Escape from Norwood

Escape from Norwood is a story-rich, mostly text-based adventure that offers immense freedom to explore its world and is designed to be fully accessible for blind players. You play as Lecia, a 13-year-old girl cursed with a type of magic that falls outside the world's five cardinal aelic callings. This unique situation forces her to hide from guards and find a way to escape the city of Norwood.

However, this so-called curse is also Lecia's greatest tool. Her uncanny ability to become invisible as a "Shroud" allows her to move unseen, learning both intimate and state secrets alike. As the Empress’s progress approaches the city, Lecia can observe plots and schemes that could shake the very foundations of the nation of Magistan, all while trying to unravel a secret that ties her family to an empire where discrimination is based on birth order.

The game provides a deep interactive experience reminiscent of classic text adventures but with a modern, streamlined user interface. Instead of typing commands, you simply click on characters, objects, or locations to see a list of possible interactions and choose among them. You are free to journey through the city on your own terms, exploring every nook and cranny and observing the routines of its vast cast of characters. You can use this knowledge to help them, or for your own ends.

A core part of the gameplay involves combining hundreds of items in creative and unexpected ways to solve puzzles and move the story forward. With a quest log to keep track of your missions, you have the flexibility to tackle them in any order you wish, leading to dozens of hours of play and discovery. The entire game can be played using only the keyboard and is fully compatible with screen readers through its text-to-speech support.