What Never Was

About this game

Sometime in the late 2000s, Howard James Wright - an old but kind man - perishes. Leaving behind him many adventures, relics he's collected over the years as well as books authored, he is also leaving Sarah, his granddaughter behind.

Having to shoulder the arduous task of clearing out her grandfathers attic, she is soon to find that not everything about her grandfathers attic is what it seems.




What Never Was is a short, story-driven first-person game focused on exploration and puzzle-solving.

You play as Sarah Elizabeth Wright, exploring through your grandfathers attic, solving small puzzles and uncovering the story through gameplay. What Never Was aims to combine the gameplay of classic point-and-click games with the control schemes of modern adventure and walking sim games.

It is inspired by the likes of Myst, Indiana Jones and The Longest Journey and borrows themes from folklore, Norse mythology, and works from authors like H.P. Lovecraft.

The game is the first solo game and passion project of game developer Acke Hallgren with the support of a handful of supportive creatives.

Latest news

• Press Coverage·14 Jan 2021

  What Never Was: Chapter II gets a teaser trailer and a Steam page

  What Never Was is a free short, story-driven first-person puzzle-solving adventure that released back in 2019. It was so popular that the developer is bringing out What Never Was: Chapter II. Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2021/01/what-never-was-chapter-ii-gets-a-teaser-trailer-and-a-steam-page
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• Announcements·11 Jan 2021Official

  What Never Was Chapter II Teaser Trailer

  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/34087844/7f99bf6aa598bf67e545e5fb84c11f3a21ffce67.png I'm happy to present the steam-page and teaser trailer for What Never Was: Chapter II! While development is moving forward, I am still working out the core of the game by myself and hence can not confidently announce a release date until I know that I can deliver on it. Many have asked for a way to keep track of future news and releases in an easy way, and the Steam page for Chapter II will be just that! I am so, so thankful for all the people who have reviewed, reached out about and given love to What Never Was. I hope you are excited (and maybe somewhat patient still) for Chapter II, cause I know I am! :) Wishlisht What Never Was: Chapter II here. Watch the teaser trailer on Youtube.
  Read full article on Community Announcements (Ackehallgren)

• Announcements·22 May 2020Official

  What Never Was is awarded an Epic MegaGrant

  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/34087844/eda0a17f94e4dfdef30b480600fc222ba44c1218.jpg I am extremely excited to announce that What Never Was has been awarded an Epic Games MegaGrant. The Epic MegaGrant is a fund that helps developers of games and other projects using the Unreal Engine, in hopes that these projects will succeed. What this means for me, is that I will have the possibility to make What Never Was: Chapter II live up to my ideas, and hopefully also manage to complete it faster. I am extremely honored, happy and grateful to Epic Games for this, and will be sure to put it to good use. Worth clarifying is that this does not mean that What Never Was or Chapter II is an EGS exclusive. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/34087844/baeb39019f49b1d34ac81b457c933224a22b6dc3.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/34087844/b64d7b3249796647ac284627b18a350dd636246a.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/34087844/74521fd26239b2a98c3f6246ae8863e4182774f5.jpg Development of What Never Was Chapter II is very much underway. The development has been a bit slow because of a lot of work obligations and the global situation that affects us all, but I'm still steadily working on it. As I mentioned above, the MegaGrant will help me look into different solutions for speeding things up, so it is all very exciting. I've also updated www.whatneverwas.se to reflect current events. I hope you are all doing well, staying safe and taking care of each other! Acke Hallgren
  Read full article on Community Announcements (Ackehallgren)

• Announcements·30 Apr 2020Official

  Play What Never Was in Russian

  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/34087844/00f5afdf26ddac798d872da8d96a4f4f50480ebe.jpg Hi everyone! Many have asked about if I would ever localize What Never Was to various languages, and the truth is that I'd love to, but I din't know how to prepare for localization when making the game. Working on Chapter II and onwards, I am making sure that it will be a possibility for any future installments, but it is currently impossible for What Never Was Part I. Despite this, the fantastic people at The Bullfinch Team and Mechanics VoiceOver - have made their very own Full Russian Localization addon-file, which turns everything from text, to textures and even voice over - into fully translated Russian! They've done an amazing job, and the work they've done blends into the game seamlessly. What Never Was - Russian Localization Trailer If you've ever wanted to play What Never Was in Russian, you now can! I'd like to thank the Bullfinch Team and the Mechanics VoiceOver group for their fine work and passion! Download it below! Links The Bullfinch Team: http://vk.com/the_bullfinch_team Mechanics VoiceOver (R.G. MVO): http://vk.com/mvo_team Download links: http://drive.google.com/file/d/1k57nyTb0RDUvEnJIqgjAjGwkbRPhaswm/view http://yadi.sk/d/ywVGEDskQ9yRpg Download link for Linux: https://t.co/Xr9AhvdRZq?amp=1
  Read full article on Community Announcements (Ackehallgren)

• Announcements·20 Apr 2019Official

  What Never Was - Now available for Linux

  https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34087844/3c7b6dd3a882960f9aeaaaa2b013f84872193668.jpg What Never Was can finally be played on machines with Linux!
  Read full article on Community Announcements (Ackehallgren)