NAIRI: Tower of Shirin gets a playable demo

by Zack Reese on 05 June, 2018

Developer HomeBearStudio and publisher Another Indie have shared a playable demo for their upcoming point-and-click adventure game NAIRI: Tower of Shirin. To try it out for yourself, be sure to visit the Another Indie Discord channel for a Steam key.

Here's a quick rundown of the game for those unfamiliar with it via Another Indie:

Nairi's storyline is about a young woman from the rich district of Shirin, the oasis city where the game takes place. A sudden incident forces her to abandon her rich, sheltered life, and she ends up in the seedy lower district of the city ruled by ruthless gangs. One of Nairi’s prime objectives is to find her way home after she escapes the clutches of her captors but this will be fraught with many smaller objectives and tasks and of course bigger dangers.
Exploring a dungeon to seek out objects that will be invaluable along the journey, finding a smuggler to impart much need information, aiding another character who would need your help, etc. are all part of the bigger plan which has been seamlessly and intuitively crafted by the development team.
Seek and Deploy
NAIRI: Tower of Shirin encompasses five distinct richly detailed and atmospheric areas, ranging from dusty desert hideouts, to a bazaar, mysterious dungeons and some vast open expanses. An in-game cast opens up the game but no violent confrontation or combat exists, gameplay-wise. Antagonists are interacted with through dialogue and no choice exists that have serious consequences; they serve to add flair, comedy or drama to the dialogues.
The interface is simple, yet intuitive; click on whatever catches your eye from the clean and uncluttered screen and the relevant commands will provide all your alternatives. Ingeniously, Rex's Journal provides visual hints to the player when they are stuck or lose track of their objective. Difficulty is by dictated the way the player performs, with the levels offering visual clues to aid progression and the gameplay area grows larger as you advance.
Features

Gameplay blends several mechanics from the visual novel / point and click adventure genre.

First-person perspective; lots of poignant dialogue with a host of gorgeous character portraits.

Lots of puzzles which involve collecting, combining, giving or using items.

Talk to characters and observe the environment for clues on how to progress.

Music is directly composed by the writer of the game’s story and helps build atmosphere.

No long or obvious tutorials or constant exposition during dialogue.