Original (8/31): Today, publisher Chorus Worldwide and developer LCB Game Studio unveiled Bahnsen Knights. It will be available for Switch on October 26, 2023.
Bahnsen Knights is the third visual novel in a series inspired by mid-20th century pulp fiction and ‘80s home computer graphics following Mothmen 1966 and Varney Lake. Additional information can be found in the following overview:
Bahnsen Knights serves as the latest chapter in the Pixel Pulps anthology, a series of interactive fiction tales Inspired by 1950’s pulp fiction with its over-the-top tales and art inspired by 1980’s home computer graphics. While each title in the anthology tells a standalone story, each Pixel Pulp takes place in a shared universe with recurring characters like paranormal investigator Lou Hill…who’s locked in a trunk by a doomsday cult.
Undercover detective Boulder must get to the bottom of this and the fate of his old friend Cupra who went missing while investigating the Bahnsen Knights. Cult leader Toni, a former car salesman, preaches Hell is not below us but above. With his fleet of 1983 Ford Sierras, the Bahnsen Knights perform “route exorcisms” while a string of biblical storms rip across the country.
Guide Boulder through a hostile cult-filled landscape to dig into Toni’s monetary motives while balancing a “suspicion” system to avoid potentially fatal conflicts — or worse. Investigate small local hotspots like Danny’s Bar, solve thought-provoking puzzles, and play minigames like solitaire in the unnatural melancholy of an apocalyptic landscape.
The branching narrative ensures that not every trip down these storm-ridden highways is the same each time, with new decisions shedding light on previously-secret parts of the tale. Earn trust among the deceitful, build up the case against the cult, and put to rest a treacherous tale before it spreads out of control.
Shintaro Kanaoya, founder and CEO of Chorus Worldwide, said today: “LCB’s exploring new territory here in Bahnsen Knights as the horrors are rooted to humanity, not the supernatural. “It’s quite a surprising tonal shift compared with Varney Lake’s vampires and Mothmen 1966’s cryptids, but somehow all the more surreal because of it.”
View a trailer for the game below.
Announcement Trailer
Bahnsen Knights will be sold digitally on Switch via the eShop. Pricing is set at $9.99 / €8.99 / £8.49.
Update (10/9): Bahnsen Knights has been delayed to December 14. An explanation for the release date change wasn’t provided, but we have a new trailer below.
New Release Date Trailer
