Malaysian indie studio RB Wolf Design has launched the Steam page for their new interactive visual novel ‘One Again’, which is planned to release in August of this year.

According to the developers “Once Again is an interactive story game developed during the pandemic by indie game studio RB Wolf Games. Conceptualized through their mutual passion for immersive storytelling games and inspired by society’s recent realization of the fragility of life, Once Again is created to remind and encourage everyone to cherish every moment with those we love. And through our passion, we hope to rekindle warm memories in each player’s heart.”

Once Again centers around a teenage boy named Sia. After making a wish on a boring summertime birthday, he finds himself in an unfamiliar time, in front of a person that he’s never met before but does find familiar.

Soon the two begin to bond over their shared love of photography and capturing lost time into rolls of film. Who is this mysterious young woman and how will it end for these two? You’ll have to find out when the game launches.

The game makes use of a unique webcomic-esque art style and text similar to that of smartphone messaging apps, giving it a very modern feel. It fits the more grounded tone that the game seems to be going for.

Here is a list of features that the game will include according to its press release:

• Every birthday, Sia gets to make up for a lifetime of missed moments with her.
• Transcending time and space, Sia’s bond with her is poised to be summer’s most heartwarming tale.
• Immersive interactive gameplay lets you directly control Sia’s actions with charmingly simple, yet satisfying gameplay mechanics such as scrubbing, writing, taking photos, and more.
• Stunning illustrated art style that weaves the narrative and gameplay into a wistful, nostalgic journey.
• Photography-inspired gameplay mechanics such as focus, exposure, and more serve as the perfect introduction to a timeless art form.

Once Again will be coming out this August for PC and Mac via Steam.

It’s great to see more Malaysian games entering the market. Last week, we took a look at another Malaysia visual novel: the horror fantasy Karabret.