Indie developers and story tricksters Cyanide Tea continue to make a name for themselves with their newest free visual novel, The Elevator. In the (fairly) distant future, David Carmichael is a taciturn, middle-aged private detective who can't forget the worst case of his former career as a cop... in spite of the memory modifier implanted in his skull. Elena Cormack is a bright-eyed and inquisitive young woman working for a travel agency. The only thing they have in common is a long elevator ride each morning to their respective jobs in a massive old building. Well... and problems, of course. Everyone's got issues, right? But some troubles go deeper than others. Secrets, too.

To play, just read the text and choose the option that sounds best to you. There is no real "right" option, but the game has a two endings that depend on the choices you make, and one of them is more enlightening than the other. Luckily for you, you've got the digital equivalent of keeping your finger on the page of a Choose Your Own Adventure novel... the freedom to save anytime, anywhere. Just right-click to open the save menu and make use of the save slots however you like.

Like Cyanide Tea's previous title Ristorante Amore, The Elevator is a bit light in the interactivity department. The handful of choices you can make have a big impact on the ending, but are very far apart. On the short side, it's a game you can expect to finish inside twenty minutes or so depending on your reading speed, and you'll definitely enjoy the time you spent with it. It's a beautifully written game that manages to switch from eerie and tense to even a little touching at the flip of a switch, and David makes for an extremely empathetic protagonist. The design is great as well, with beautiful expressive artwork and a soundtrack that perfectly fits whatever mood the scene calls for. On the down side, most players will probably see the twist of the "true" ending coming, and will be a bit disappointed at how little real closure there is. It just feels like the story drops a bomb and then goes, and as such The Elevator winds up feeling more like a prelude to something than a full title in its own write. Still, as a free visual novel, it's a beautifully designed and cleverly executed little break from your day, and fans of mystery thrillers will definitely want to give this one a look.

Windows:
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Mac OS X:
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Linux:
Download the free full version