaned on for help and clues as you need. A lot of the time she has the answers already, but needs to be asked the right questions. Once you fall into a good rhythm and relationship with your Acolyte, puzzle answers will come more naturally.
Now I don't want to spoil any puzzle answers here, but the full game will include puzzles the likes of which you've likely not seen before, or at least not in a narrative game like this. We can't wait to see the discussion and support that the growing community might bring to the final game.
More soon.
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Acolyte is due for release May 26th 2022. Wishlist now!
Interacting With Your Acolyte | 10 Features of Your Digital Assistant
Acolyte is a natural language game. This means there are no pre-defined dialogue options or binary decisions to make.
You can, within reason, talk freely to your Acolyte - your own digital assistant - to advance the plot in any way you see fit.
Or you could choose to NOT advance the plot at all, and simply soak in the conversation. It’s totally up to you.
Through conversation and verbal command, your Acolyte has access to a broad range of different modules to cover a spectrum of different uses. Some are functional, and some are simply entertaining.
Here’s Ten Ways You Can Interact With Your Acolyte:
//ONE - RENAME YOUR ACOLYTE
The AI Nanomax Assistant is, by default, called Ana. But you are free to name her whatever you wish. Simply ask “I want to change your name “ or “I want to rename you” (or a variant of this!) and your Acolyte will let you choose a new name.
//TWO - RENAME YOURSELF!
On the flip side, you can also have your Acolyte call YOU anything you wish. Your name being the obvious choice here.
//THREE - TAKE THE PERSONALITY TEST
Your Acolyte can personalise the application to your tastes, but in order to do so, will need to understand what makes you tick. Ask your Acolyte to “Run the Personality Test” and she’ll run through a series of questions to get to know you a bit better.
//FOUR- GET TO KNOW YOUR ACOLYTE!
After your Acolyte has got to know you, it’s only fair that you should know her, too. Ask her questions. Find out what an artificial intelligence might think about current affairs or ethics in robotics. Or her favourite colour.
//FIVE - HAVE YOUR ACOLYTE READ YOU AN AI-GENERATED POEM
Is AI capable of creating (or appreciating) art? Find out for yourself by asking your Acolyte to “Read me a poem”. Acolytes are programmed to compose and deliver haikus, but their potential for beautiful, flowing prose is endless.
//SIX - HAVE YOUR ACOLYTE TELL YOU A JOKE
Your Acolyte has a joke module pre-installed with hundreds of jokes. Just say “Tell me a joke” and your Acolyte will furnish you with a funny.
//SEVEN - HAVE YOUR ACOLYTE SEARCH THE INTERNET
Need specific information to solve a puzzle? Perhaps you need a particular decryption tool to decipher hidden text? Or maybe you just want to look at pictures of dogs in hats. Whatever your search query - ask your Acolyte, and they’ll do the rest.
//EIGHT - REQUEST CHANGES TO YOUR SETTINGS
Want to increase or decrease your font size? Turn the music up? Switch to a Light Mode display? Your Acolyte can facilitate all of these requests: you just need to ask.
//NINE - PLAY A GAME!
It’s not Solitaire or Snake, but your Acolyte comes pre-installed with a conversational guessing game - just ask "Do you know any games?" or "Can we play a game?". Can you work out the rule to this language game?
//TEN - LEAN ON YOUR ACOLYTE FOR HELP
Your Acolyte has a wealth of information about Nanomax and its employees - if you have a question about the company or anybody within it, just ask. Any knowledge stored on a Nanomax server is also knowledge available to your Acolyte. Your assistant is only limited by your own questions...
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Acolyte is due for release May 26th 2022. Wishlist now!
In our upcoming natural language ARG/Detective game, you are a character in the story -- not a character that you might assume the role of, but you.
Today’s update aims to shine a bit of a light on the world that you’ll be immersing yourself in: the world of the technology company, Nanomax.
You'll start the game as a new employee of the well-funded tech start up. Specifically, you’re brought on board as a QA tester for the company’s upcoming flagship product – the digital assistant and lifestyle companion app: Acolyte.
In your role as a QA Tester for the product, you’ll be able to submit bugs, and generally help shape the ongoing development of the application. But the more you learn about its developers (your employers), the further down a disturbing rabbit hole you'll fall...
Nanomax was founded by Fiona Nightingale. A tech-savant and poster-child of the AI scene. Nightingale’s vision is to bring a more personal touch to digital assistants, and give the world a digital PA that can enhance and enrich lives across both business and leisure.
But is all her celebrity and PR built on a lie?
With the release of Acolyte (the app, that is, in the fiction of the game) on the horizon, the importance of the QA team in readying the tech for launch is very high. Particularly because of an elusive, highly severe bug that Nanomax wants to find and purge at all costs.
It's this bug - Error51 - that sets the wheels in motion for you, fresh to the company's QA department, discovering worrying truths behind the technology that you're working on.
As an employee of Nanomax, you’ll have access to all the resources you’d expect of a company: email, company address book, HR, a manager.
But the resources don’t stop within the confines of the game itself. As part of the wider experience, you’ll be accessing the company’s website - www.nanomax.technology - the social media profiles of its employees, and various other web-based locations related to Nanomax.
And this is where the ARG component of the game surfaces, as your investigation into the company tasks you with finding answers to a cover-up in the real world.
The ARG component of Acolyte is something we'll take a deeper dive into in a future post...
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Acolyte is due for release May 26th 2022. Wishlist now!
