Underplayed Gems

Return NULL - Episode 1 (2015)

Return NULL - Episode 1 cover
Developer
Michael Lückgen
Publisher
Digital Tribe, iNDEE SOLO
Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux
Genres
Indie
Rating
3.0 of 5, 112 player ratings
Typical playtime
about 1.1 hours
Where to get it
Steam

More by Michael Lückgen

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A serious, investigation-heavy point-and-click adventure set in a tense dystopian society with a comic book aesthetic.

dystopianoppressiveinteractive fictionpoint-and-clickinvestigativestory-drivencomic art styleserious

What players say

Players agree the game is very short, finishing in under an hour. The story is unfinished, with episode 2 ending on a cliffhanger and no further episodes since development stalled. The point and click puzzles are minimal and the scenes are static, making it feel more like an interactive comic book.

Screenshots

Return NULL - Episode 1 screenshot 1Return NULL - Episode 1 screenshot 2Return NULL - Episode 1 screenshot 3Return NULL - Episode 1 screenshot 4Return NULL - Episode 1 screenshot 5

More games like this

More by Michael Lückgen

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.