Archive — A Narrative Investigation Game About Curating Human History

The video demonstrates:

• Archive exploration


• Investigation system


• Evidence paths


• Decision making


• Civilization evaluation


• Multiple possible historical outcomes.

Sorry about the low vibe during that, i was extremely tired 😅.

Code

GitHub Repository:

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How I Built It

Archive was designed around one core philosophy:

History is not merely remembered, it is curated.

Rather than treating lore as optional background reading, every piece of narrative content exists as gameplay.

The project includes systems for:

• branching investigations


• layered evidence


• contradictory historical records


• civilization philosophy


• procedural ending evaluation


• markdown-powered historical articles


• dynamic narrative progression

The game is built using React, TypeScript, Capacitor, and a fully data-driven content architecture that allows new story arcs, memories, investigations, and evidence to be added without modifying gameplay systems.

One of the biggest design challenges was avoiding "good" and "bad" endings.

Instead, the game evaluates the civilization created by the player's accumulated decisions across values such as Truth, Freedom, Compassion, Progress, Power, and Legacy.

The result is an ending that reflects who humanity became, rather than simply whether the player succeeded.

Prize Category

Best Ode to Alan Turing

Archive is deeply inspired by questions surrounding computation, information, and artificial intelligence.

As the Archive evolves, it begins connecting information in ways humans never anticipated, raising questions similar to those explored by Alan Turing:

• Can a machine create knowledge?


• Can intelligence emerge from information alone?


• When does computation become interpretation?

Rather than focusing on AI as a tool, the game explores AI as a historical force capable of reshaping civilization itself.

Best Google AI Usage

Google AI played an important role throughout development.

It was used as a creative collaborator for:

• worldbuilding


• historical consistency


• narrative iteration


• investigation design


• story arc refinement


• gameplay balancing


• technical architecture discussions

Rather than generating finished content automatically, Google AI became part of the iterative design process, helping refine ideas while preserving a consistent narrative vision.

Final Thoughts

Archive isn't about winning.

It isn't even about discovering the truth.

It's about confronting one uncomfortable possibility:

History never remembers everything.

Only what someone chose to preserve.