Clay Booth

Podscriptom

About this game

You arrive in a small town and lose your bag. You still have some coupons, but not enough for a bed. Luckily, an old night kiosk by the station runs games for coupons. Last five nights: each night, earn enough for a bunk at the hostel, and on the last one, enough for a ticket home. It is harder than it sounds: you only get a few moves a night, and every game costs the same.

Eight games wait at the counter. Scratch lottery tickets with your finger, wait for your ball in the lottery, guess the colour of the stones, roll the dice, follow the ball under the cups, spin the wheel, shoot ducks at the gallery and throw darts. Some games need attention, some need a steady hand, and some are pure luck. The seller explains the rules of every game and shows it on the counter.

The sellers change every night, and they have a stand-in. He is polite and honest in his own way, but the games behave a little differently around him, and every night he stays at the counter a little longer. The yard changes too, barely at first, then more and more. If you like games where you count, take risks and know when to stop, this one is for you.

There is more to the yard than games. A notice on the post offers odd jobs, a cat lives nearby, and your notebook keeps track of everything that happened over these nights.

The whole world is made of clay: the kiosk, the houses, the passers-by, the sellers and even the buttons. It looks warm and funny, even when things are not quite cosy. An old radio on the counter plays music through the static, and one tap switches it or turns it off.

The controls are made for phones. Tap the items on the counter to open games, pinch or use the buttons to zoom, scratch tickets with your finger, release to throw a dart.

Progress saves automatically, so you always come back to the same night with the same coupons and moves. To start over, hold your finger on the seller for five seconds.

The game is in Russian and English. It works offline, with no sign-up and no purchases. All coupons in the game are fictional: they cannot be bought, sold or exchanged for money.

Last all five nights and go home!