The Haunting of Joni Evers to manifest in 2024

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

First installment of a planned "anthology universe of interconnected stories" coming to Windows and Mac

When dredging up old family memories, there are many things that can come back to haunt us: strained relationships, suppressed trauma, hurtful words spoken and other painful mistakes made. For the titular star of Causeway Studios' upcoming indie adventure, the "haunting" of Joni Evers is not merely emotional but a dangerously real one as well.  

A descendant of one of the oldest families in the small town of Harvest, Oklahoma, Joni has become a "self-reliant loner" after her father, sister, and grandmother abruptly left her behind. Now Joni lives all by herself in the eccentric, sprawling  Cunningham house. As if filled with ghosts of the past, the house seems to hold a mystery for Joni to unravel, and one stormy night a "curse" takes hold, creating unusual phenomena and leaving Joni "unprepared for the mystical snare that awaits her." In order to face the future free of her family history, Joni must first confront her troubled past as manifested by a "malevolent, interdimensional haunting." 

Inspired by other "heartfelt character studies" like Dear Esther, Gone Home, and What Remains of Edith Finch, The Haunting of Joni Evers is a fully voiced, first-person free-roaming adventure that aims to tell an "emotional tale of estranged family." To find out what it is that truly haunts the protagonist, players must "venture into the forgotten corners of the house, long-since sealed away." Everyday objects of significance may provide clues and unlock "dust-covered memories" (highlighted as hotspots whenever you approach), but there's more than can be rationally explained happening here – something strange and mystical at work. It may ultimately allow you to reveal new perspectives and help Joni reconnect with her family, but "tread carefully, however, until you discover the magic's source — something, or someone, may be trying to use it against you."

Due for release later this year on Steam for Windows and Mac, The Haunting of Joni Evers is intended to be just the first interactive installment in an "anthology universe of interconnected stories" known as "Worlds Across the Causeway," which already has several text vignettes to check out on the developer's website.