Paper Parlor: When the Lights Return

About Paper Parlor: When the Lights Return

Paper Parlor: When the Lights Return is an illustrated interactive story set in the sorting parlor of Halcyon Relay, a post office in orbit around an ice moon, all velvet sofas, brass tubes and pigeonholes. Three weeks ago an hour went missing from the station log, the ring lamps went dark, and nobody will say why. You are the relief postmaster, and you have ten bells before the lamps return on Perihelion Night. Five people hold a diary page of that night: the pompous postmaster with a perfect log, a tube clerk who slept through it, a cartographer who draws instead of writing, a mail-sail pilot who is alive and does not know whom to thank, and a nine-year-old spy with half a tape. Every page costs bells. You can skim a page for one clue, or study it for a second clue at a higher price, and people remember how you read them. Hold two pages side by side to work out what the diaries disagree about: a missing hour, a dish that turned, a seal on an order, a fuel gauge. When the bells run out you write the register entry for the lost hour, in one of four ways, from restoring it to leaving a blank. A new twist each session changes the number of bells or what you start with, and there is a daily challenge. Nothing is timed against you, you can go back to an earlier choice, every line is announced to screen readers, and the text goes up to Largest.

How to play

Press Continue or tap the text to read on, and tap a choice (or press 1 to 5) to answer. Z or the Back button returns to your last choice.
Pick a diary page from the sorting table. Skim it for one clue, or study it for two. A study costs more bells, and the person remembers how you read.
Watch the brass clock: each lit lamp is a bell still to spend. When the last bell rings, the ceremony begins. You can also ring early once you have read three pages.
Open the pages (E, or the Pages button) and pick two to hold side by side. A pair that fits shows something the diaries hide.
At the ceremony, write the register entry for the lost hour. The entry depends on what you worked out and what you chose to write.
Change the text size with T or the Text button. Your story saves as you go, and Restart begins a new one with a new twist.

Controls

Tap the text, or press Enter, Space or Ⓐ — continue
Tap a choice, or press 1 to 5 — choose
Z, Backspace or Ⓑ — go back to the last choice
E or Ⓨ — pages; L or Ⓧ — what the register says so far; T — text size
P, Escape or Start — pause

Frequently asked questions

How long is a story?

About fifteen to twenty-five minutes, over ten bells. There are four register entries, so you will want to spend your bells on different pages and play again.

What do the bells do?

Each page costs bells to read. A skim is cheap and gives one clue. A study costs more and gives two. When the bells run out the ceremony begins. Running out never ends the game badly: it brings you to the register.

Is anything timed?

No. The bells are spent by your choices, not by the clock. A few choices show a quick-answer window for a small extra, but a slow answer loses nothing. You can turn the window off in Settings.

Can I take a choice back?

Yes. Press Z or the Back button to return to your last choice with everything as it was, as often as you like.

Can I play with a keyboard or a screen reader?

Yes. Every line, choice and page is announced, every button works with the keyboard or a controller, the text size goes up to Largest, and reduced motion shows each line at once.

Does it save?

Yes, in this browser: the story you are in, the endings you have seen and your settings. Nothing is uploaded.