Elegy for a Dead World is a beautiful and simplistic writing game for PC and Mac.
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Story & Themes
The player controls an astronaut who is drifting through space and can choose to visit any of three dead worlds, each inspired by a famous English Romance-era poet. There’s a world based on “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley, a world based on “Darkness” by Lord Byron, and a world based on “When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be” by John Keats.
As you explore these dead planets, writing prompts periodically appear. You can build off of them or completely ignore them. When you’re done, your final project is published and readable by other Elegy players. These projects are very visual, mixing kinetic images in with your story.
The astronaut's gender and race are indeterminable.
Difficulty
Elegy has no achievements, no enemies, and no puzzles. Its objective is to help you create good writing.
Heads Up!
Violence Because the story is up to the players, violent topics may or may not be addressed. One of the writing prompts casts you as a destroyer of worlds, so many of the user stories will address mass murder as a central theme. There is, however, no violent imagery.
Scary Imagery Because the story is up to the players, scary topics may or may not be addressed. There is, however, no scary imagery aside from some abandoned buildings and a graveyard.
Sex & Nudity Because the story is up to the players, sexual themes may or may not be addressed. There is, however, no sexual imagery.
Strong Language There are no filters for swear words, so you may encounter strong language.
Substance Use Because the story is up to the players, illicit substances may or may not be referenced.
Online Community
You can share your writing with other players around the world, and read stories written by others. Because the game is set on a dead planet, many of the stories written by other users are very dark, and there is no filter for strong language.
Conversation Starters
- Do you feel inspired by the game's imagery? What other kinds of things inspire you?
- What do you think happened to the people on the planets?
- Why do you think the game developers chose dead planets as their focus? What about death brings people together?
- Does it make you feel nervous to share your writing with other players? Why?
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