From the very beginning, Astrolabe Stories' goal has been to tell unconventional stories. Stories that explore the intersection of emotions or extremely different worlds, which, when juxtaposed, reveal the truth about human nature. It was this theme that led us to New York in the 1960s. For history and world culture, it was a time of protest, rebellion, and exploration, but also a time of various crises around the world. That's why we decided that this time and place would be perfect for our story. From the very beginning, we were fascinated by the contrast and the journey we would take the player on. On the one hand: New York – a metropolis that never sleeps, loud and energetic. On the other: Tibet – austere, mystical, detached from the Western world, immersed in spirituality with its fascinating history. This leads us to the key question: what will the encounter between these two worlds tell us about people?
Every game is a story about a journey. Whether it's real or metaphorical, it doesn't matter. A journey is a change of state, a development of consciousness. Drawing on our fascination with counterculture and point-and-click adventure games, we want to take players into a world of contrasts, a test of human character. And crossing the thresholds of our own limitations. If you ask me why New York and not Memphis or Los Angeles, I'll give you a short answer: the beat generation, John Coltrane, pop art, and, on the other hand, still strong social stereotypes. It is in this world that we wanted to introduce players to our heroine, Jane.
However, as is usually the case, the most interesting part is when the main character steps out of her comfort zone. That is why in Threshold of Awakening you will visit Tibet. At that time, it was really difficult to find a greater cultural, geographical, and even geopolitical contrast. It's like compare noise and silence, chaos and order. That is our goal. While writing the dialogues, we thought long and hard about whether these two places would really make the player feel that we are asking them questions about human existence and the meaning of our actions. How did we do? You'll soon find out for yourselves!
