Finished: 23.01.2026
Some time ago I played game “Heaven’s Vault” which I absolutely adored, despite some drawbacks. I discovered that its developer Inkle specializes in interactive fiction games. It is game genre that traces its roots to paragraph game books, early computer RPGs and old early video games like “Adventure”. They are more literary, like novels when we can choose storyline path, representing narratives more through text than only through visual display. Of course, additional gameplay elements and visuals can be added. They can be combined with different video game genres too, for example “Heaven’s Vault” allowed us to move around in 3D environment or navigate on space rivers. When I had a lot of time during my rehabilitation and after finishing Pokémon Violet, I started “80 Days”, because it was on my friend’s borrowed Switch and he recommended it.
“80 Days” is in comparison to “Heaven’s Vault” more minimalistic, but still contains enough engaging gameplay and minimalistic representation of places we visit, somewhat reminding sketch illustrations in old school science fiction book. It is loose adaptation of Jules Verne’s “Around the World in Eighty Days”. We enter the shoes of Passepartout and follow narrative through his voice. He is manservant (valet) of British aristocrat Phileas Fogg who bets significant sum that he will travel around the world in under 80 days. We make choices, like what to buy and sell with profit in different city, where to travel next or simple narrative choices. We travel through steampunk version of late 19th century. It is really fascinating world to discover and often I wished not to be constrained by requirements of bet to rush. There’s so much and I feel that there’s still so much to discover even though I replayed this game few times in a row.
The world of the game resembles our 19th century, but dialed up to max through imagination of developed steampunk genre. We have here trains that submerged in their track between UK and France, complicated automatons made by Artificiers’ Guild and especially all the fantastical modes of transportations we are using. My favorite was whole city of Agra which became in this incarnation moving city, with its own machine undercity that transported me to Calcutta. There are also references to different stories of Verne.
I loved the elaborate writing style, fully appropriate for the British gentleman’s valet. It provided much needed flavor and allowed to even better immerse myself in the story of the game. It was often quite funny how much exaggerated English of higher classes sounds like. It was in a way funny to see, perhaps in somewhat dark humor way, how internalized hierarchies pervades how society. Even though most of the success rests on our actions and even need to provide care to our lord like to some pet, it is always Fogg that takes credit for achievements.
During my first playthrough I didn’t manage to win the bet and returned to London only after little over 100 days. But in hindsight it was probably my most interesting playtime because I have been traveling to places which interested me, so I saw this world’s Warsaw and India. I followed storylines even on the prize of going through slower way. I wish that in my further playthrough I will discover what’s the deal with lion automaton from Burma, for example. Probably the biggest downside is exactly that this hurry won’t allow easily to see all the content that I would want to.
Overall I loved this game and I know that I will be returning to it, because one round is not that long so it doesn’t require a lot of time investment. I recommend this game to everyone who likes good writing in video games and is not put off by minimalist gameplay.