Underplayed Gems

The 39 Steps (2013)

The 39 Steps cover
Developer
The Story Mechanics
Publisher
The Secret Experiment
Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux
Genres
Adventure, Casual, Indie
Rating
3.8 of 5, 1,612 player ratings
Typical playtime
about 3.7 hours
Where to get it
Steam
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

An interactive novel combining minimalist point-and-click exploration with a tense, atmospheric man-on-the-run thriller.

atmosphericstory richnarrative-drivenpoint and clickthrillersuspensefulhistoricalpuzzle-light

What players say

Players describe it as a linear interactive novel that faithfully adapts the original book, with no puzzles or meaningful gameplay choices. The experience is short, text-heavy, and driven by static watercolor-style visuals.

Screenshots

The 39 Steps screenshot 1The 39 Steps screenshot 2The 39 Steps screenshot 3The 39 Steps screenshot 4The 39 Steps screenshot 5The 39 Steps screenshot 6

More games like this

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.