Early glimpse shows How Was Your Day? looking good so far

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Culturally diverse, supernatural time-looping mystery from New Zealand coming soon to Windows and Mac on Steam

When it's all you can do to get through life's daily burdens and struggles, the last thing you want is for someone, however well-meaning, to keep asking how your day has been. Imagine, then, if you had to hear it over and over because time keeps resetting and restarting the same day. Bill Murray survived it, Tom Cruise survived it (or rather, didn't survive it), and soon it'll be your turn in Mad Carnival's upcoming supernatural mystery, How Was Your Day?

It's 1988, and thirteen-year-old Diya has recently moved with her family from Fiji to a small town in New Zealand, where she's now "struggling to adjust to life in a new country." Along with having to deal with all the usual teenage challenges, including "school, bullies, cliques, and annoying adults," Diya doesn't feel at home here, hasn't made any new friends yet, and she's not even getting along with her brother anymore. All she has is her love of video games and the companionship of her faithful canine Beans. Suddenly, however, things take a "sinister twist" when Beans "mysteriously disappears and time itself starts to loop." Diya must now make good use of repeated opportunities to find her dog and then try to break free of the "endless cycle" in which she's trapped. But to succesfully navigate the "increasingly bizarre occurrences in her seemingly quiet town," Diya will have to "break out of her comfort zone to uncover Lakeview's secrets" and find out "who, or what, is behind the time loop and Beans’ mysterious disappearance." And why does it seem to have something to do with the Indian festival of Diwali, due to begin the next day that never comes? 

Celebrating a "diverse cast bringing together Indian, Māori, and Kiwi cultures," the side-scrolling debut adventure from the indie New Zealand developer features a lovely hand-drawn art style and a soundtrack steeped in period-appropriate nostalgia. Inspired by the adventure genre classics, as well as movies from the 80s and supernatural fiction, How Was Your Day? is affectionately described as "Groundhog Day meets Stranger Things." At the heart of a "supernatural mystery where every repeated day reveals new secrets," though, is an authentic "universal story about family, friendship, identity, and finding your place in the world." As you interact and begin to build relationships with Lakeview's residents, each with something to hide, you will be confronted with new mysteries and puzzles to solve, retro arcade mini-games to play, and "meaningful choices" to make along the way. Beans isn't the only animal demanding your attention, either, so you can expect to encounter other "furry and feathered friends, including some uniquely Kiwi creatures." 

There is no firm target release date for How Was Your Day?, but the game is on track to be launched on Steam sometime in 2025 for Windows and Mac. To follow its progress in the meantime, be sure to check out the official website for further details.

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