About This Demo

Time in Place is part game, part personal art experiment. A cozy, interactive fiction explores life life through 6 distinct stages of adulthood, all within the walls of an evolving apartment. Immersive interactions, sound design, and a singular art style combine to create a rich world you can feel at home in.

You play as Will, a sometimes-frustrated, often-distracted artist living in Berlin. In this demo, set in the early 1990s, Will is a student bouncing between creative writing and music while navigating the chaos of a flat share. Unsure of what he wants from life, each morning becomes a chance to reflect, explore, and make meaning in the everyday.

Time in Place is about those quiet, decisive moments: cleaning your room, making coffee, writing a story — or just listening to music. You’ll balance the fun and the mundane, uncover memories, and slowly piece together who Will is — and who he might become.

Filled with original poems, music, and old songs from creator Cody Swanson’s own life, Time in Place is a personal look at the joy, struggle, and tenderness of being creative, lost, and human.

Note:
This game is made entirely by me, Cody. The demo includes the first fully playable level out of six. Any feedback is very much appreciated.

Full Game:
Each of the six levels is an endless morning from a unique period of the character's life. A sunny day in the late 90s, a good time to put on the radio and work on your writing assignments. Or a rainy weekend morning years later, perfect for playing 64-bit console games or recording a synth track. You are free to explore and live in each level as long as you wish and only progress when you choose to. Return anytime to enjoy each stage's unique interactable objects, activities, and vibes.

An ambient narrative is told through the objects and spaces unique to each level. That means it is up to you to decide how much you want to learn. Dig through drawers, and piece together notes on scrap paper to discover back stories and romances. Or let the space and objects communicate the vibe. As you play, Will's passions, ambitions, failures, and joys fill the ever evolving apartment.

• Create and Express Yourself: Play in game synthesizers, guitars, and drum machines. Record it all on a retro 4-track cassette recorder and export to mp3. Add your own ending to a short story or poem.

• Tangible Nostalgia: Find and listen to multiple vinyl records, take photos on an instant camera, and play with toy trains and cars.

• Morning Rituals: Each level has its own unique coffee brewing technique to master, messes to clean, or relaxing activities to enjoy.

• Games within Games: Load up floppy disks, pop in cartridges, and click on icons! Each level contains multiple time period specific mini games, from text adventure to freely skiing, to 64-bit console favorites. 

• A lush audio world that shines when you INTERACT, and ambient sounds from the street or courtyard bring the cozy world to life.

• PLAY a beautifully sampled piano, synthesizer, drum machine, or guitar. EXPERIMENT with guitar pedals, or your own voice (USB/console mic).

• RECORD your own 4 track songs, mix them, and save to an mp3 to share.