Amberlight Signal: Small Impossible Things

About Amberlight Signal: Small Impossible Things

Amberlight Signal: Small Impossible Things is an illustrated interactive story set on the last night of the Lanternwick Playhouse, a theatre that closes tonight after ninety years. The last play on its stage is The Salt Wedding, and its four players each remember a different script of it. Tobias Quennell, the groom, remembers a comedy. Marisol Webb, the bride, remembers a tragedy. Anselm Dube, her father, remembers a farce. Ingrid Solheim, the ghost at the wedding, remembers an opera. You are the stage manager, and tonight the theatre does one small impossible thing at every interval: a painted door that opens on a corridor the building does not have, stage rain that falls only in the wings, a prompt book whose pencil writes the lines the players have lost, and a seat in the front stalls that applauds. Each can be settled in either of two players' scripts, and the players remember whose script you followed. A first try never settles the thing, but it always leaves a cue hanging in the air. Rewind the scene and that cue stays, and the scene offers a way to settle it that two scripts can share. Whose script you follow most, or whether you found a way for all of them, decides which of six endings the final curtain brings. Notes you earn go on the call board, and two pinned together may show a thread. The text goes up to Largest, every line is announced to screen readers, you can go back to any choice, and nothing is timed. A new twist each night and a daily challenge keep it fresh.

How to play

Press Go on or tap the page to continue, and tap a choice (or press 1 to 5) to answer. Z or the Back button returns to your last choice.
Each interval has a small impossible thing. Choose whose script to follow. A first try never settles it, and the player remembers you followed them.
Rewind the scene: the cue the first try left stays, and the scene offers a way to settle it that two scripts can share.
Notes go on the call board (E, or the Notes button): pin two together to find a thread. Change the text size with T or the Text button.
After the fourth interval the final curtain falls, and the ending depends on whose script you followed. The night saves as you go, and Restart begins a new night with a new twist.

Controls

Tap the page, or press Enter, Space or Ⓐ — go on
Tap a choice, or press 1 to 5 — choose
Z, Backspace or Ⓑ — go back to the last choice
E or Ⓨ — the notes pinned; L or Ⓧ — the show so far; T — text size
P, Escape or Start — pause

Frequently asked questions

How long is a story?

About fifteen to twenty-five minutes for four intervals. There are six endings, and the best needs every interval settled for both scripts.

What does rewinding a scene do?

After a first try you can rewind the scene. The first try always leaves one cue behind, and it stays. The scene then offers a way to settle it that two scripts can share. It is part of the story, and different from the Back button.

Are there wrong scripts?

No. Each player has a script worth following, and each interval can be settled as it went or for both. Following one player twice brings that player's ending; settling every interval for both brings the best.

Do the players remember my choices?

Yes. A player who was trusted earlier greets you differently in a later interval.

Can I play with a keyboard or a screen reader?

Yes. Every line and choice is announced, every button works with the keyboard or a controller, the text goes up to Largest, and nothing is timed.

Does it save?

Yes, in this browser: the night you are on, the endings you have found and your settings. Nothing is uploaded.