After experiencing a few hiccups with its original September release date, DreadXP and developer LUAL Games have announced that their throwback horror text adventure [I] doesn’t exist will finally see its release on Steam next week! The love letter to the origins of narrative-focused gaming will arrive October 5th for PC via Steam and itch.io.

In [I] doesn’t exist, players awaken in an unfamiliar forest populated with illogical scenery and oddities like friendly, talking mushrooms. As they command their in-game avatar and contemplate the solution to puzzles (and the meaning of their own existence) to escape the seemingly innocuous forest, the façade begins to show its cracks to reveal something far more sinister.

The game utilizes a combination of 2D and 3D perspective through optical illusion, giving players a “trippy, dreamlike experience.” [I] doesn’t exist’s trance-like visuals and text-based narrative design is supported by modern “Natural Language Processing” technology — which allows players to creatively answer in-game prompts without sticking to a set of specific terms, makes for an eerily intuitive gameplay experience that’s accessible to newcomers to text-based adventures and veterans alike.

While you wait, check out Harrison’s take on the game, which he refers to as being more than what it initially appears.