Nothing will put me on to a sport faster than having an idea so laser-focused on the factor it is making an attempt to do, and, seemingly, doing it nicely. That is the case for The Crane Rider’s Story, the subsequent sport from the developer of Butterfly Soup, a visual novel/journey sport hybrid that takes cues from Disco Elysium and Zero Escape the place a serial killer is on the free who has killed your buddy, so that you ferry round your native townsfolk round in your large crane to determine who did it, all wrapped up in a medieval Chinese language portray and woodblock print aesthetic. It’s so a lot, and a lot my precise vibe.
In The Crane Rider’s Story, you play a personality known as Mourn-No-Extra, a “variety however sickly man whose large pet crane Snowfall is the quickest type of transportation round.” Following the loss of life of his buddy Peach Blossom, as a part of his outdated timey taxi service job, he has to decide on which passengers he needs to take as a way to work out who’s doing all this murdering. There are 5 major endings to expertise, every with a “stunning twist that may alter your understanding of the thriller.”
From the creator of #ButterflySoup and #PomGetsWiFi, The Crane Rider’s Story is a thriller sport impressed by Disco Elysium, Zero Escape, and Chinese language folktales.
🪽On Kickstarter now! www.kickstarter.com/initiatives/psy…
— The Crane Rider’s Story 🪽 ON KICKSTARTER NOW! (@psychickiss.bsky.social) April 28, 2026 at 8:03 PM
The Disco Elysium affect comes within the type of cube rolling and talent checks, functioning fairly equally to the seminal RPG. As soon as once more equally to it, failing typically leads you down an fascinating path too. There are different abilities you’ll be able to decide up too, like with the ability to fly additional, for instance. Choosing up passengers prompts Disco-esque conversations, extra so in structure than content material, and upon delivering them to their vacation spot you’ll be able to have a marvel round point-and-click fashion.
Creator Brianna Lei is at the moment operating a Kickstarter for the sport, with some reflective ideas in regards to the setting of the sport. “Whereas The Crane Rider’s Story is initially a enjoyable thriller journey, it additionally attracts from my difficult emotions towards Chinese language tradition,” Lei writes. “Rising up, I may not often relate to the romance in Chinese language video video games and TV reveals as a result of the Chinese language authorities prohibits explicitly homosexual characters from being proven in them. And my mother and father’ Confucian beliefs of filial piety and womanhood had been my jail. A daughter’s function was to be chaste, obey males, and bear kids. ”
Lei continues on to notice the wonder she finds in Chinese language tradition, just like the “work, the beautiful tragedy and poetic logic in its legends… and do not even get me began on danmei (Chinese language BL)! I need to craft a contemporary, forward-thinking story dressed up like an outdated folktale that is at all times been there. As a result of I want it had been.”
If any of that is up your alley, you’ll be able to again The Crane Rider’s Story on Kickstarter now.
