Lifeline is a unique choose-your-own-adventure game that unfolds in real time across multiple devices. The story centers on a character named Taylor who finds himself on an alien moon, and helps players survive by making important decisions. Lifeline offers over 50 possible endings and notifications throughout the day. Lifeline’s gripping sci-fi story is written by Dave Justus, an accomplished writer known for his work on award-winning games such as The Wolf Among Us. Trying to survive a spaceship crash, Taylor relies on the player to make life or death decisions by providing advice through a communicator.
This urgent interactivity creates high stakes and emotional investment in Taylor’s fate. Professional storytelling combined with player participation creates intense drama. Unlike typical mobile games that are played in one sitting, Lifeline cleverly unfolds in real time via notifications as Taylor goes through her ordeal. These alerts deliver new messages periodically throughout the day, immersing the player in the unfolding drama. Temporal elements add urgency, creating suspense similar to watching an exciting TV show. This real-time interactivity ushered in a new form of gaming storytelling. Simple suggestions to Taylor such as “Explore the ship” or “Wait for rescue” seem insignificant at first, but can ultimately determine survival.
Lifeline contains over 50 possible story arcs and endings, adding enormous replay value. After completing one path, players can return to fateful decisions and explore alternative scenarios. For example, what if Taylor had climbed a mountain instead of hiding from aliens? This branching interactivity allows for a deep influence on the fate of the main character. Lifeline uses cross-platform functionality, syncing progress across iOS, Android, Apple Watch and other platforms. Notifications will be sent to smartphones, tablets or wearable devices, allowing players to interact with Taylor’s story anywhere. Cloud saving also ensures smooth switching between gadgets. These features provide flexibility when tracking drama that unfolds over days or even weeks.
