Elegy for a Dead World
Elegy for a Dead World is a 2014 side-scrolling exploration game where the player writes a diary visible to other players. The player explores three worlds inspired by British romantic poets Shelley, Byron, and Keats. While exploring, the player makes notes on their observations.
Elegy for a Dead World
- Date
- 2014
- Publisher
- Elegy for a Dead World was published by Dejobaan Games.
- Language
- English
- Genre
- side-scrolling video game · walking simulator
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Documentary summary
Elegy for a Dead World is a 2014 side-scrolling exploration game where the player writes a diary visible to other players. The player explores three worlds inspired by British romantic poets Shelley, Byron, and Keats. While exploring, the player makes notes on their observations.
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wikidata · Q16267837 · wikipedia · Elegy for a Dead World
In this article
The object
The object
The notes are publicly visible via Steam Workshop. The collective note taking mechanic earned it an honorable mention for the Nuovo Award in the 2014 Independent Games Festival.
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — Elegy for a Dead World • Developer — Dejobaan Games Popcannibal Games • Publisher — Dejobaan Games • Designer — Ichiro Lambe Ziba Scott • Engine — Unity • Platforms — Microsoft Windows Linux • Released — December 10, 2014 • Modes — Single-player
Development
Development
Developer Ziba Scott credits the theme of the game to his love for British romantic poetry. Shelley's world, for example, was inspired by Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "Ozymandias". Developer Ichiro Lambe is exploring the intimacy created through collaborative writing.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- United States
Named but not plotted · 1
Elegy for a Dead World is associated with United States.
Country
Reception
Early critical reception has focused on the novelty of the note taking mechanic, and the emphasis on narrative storytelling over action. On Metacritic, the game holds a score of 65/100 based on 14 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 4 out of 5, saying "Elegy for a Dead World may be a jarring departure from traditions, but unlike the more pretentious attempts at alternative gaming experiences we’ve seen in recent times, this is one idea that should be encouraged."
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Elegy for a Dead World”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q16267837: Elegy for a Dead World
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1."2014 IGF Finalists".
- 2."Why so serious, Dejobaan?" on IndieGames.com
- 3."The Write Stuff" on Eurogamer
- 4.Metacritic. Elegy for a Dead World for PC Reviews.
- 5.Eurogamer. Elegy for a Dead World review. 19 December 2014.
- 6.GameSpot. Elegy for a Dead World Review.
- 7.Game Revolution. Elegy for a Dead World Review. 13 December 2014.
- 8.GamesTM. Elegy For A Dead World review.
- 9.Khan, Jahanzeb. Review: Elegy for a Dead World. Hardcore Gamer. 11 December 2014.
- 10.Softpedia. Elegy for a Dead World Review (PC). 30 December 2014.
- 11."Shelly They Can't be Serious" on Rock, Paper, Shotgun
- 12.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zfhj4gSVlU on Joystiq
- 13.Douglas Heaven. ButtonMasher: Storytelling beats action in new games. New Scientist. 22 May 2014.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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