Story City's call for Edmonton stories earlier this year has resulted in a fresh batch of interactive experiences set to hit the app on Aug. 5.
The new adventures invite the user to play the role of a journalist trying to solve a murder, a criminal mastermind planning a heist at the legislature, or the organizer of an alien invasion of Oliver, among other scenarios. The app uses geolocation to lead players through a story connected to specific locations.
"We have real-world trails and choose-your-adventures; you get to choose where you want to go through those experiences," said Story City CEO Emily Craven.
The latest batch of stories includes:
- Tips from your Barista: Aka Ways to Survive Your Coffee Shop Experience, a choose-your-adventure based in Old Strathcona by game developer Domini Gee;
- The Coronet Caper, a puzzle trail/escape room based at the legislature grounds by Celia Taylor of Empress of Blandings Productions;
- An Embarrassment of Riches, a choose-your-adventure based in Ritchie, Westmount, and Glenora by writer Lizzie Derksen;
- Two activities by writer and narrative designer Eliot M.B. Howard: The Psychometrist, based downtown, and Cloudship, based in Oliver;
- Hole in the Netaverse, a puzzle trail set downtown by science fiction writer Joseph Halden;
- Two choose-your-adventures based at the legislature grounds: Murder on the River Valley by Sierra Larson and Woglins and Wozzips by Jennifer Kennedy;
- Spring, a choose-your-adventure based in Highlands by Bruce Cinnamon;
- The Case of the Garden Jubilee, a choose-your-adventure based at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden by Ahmar Rana;
- Edmonton Queer History Loops 1 & 2, two historic walking tours through downtown by the Edmonton Queer History Project.
The creators whose pitches were chosen were to go through a six- to eight-week mentoring and development process to shape their ideas into works suited for the platform, Craven said when she issued a call for creators in the spring.
The new stories join eight other Edmonton-based experiences on the app.
Photo: Clockwise from top left: Celia Taylor, Joseph Halden, Domini Gee, and Bruce Cinnamon are among the writers whose stories are slated to appear in the Story City app on Aug. 5.