The Lion's Song: Episode 1 - Silence

The Lion's Song is an episodic point-and-click adventure game developed and published by Austrian studio Mi'pu'mi Games. The first of its four episodes was released in July 2016, with the complete season following in July 2017 and a Nintendo Switch version in July 2018. Set primarily in Vienna in the early 20th century, the game follows fictional artists and intellectuals struggling with creativity, ambition and social expectations. Player choices create connections between the four stories and can alter details in later episodes. The game originated as a personal game jam project by Austrian designer Stefan Srb, who developed its original story for Ludum Dare in 2014. After the prototype attracted a positive response, Srb's employer Mi'pu'mi expanded it into a commercial production involving around ten developers. Critics generally praised the game's writing, historical setting, sepia-toned pixel art, music and representations of the creative process, while its limited interactivity and the effectiveness of its final episode received a more mixed response. The Lion's Song won Best Indie Game at the 2016 Deutscher Entwicklerpreis and received an honorable mention for Excellence in Narrative at the 2017 Independent Games Festival.