A Binding Unmade: Prologue is now released.
This is a short, free hidden object adventure set in the Crosshollows universe. It serves as a standalone introduction to the world, tone, and characters of the upcoming full-length game A Binding Unmade, while also telling its own small story about an abandoned Arcadian manor, old magic, and a love story left unfinished.
Releasing the prologue has been a major milestone for me.
This project began as a contained way to test the structure of a hidden object game: illustrated scenes, clickable clues, puzzle gates, inventory items, journal entries, story sequences, music, and scene transitions. By the end, it had become much more than a prototype. It became a complete little game, and an important foundation for the larger projects I want to build next.
The release is free to play on itch.io. Donations are welcome, but not required. More than anything, I wanted the prologue to be accessible to hidden object fans, readers of my books and stories, and anyone curious about the Crosshollows.
I chose itch.io as the first release platform because it is friendly to small indie projects, experimental work, and free games. It is also a good fit for a project like this: a short narrative hidden object game with original art, music, and worldbuilding.
Bringing my games to Steam
Steam is a bigger undertaking, but it matters for discoverability, wishlists, long-term visibility, and future releases. My hope is that A Binding Unmade: Prologue can act as both a finished free experience and a gateway into the larger full-length game when that is ready.
I have created my Steamworks developer account, which is a bit of ‘admin’ work. I’ll note that to do this requires completing a tax survey, supplying ID verification (a photograph of you holding your passport or driver’s licence, for instance) and paying an upfront cost of 100 USD for each game you plan to release. You will recoup this if your game exceeds 1000 USD in sales.
I my case, A Binding Unmade: Prologue is a free demo. I’m just going to eat the cost, and put the demo up on Steam so I have a funnel available for the full game.
Next steps
The prologue helped clarify the framework: how hidden object scenes should function, how puzzles can gate progression, how journal entries can support story, how inventory can be used cleanly, and how much atmosphere matters in a game like this. It also confirmed that the Crosshollows works beautifully as a hidden object setting. It is a world full of strange relics, overgrown places, magical traces, and secrets waiting to be uncovered.
The next step is to take those lessons and expand on them.
The full game will follow Hawke as she hunts Bluebell Bonnie, a dangerous hag with a personal grudge. It will have a larger structure, more scenes, more puzzles, and a deeper story, while keeping the intimate, atmospheric hidden object feeling that shaped the prologue.
I am also thinking beyond A Binding Unmade. This project has given me a reusable foundation for future hidden object games, including Gemseeker and other stories set in and around the wider universe. That is one of the most exciting outcomes of the prologue: it is not just a single release, but the beginning of a clearer creative path.
For readers of my novels, A Binding Unmade: Prologue is another way into the Crosshollows. No prior knowledge is required, but those familiar with the setting will find familiar textures: Arcadian magic, old bargains, strange beauty, melancholy, and mysteries rooted in love, memory, and power.
Thank you to everyone who plays, shares, donates, leaves feedback, or simply takes an interest in the project. It means a great deal.
A Binding Unmade: Prologue is available now on itch.io. The full version of A Binding Unmade is in development, and I am very excited about what comes next.
