Paper Signal: When the Lights Return

About Paper Signal: When the Lights Return

Paper Signal: When the Lights Return is an illustrated interactive story set in the post office of Meridian Station, an interstellar way-station whose main power ring failed in a solar flare. You are the clerk. A pneumatic tube dropped five undelivered letters on your counter and has power for exactly one delivery a shift, and the lights will return after only a few shifts, so one letter will stay in the dead-letter drawer. A child is hiding behind the stamp rack, one letter has no address, and one is from a captain to a daughter who left. You read each letter and decide who receives it: the pilot in Bay Six, the gardener on the Garden Ring, the retired archivist who reads with his fingers, or the stowaway herself. Some recipients you work out by laying two marks from the envelopes side by side on the envelope board. People remember what you sent them and who received what, and the station answers when the lights come back: all at once and badly, one ring at a time and gently, or on a grandmother finding her granddaughter in the dark. A new twist each session changes how many shifts there are, and there is a daily challenge. Nothing is timed against you, you can undo your last choice, every line is announced to screen readers, and the text goes up to Largest.

How to play

Press Next or tap the text to read on, and tap a choice (or press 1 to 5) to answer. Z or the Undo button returns to your last choice.
Each shift, open one of the letters on the sorting table. Read it, then decide who it goes to, or put it in the dead-letter drawer. Every delivery uses a shift.
The lights return after a set number of shifts. A twist each session can shorten or lengthen the countdown, so check the shift counter in the top bar.
Some envelopes have no address. Open the envelope board (E, or the Envelopes button) and pick two marks to compare; a pair that fits tells you who a letter is for.
People remember what you send them. The finale depends on who received which letter, and on who has the restart list.
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 Ⓐ — read on
Tap a choice, or press 1 to 5 — choose
Z, Backspace or Ⓑ — undo to the last choice
E or Ⓨ — envelope board; L or Ⓧ — post office log; T — text size
P, Escape or Start — pause

Frequently asked questions

How long is a story?

About fifteen to thirty minutes, in three chapters. There are four ways the lights can return, so you will want to deliver the letters differently next time.

Do my choices matter?

Yes. Who receives each letter is remembered, a letter sent to the wrong person comes back with a different meaning, and the finale depends on who got the restart list and who got the others.

Is anything timed?

No. The lights return after a number of shifts, and a shift is a delivery you choose, not a 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 Undo 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 clue 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.