This is the jam version that is buggy. A better version is available: https://lazyanttu.itch.io/the-unstable-key

The old world ended in fire.

You are the Watcher, dispatched from the Brotherhood of the Key to make sure the world doesn't end a second time.

Interactive-fiction survival narrative set in a post-collapse dark world.


Controls: Mouse only; you may click your actions at the bottom, location-specific actions in the right panel, and move either by right-clicking or by left-clicking, selecting an adjacent location and then clicking "travel".

 Challenge use: The resource management is the core survival loop of the game. The unstable keys are a central concept (but can't spoil too much) in the game's lore.

Known bugs: Sadly, some questlines bug and show things a bit out of order, or may not finish properly. Also, the UI communicates really badly why you can't sometimes move to a location; typically, you don't have enough time in the day. Attempt to rest and then go again. More bugs: sometimes when the player should die, the game instead freezes.
Many "I can't move or do an action" issues are solved by either > Step back < since you are "inside a location," which prevents rest and travel, OR by resting.
There seems to be a bug that fog of war updates when you rest, not when you move; this might make the game impossible hard...

Dev Process: I had no idea this was going to be a survival game when I started it; I was more thinking of a diplomatic and espionage thriller, but it went its own way as I developed it further.