Paris, March 26th 2025 | ARTE, The Pixel Hunt and Pierre Corbinais announce that Wednesdays, a real-life game combining storytelling and management, is now available on PC and Mac via Steam and itch.io. The demo is available for free here.
In the form of an interactive visual novel strip and a memory trail supported by a bright narrative, Wednesdays aims to encourage players to question and understand for themselves the complexity of the subject and the situation of victims of sexual violence.
Through the fragmented memories of a victim, Tim, this real-life game combines storytelling and the management of a theme park to raise awareness and help make amends with kindness and optimism.
A fragmented, choral narrative
Players take on the role of the victim's family and friends through 17 vignettes, as they delve into fragmented memories and unravel memories. Florent Maurin, President of The Pixel Hunt, explains:
“Each memory is an opportunity to put yourself in the shoes of someone close to you: a friend, a girlfriend, a schoolteacher... We're not playing Tim or his abuser, but the people 'around' him, of which we're all a part.”
A journey between comics and video games
Wednesdays features two graphic styles that are deliberately poles apart, yet share the same clean lines.
Memories come to life thanks to comics writer Exaheva (Mekka Nikki, Still Heroes): “Having already experimented a lot with interactive comics, I was able to think about a hybrid form between what I'd done previously and a more classic visual novel. The art direction had to evoke an intimate comic strip, both through the colors, but also through the framing approach, adapted according to the vignette. I tried to have a similar approach to my work in comics, with different staging for each memory.”Nico Nowak (There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension) designed the theme park, the gateway to Tim's memories: “The theme park acts as a link between the various scenes and stages of the story. Within this universe, the game exists, and the character played it as a child. It had to be realistic and familiar, like a real game from the 90s, but also consistent with the vignettes created by Exaheva. I therefore chose to work with two dominant colors, as in the rest of the game. This imaginary park is very nostalgic, both within the story and for the player”, she says.
“The hardest part is not to speak up. It’s being heard.”
Beyond its clever gameplay and original art direction, Wednesdays is also a game that has given many of its developers the opportunity to make their voices heard, not only as video game artists and creators, but also as victims for some of them. Pierre Corbinais, the author, adds: “I don't have many answers to give on the subject of child sexual abuse, but I hope I succeed in raising a lot of questions.”
Wednesdays is available on PC/Mac via Steam and itch.io. The Itch.io version includes an exclusive artbook based on the game's artistic creation process.
Not recommended for players under 18, the game contains no scenes of sexual assault, and content warnings are available for each memory you explore, and each can be viewed in summary form.
MAIN FEATURES OF THE GAME:
- The player discovers the intimate story of Tim and those around him. Through 17 narrative vignettes, he embodies some fifteen characters from different eras and family backgrounds including his mother, his father, his grandmother, his grandfather, his teacher, his childhood friends, his high school sweetheart, his ex-girlfriend…
- With its handmade visuals and indie-comics-inspired style, Wednesdays leads players to question the consequences of domestic sexual violence and sexual abuse in an authentic, enlightening story.
- The player manages his theme park to unlock more than 17 memories. In these colorful pixel-art sequences, the player can take a break to relax between vignettes and step back from the story of the characters and the bonds that unite them.
- Wednesdays is designed to be accessible: the game requires no special skills or knowledge of video games. Customizable accessibility settings (visuals and controls) allow all types of players.
© ARTE France, The Pixel Hunt, Pierre Corbinais, 2025
About ARTE
European public cultural media, ARTE’s mission is to bring Europeans closer together through culture. Its rich and diverse editorial line-up (cinema, series, documentaries, news, digital creation and video games, podcasts...) contributes to nurturing a democratic space and a European vision. For more than ten years, ARTE has been co-producing and publishing independent video games such as Type:Rider, Homo Machina, Vectronom, Inua, Bury Me My Love, 30 Birds and Looking for Fael, which have won awards at some of the biggest international festivals. More information on the official website, the X page and the Bluesky of Arte Interactive.
About The Pixel Hunt
The Pixel Hunt is a studio that designs and produces reality-inspired games, pieces at the intersection between journalism, documentary and video games. Their productions aim to be as distinctive in their artistic direction as they are in their storytelling. For further information: https://www.thepixelhunt.com/fr/.
About Pierre Corbinais
Author and former journalist, Pierre Corbinais is renowned for his work on numerous video games. In addition to his work with The Pixel Hunt, Pierre Corbinais is known as the narrative designer of Haven (The Game Bakers) and the translator of the French version of Road 96 (Digixart). Through Wednesdays, he lends his delicate writing to this tale, to raise the subject of incest and intra-family sexual abuse in an authentic way. For further information: https://pierrecorbinais.com/fr/.
About Exaheva
Exaheva, a comic book artist, illustrates the narrative vignettes in Wednesdays. Her style, which is somewhere between comics and manga, gives an authentic and delicate treatment of the still-too-taboo subject of sexual abuse against and between minors. For further information: https://linktr.ee/exaheva
About Nico Nowak
Talented pixel-artist, Nico Nowak deploys her unique know-how in Wednesdays by creating the visuals of Orco Park. After working on successful projects such as There is no Game: Wrong Dimension, Nico applies her artistic flair to help make Wednesdays a game of hope.
