The Elevator is a brief yet enveloping visual novel (more of a novella), taking place in a not-too-distant dystopian future, centering around a washed up detective-turned-private eye. The game itself is mysterious, though its story lacks any real mystery. By the end of the game you realize just how little influence you have in the movement of the plot, with only a few decisions available to the player, scattered atop the total storyline. Considering this fact, the storyline is surprisingly well written, with a strong development of characters throughout. the language used is at times raw, and at times amoral; though, as is the case with many dark future, steampunk narratives, this seems to be the default, as if what the future is certain to hold is a post-moral, post-religion society.
Still it remains that with such a short storyline to work through, the total product was incredibly moving. I found myself empathizing with the concerns of the protagonist quite well; I may have even begun falling over myself for that shy, cute elevator girl.
The music is sleek and interesting. I especially enjoyed the sort of upbeat track which had a glittering spanish-style guitar line. It was very moving, as was the rest of the soundtrack.
All in all,
The Elevator is an interesting play, worthy of interest by any that take pleasure in seeing a gripping story unfold, regardless of how little control over that story one has.
platform utilized: mac
genre: visual novel
where to find:
The Elevator can be downloaded
here at Cyanide Tea's site, for either pc, mac, or linux.
