The Archive

The Archive is a single-player investigative psychological narrative played entirely through a computer interface. You play as Nathan Reed, a newly hired night-shift case analyst at the Bureau of Investigation – Case Processing Unit. Your job is to process a classified backlog of sensitive reports that were never meant to resurface.

Investigate the cases

You review incident reports, cross-reference subjects in a secure database, examine attached evidence and read internal memos and system messages. Evidence can include transcripts, photos and reports. You use the in-game email system, case file viewer and other computer tools to track cases and make classification decisions that influence how they are handled.

The cases draw on documented real-world incidents and unsolved mysteries based on accounts that were quietly forgotten over the years. As the story unfolds, internal memos and hidden system communications add to what you know about the archive.

Uncover the truth

The story progresses across multiple night shifts. Each shift brings stranger cases and deeper connections as the tension escalates and the larger narrative gradually emerges. As patterns grow more deliberate, the archive begins to reveal a truth about the cases—and your role in processing them.