New year, new stories to step into. If you've just found UNEARTHED STORIES, here is a quick introduction to who we are, what we make, and why our stories look a little different. (1/6)

If you want to cross the dungeon of MEANS OF EGRESS, defy the Dungeon Lord, and discover which of the 187 paths is yours… Download UNEARTHED STORIES from Google Play or the App Store 🔗👉🏻 https://t.co/pRcx1SmNV0 6/6

There are no locked branches or premium paths in this story. It's a single, complete tale with all its 187 pathways included—no hidden endings behind paywalls. 5/6

MEANS OF EGRESS is available as a one-time purchase, like an ebook. Once you unlock it, you can read (and re-read) it as many times as you like whilst it's published in UNEARTHED STORIES. 4/6

But here’s the catch: MEANS OF EGRESS features two narrators: The Dungeon Lord, third person and left-aligned, guiding your predefined path, and your first-person, italicised responses, right-aligned, indicating your choices. This formatting highlights the power struggle. 3/6

In MEANS OF EGRESS, you can choose to follow or ignore the Dungeon Lord's narration. ❓ Visit the path the League expects of you? ❓ Would you take the easy way up, or wander lost in the shadows? The Lord has already decided for you… but you might choose otherwise. 2/6

How do you play a philosophical dungeon-crawler where the narrator is trying to control your every move? 𝐁𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. This is, after all, #InteractiveFiction 👀👇🏻 1/6

If you want to see where everything originated, Dance With Me (the interactive version) is free to read-play through UNEARTHED STORIES. It is different, and it has paths and mechanics that did not make it into the novelisation. Here:

I couldn't be happier or prouder of @liviajelliot! It all began with an interactive fiction story that evolved into a captivating novella. This story is one of my personal favorites, and it brings me immense joy to see it recognised as Indies Today Best Novella.

Are you ready to visit the dungeon of MEANS OF EGRESS? You can access it through UNEARTHED STORIES 🔗👉🏻 https://t.co/pRcx1SmNV0 This story is worth the journey. 7/7

If you're new to #InteractiveFiction at UNEARTHED STORIES, here's the only rule: 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞. Just choices—and their consequences. The story will tell you something. You'll respond back. That's the conversation. 6/7

So when the Dungeon Lord restarts your journey, MEANS OF EGRESS asks: ❓ Will you try again? ❓ Will you choose differently this time? Repetition isn't failure: it is iteration. Discovery. Reinvention. 5/7

Take MEANS FOR EGRESS as an example. It has 187 paths from beginning to end… and you're not meant to walk all of them. You’re meant to walk your path–the one shaped by your curiosity, your defiance, your hesitation. The story you experience is the story you chose. 4/7

Interactive fiction asks you to let go of completionism. You won't see every room in one playthrough. You won't unlock every path. And that’s the point: your choices create your version of the story, not the “correct” one. 3/7

For example, MEANS OF EGRESS. In it, your character may: ➡️ Miss the maps entirely ➡️ Die somewhere (the antagonist defeated you) ➡️ Get expelled mid-sentence (the antagonist had enough of you) None of these are failures. They’re part of your journey through the story. 2/7

Text-based #InteractiveFiction isn't like a book… and it’s not like other games either. There's no “END” or set stories. No "Game Over" that means you failed. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. 👀👇🏻 1/7

This is why MEANS OF EGRESS doesn't punish you for defiance. It only asks: ❓ will you keep choosing? ❓ Will you walk the dungeon again, knowing it will change you? Find your answer to this story in UNEARTHED STORIES 🔗👉🏻 https://t.co/pRcx1SmNV0 7/7

Amor fati means accepting consequence. The Wanderer doesn't love the Lord's path. They love their path—even when it's messy, circular, "wrong." Even when it takes 187 attempts to find. 6/7

Every reset isn't failure. It's iteration. Reinvention. The dungeon ages with you. Rooms change. New paths open. Old ones close. You're not trying to "beat" it. You’re trying to understand who you are when no one else is narrating your story. 5/7

So MEANS OF EGRESS asks: ❓ What if you reject the script? ❓ What if you walk into the cellar, the darkness, the rooms the Lord didn't plan for you? ❓ What if you die—over and over—and still choose to return, differently each time? 4/7

The Dungeon Lord offers you a path: ⭐ Success. ⭐ Comfort. ⭐ Everything the League promised. But here’s the thing: achieving what others expect doesn’t always mean you’ve found what you want. Sometimes, the "right" path feels like a cage. 3/7