- Virtue and a Sledgehammer: our new smashing narrative exploration game! - 11 December 2025
Hello everyone! We're so happy to finally unveil Virtue and a Sledgehammer, a narrative exploration game in which you go back to your hometown and tear it down with a hammer, because... well, you'll find out. This is our most ambitious project to date, and sort of marks the full maturation of the joint venture we've been exploring together at Deconstructeam and Selkie Harbour. We've been collaborating since 2022, created many small games, and in April 2025, released our first commercial project, Many Nights a Whisper, a meditative third-person archery game, to critical acclaim! Virtue and a Sledgehammer is heavy in both the narrative and the hammer action. We pitched it as a "Walking simulator with a sledgehammer," but Devolver is adamant about actually selling the games they publish, so they suggested we didn't move forward with that description lol.Anyway, there's exploration, environ…
- Many Nights a Whisper, our meditative third-person archery game, is out now! - 30 April 2025
We just released a new game on Steam! It's short and experimental, about 1 hour long. So far, players who have been playing it are reporting it's pretty intense, check out the user reviews 🙈 And the press reviews hold high praise too! "Few games have this tension and impact" - GamesRadar 4/5 "A masterpiece that can be experienced in a single sitting. Don’t pass this up." - MonsterVine 4.5/5 "Incredibly thought-provoking." - Checkpoint Gaming 8.5/10 https://store.steampowered.com/app/3541130/Many_Nights_a_Whisper/ And even if it's not verified yet, it runs like a dream on the Steam Deck. Here's the launch trailer! Hope you find time to give it a go! Let us know what you think
- Many Nights a Whisper: New short experimental game! - 11 March 2025
For the past decade, Deconstructeam has been crafting 2D pixel-art narrative experiences like Gods Will Be Watching, The Red Strings Club, and The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood. Now, we're thrilled to explore a–at least for us–new frontier: 3D games. Over the past years, we've been quietly honing our skills, collaborating with talented indie studio Selkie Harbour, and experimenting with exciting new ideas. While our larger commercial projects are still under wraps, we’re eager to share a glimpse of something special with you: Many Nights a Whisper It's a short, meditative, third-person archery game about dreams, pressure, and expectations. If you want to know more and see some cool gifs, visit our Steam page and if it piques your interest, please, wishlist the game! https://store.steampowered.com/app/3541130/Many_Nights_a_Whisper/ This is a special milestone in our career, as it is our first…
- The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood announcement! - 27 April 2023
Hello! We're back! It's been five years since we released The Red Strings Club (almost 10 since we released Gods Will Be Watching, phew) and now... We're proud to finally show you what we've working in for all this time, the most ambitious project we've ever attempted: The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood. It's a tarot deckbuilding narrative experience! You will play as Fortuna, a witch living in exile on an asteroid. Seeking freedom, Fortuna forms a pact with a forbidden creature—the mysterious and ancient Ábramar—who grants her the ability to craft magic-infused tarot cards. It's a game about community, identity and personal responsibility. You will meet many Witches and get to read their past and futures using your very own Tarot deck. Slowly, you will see yourself immersed in an intergalactic Witch plot! We're super excited to finally release this game. We hope you will support us while we'r…
- Grab the Akara-184 Plush before it's too late! - 14 October 2022
Hello world. 🧠 Did you meet our Akara-184 plushie? They are coming into existence in an adorable shape. To make us all happy. (Still deciding on the definition of happiness, though.) Available for a limited time this week! https://www.makeship.com/products/akara-184
- Essays on Empathy is Now Available! - 18 May 2021
Essays on Empathy is a curated compilation of ten interactive stories from Deconstructeam, the creator of The Red Strings Club and Gods Will Be Watching. Inhabit the lives of a diverse cast of characters from all walks of life in bite-sized, innovative, interactive stories; from a hitman working at a flower shop, to a schoolgirl who is convinced her skeleton isn't hers. Explore 10 unique, offbeat tales including "De Tres al Cuarto," a brand new short experience exclusive to the compilation about a couple of two-bit comedians trying to make it big. Essays on Empathy is Now Available! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1586880/Essays_on_Empathy/
- The Red Strings Club devs' next game is actually a ten game collection - 30 April 2021
You may know Deconstructeam from their cyberpunk bartending story game The Red Strings Club , but they've made other games. Several other games, actually, which they're pulling into a colleciton called Essays On Empathy . Essays includes a bunch of previously released Deconstructeam story romps along with their new game De Tres Al Cuarto about a couple comedians trying to make it big together. Essays On Empathy is launching on May 18th, and you can snag a peek at what it includes in a new trailer. Read more
- Essays on Empathy launching May 18th! - 29 April 2021
Essays on Empathy is a curated compilation of Deconstructeam's best efforts in seeking new narrative experiences in games. Inhabit the lives of a diverse cast of characters from all walks of life in bite-sized, innovative, interactive stories; from a hitman working at a flower shop, to a schoolgirl who is convinced her skeleton isn't hers. Explore 10 unique, offbeat tales including "De Tres al Cuarto," a brand new short experience exclusive to the compilation about a couple of two-bit comedians trying to make it big. Coming May 18th. Add it to your Wishlist. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1586880/Essays_on_Empathy/
- The Red Strings Club Makes Its Physical Debut! - 13 April 2021
Special Reserve Games has teamed up with Deconstructeam and Devolver Digital to create the ultimate physical collector's edition of THE RED STRINGS CLUB! Limited to a run of 3,000 copies, for true fans and collectors, this special physical edition is ON SALE NOW! (while supplies last) The Special Reserve Games physical edition of THE RED STRINGS CLUB for Nintendo Switch features: SWITCH CARTRIDGE Includes critical updates, patches, and DLC Packaged inside the Switch game case SHIPS IN A SPECIAL RESERVE BOX Multiple textures and processes Makes a great shelf display and protects your game! SEQUENTIALLY NUMBERED GAME PACKAGING REVERSIBLE JACKET ARTWORK 32-PAGE INSTRUCTION BOOKLET Inside the shrink-wrapped game packaging TWO BAR COASTERS Colorful PVC soft rubber 3.5" in diameter 5" x 7" ART CARD Printed on thick linen paper Watercolor-style portrait On sale now! While Supplies Last
- As Cyberpunk 2077 is running late, here's a broad spread of cyberpunky fun - 19 November 2020
Now that Cyberpunk 2077 is delayed again until December 10th , what are you to do? You’ve grown a lurid blue mohawk, your leather jacket is almost worn in, and your prescription mirrorshades are ready for collection at Specsavers – but for what? You might as well use this time to explore all games cyberpunky, from edgy and nihilistic griping about how the future sucks to wacky cyberjapes that make you wanna jump up and shout HACK THE PLANET. I have some recommendations. (more…)
- Have You Played The Red Strings Club? - 8 April 2020
Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives. One a day, every day, perhaps for all time. In The Red Strings Club , a corporation believes it holds the keys to happiness, and it’s preparing to slip them down the throats of everyone in the world. It’s a chemical end: to discrimination, to suffering, and to freedom. So what. A little brainwashing never hurt anyone. (more…)
- As Cyberpunk 2077 is running late, here's a broad spread of cyberpunky fun - 29 January 2020
Now that Cyberpunk 2077 is delayed from April to September , what are you to do? You’ve grown a lurid blue mohawk, your leather jacket is almost worn in, and your prescription mirrorshades are ready for collection at Specsavers – but for what? You might as well use this time to explore all games cyberpunky, from edgy and nihilistic griping about how the future sucks to wacky cyberjapes that make you wanna jump up and shout HACK THE PLANET. I have some recommendations. (more…)
- Daily Deal - The Red Strings Club, 50% Off - 18 April 2019
Today's Deal: Save 50% on The Red Strings Club !* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Saturday at 10AM Pacific Time
- Priceless Play 9 March 2019 - 9 March 2019
that we spend so much time thinking about time: setting alarms, making dinner reservations, meeting deadlines, missing deadlines, scheduling due-dates, planning for investments and interest rates… A 30-year mortgage? Will I even be alive then? I mean, I wasted a solid ten minutes between writing the first and second sentences of this very article marvelling at what I imagine must go into the infrastructural maintenance for the Wikipedia entry for “time,” so who’s going to trust me with a mortgage? Sometimes it seems like the whole concept is one big existential prank we’ve conned ourselves into playing along with. Time, that is. Not mortgages. Hell, you know what, them too. It’s around this time that I’ll probably fix myself a drink. It’s five o’ clock somewhere, right? (more…)
- Best PC games of 2018 - 2 January 2019
The doors have been opened, the games inside have been devoured, and now it’s time to recycle the cardboard. Below you’ll find all of our picks for the best PC games of 2018, gathered together in a single post for easy reading. (more…)
- Best Story 2018: The Red Strings Club - 29 December 2018
Next up in our GOTY awards is The Red Strings Club, from developer Deconstructeam. Find the complete list of awards here .  Joanna : The Red Strings Club takes the grittiness of '80s cyberpunk and gives it a modern, corporate edge. But it does what every good cyberpunk story should do: make us question what it means to be human in a not too distant future. The Red Strings Club is all about the control of human emotion, whether that’s mixing drinks to make patrons more “loose” with information, or fulfilling the main quest of the story to stop Supercontinent’s Social Psyche Welfare program. As Donovan, all the detective work is done with old-school cunningness and charm, but with Brandeis’ it’s done through an implant that can precisely imitate voices. Arkasa-184 collects and synthesizes information about the bar patrons to quiz Donovan…
- Giada Zavarise s 5 best games of 2018 - 25 December 2018
We asked a bunch of our regular writers to tell us what their five favourite games this year were. Today it’s the turn of Giada Zavarise , who has smuggled in an extra five games by making them awards and having runners up 2018 is the year I played Symphony Of The Night for the first time. Can I just rave about Symphony Of The Night for the whole article? No? Fine. Here are some other games that aren t too shabby, either. (more…)
- Our picks from the Steam autumn Sale discountapalooza - 26 November 2018
Hurry, hurry. There are only 37 Steam sales each year – miss a bargain now and you’ll regret it for the rest of your days. (Until the next one). As always, the latest Steam Autumn sale is a sensory overload of cut-price delights. We’re here to guide you through the white noise and make a few informed choices. (more…)
- Trans representation in Cyberpunk 2077 matters, but not because it s cyberpunk - 3 September 2018
Even before its recent public gameplay unveiling, Cyberpunk 2077 was the target of a very particular piece of criticism. Perhaps sparked by the transphobic joke made by the game’s Twitter account, many online have been calling out 2077 for presenting yet another future that, despite its overt themes of transhumanism and body modification, falls strictly into the gender binary. Despite the gender diversity already prevalent in our own world and time, players in 2077 are asked to choose between a strictly male or female character. Many online have been saying that this is at odds with the very genre from which the game gets its name and ideas. Cyberpunk shouldn’t be cis! is more or less the argument. This criticism has dogged the game for weeks now and will probably follow it all the way to release. Yet it doesn’t quite ring true to me. (more…)
- Sexuality and gender in science fiction games - 5 August 2018
In 1992 Microprose released Rex Nebular & the Cosmic Gender Bender , an adventure game set on a world where a "gender war" had killed off all the men. The remaining women separated themselves from the rest of the galaxy, hid their planet, and perpetuated their species thanks to the Gender Bender, a device that instantly but non-permanently transformed women into men and vice versa. What does the game do with that setup and the questions it raises? It makes jokes about how men leave the toilet seat up and women don't know what torque wrenches are. We've come a long way since then. In 2007's Mass Effect the Asari are a monogender alien species coded as women, and they don't hide themselves away refusing to learn how wrenches work. On the surface they seem like stereotypical blue space babes, but they're also a matriarchal society that plays a central role in the p…
