How many sleepy towns have we visited now that bear some dark secret or another that we’ve had to tackle with crowbars, hiding in the shadows, or shooting our way through with limited ammunition? Nothing Strange Here, from Danelion Developers, has some things worth bringing to light; however, you’ll be uncovering these mysteries with your words and camera skills instead.
Your uncle Barnie, Editor-in-Chief at the local newspaper, invites you to his home in Larcenest Gap, taking you under his wing and mentoring you on how to be a good little journo. How best to repay him? Fabricate a story about him being the local Bigfoot. Y’see, the premise of Nothing Strange Here is about exploration and finding out juicy details about the local area, then deciding on what story to publish.
Think The Good Life, with less shape-shifting, but perhaps some arguable X-Files cases. The Bigfoot story was the first option when introduced to the game. Selecting from three possible stories, I chose the Bigfoot one simply because I could and didn’t think much of it. However, once published, the locals started to embrace the story immediately, and what you cover and put in print really does become the talk of the town.
Nothing Strange Here is a lovely-looking game. It’s like Jet Set Radio with its 3D open world and its more cute than cool imagery, with a rather prominent character outline to distinguish them from the scenery. While the theme is investigative journalism and all the associated ‘truths’ that go hand in hand, the game does feel very innocent with its visuals and animations. I feel like Pinocchio with a camera.
The camera mechanic is simple enough – even more so than Toem, with square images that can be zoomed in and out of without having to overcomplicate the composition. Any good reporter needs to be able to take notes and a quick tap up on the d-pad (I played exclusively on the Steam Deck), and a journal pops up, allowing you to scrapbook your ideas using photos, selective text for stories, and stickers because… well, people like stickers.
In a world of guns, boobs, and the occult, Nothing Strange Here is a welcome addition the world of mystery without having to be a violent one, and instead focuses on some good old-fashioned storytelling where you’re the raconteur and can influence the world around you. The demo is currently available on Steam and is quite nice at that. There’s your scoop.
