עבריתEnglish Get it

A pixel-art story game, in Hebrew and English

Everything written here is true. So is what was rubbed out.

Palm Street
Screenshot from Universe: Palm Street Screenshot from Universe: The Old Park Screenshot from Universe: The Zula Screenshot from Universe: School Corridor Screenshot from Universe: Daniel's Home Screenshot from Universe: Class 10-2

A story game from the city of Orot. In every chapter you play someone else, and there isn't a single spoiler on this site.

  • 24 chapters in 3 parts, about 6.5 hours
  • Hebrew and English, switch with F2
  • Every puzzle has a skip. You can't get stuck
Turn the page

Page one

A small city. A big afternoon.

Orot is a small city: a street of palms, a school, an old park with one hill in it, and a place called the Zula: three broken sofas, wooden pallets and a string of fairy lights nobody ever switches on. It is a good place to be seventeen.

Then, on an ordinary afternoon, something flashes behind the hill.

Universe is a story game told by the people it happens to. You walk the streets of Orot in pixel art, talk to everyone, make small choices that people remember, and, chapter after chapter, step into someone else's shoes: a cynic with a notebook nobody reads, a boy who thinks too much and plays guitar, a girl nobody gets to decide for. Each of them sees the same days from a different side. None of them tells you everything. All of them tell you the truth.

The game is inspired by Israeli youth TV series, and by games like Undertale and Deltarune.

If I had to pick one moment and say "here" - here it was. The grass, the sun, Daniel's guitar digging into my back. That was the last normal minute of my life.

Omer, narrating

How it plays

Walk. Talk. Choose. Tie it together.

The city is yours to wander

You walk around Orot from above, in hand-drawn pixel art: streets, school corridors, living rooms, a hill. Press E to talk, read, sit, climb, knock or listen in. Anything you can use lights up and tells you which key.

Palm Street in the game: a road, palm trees and a bench

The Narrator's Notebook

Everything written here is true.

The rule: the narrator doesn't lie. He only chooses what to tell. Everything written here is true.

The notebook is where the story keeps what you've learned: every true thing becomes a card. Tie the two that belong together with red thread, and sometimes it changes what someone says. Try three threads, in the game's own words.

Click a card, then the one it belongs with, or drag a red thread from one to the other. From the keyboard: Tab and Enter.

What it adds up to

Nothing connected yet. Any two lines might be a thread.

The Zula

Six friends. One corner of Orot.

Click a face, or a person. They have moods.

Daniel 17

The sensitive one

Thinks a lot, feels even more. Hardly ever without his guitar.

Bar 17

The rebel

Smart, gifted, a heart of gold, and nobody decides for her.

Omer 17

King of cynicism

The wittiest, most cynical person on Earth. Our narrator. Keeps a notebook nobody reads.

Tomer 16

The goofball

Omer's adopted brother. Funny, independent, and the star of a remarkably successful diaper commercial.

Rini 16

The one with secrets

Rinat. First to laugh, first to explode if you say the wrong thing.

Izzy 16

The charming klutz

Israela. The angel of the group. Funny without noticing, clumsy on a cosmic level, and has never told a lie.

Pictures

Postcards from Orot

Hand-drawn pixel art in warm light. Screenshots straight from the game, in the language you picked. Click to enlarge.

The score

Every place in Orot has a tune.

27 original pieces written for the game, plus the sound of every room with nobody in it. Five to try.

 

0:00
0:00

The sound of the places: what plays underneath, with nobody in the room.

Details

Good to know

What is Universe?
Universe is a pixel-art story game in Hebrew and English, made by Maor Eliezer. In every chapter you play someone else in the city of Orot, tie true facts together with red thread, and choose what to tell. There are no spoilers on this site.
Where can I buy Universe?
On itch.io, on the game's page: maoreli.itch.io/universe. After you buy it you get a file to download and a personal key.
Who made the game?
Maor Eliezer, host of the podcast "HaPitzuchiya", created, built and designed the game. More on the About page.
Are there spoilers here?
No. Only the opening is shown, and even the contents page is rubbed out. The rest is kept for the game.
How long is it?
About 6.5 hours, across three parts and 24 chapters, by the author's estimate. There is no pressure: the game saves by itself.
Do I need to read Hebrew?
No. Hebrew is the source language and English is a full translation. Switch with F2 or in Settings, at any moment.
Do I need to know anything first?
No. The story starts at the beginning, and the game is all you need.
I'm bad at puzzles and little games.
Every puzzle and every little game has a way past it: a skip with Esc, a hint, or a button that solves it for you. Nothing can be failed for good.
What inspired the game?
Israeli youth TV series, and games like Undertale and Deltarune.
Was the game made with artificial intelligence?
No. I admit that I used AI to help with programming, even though I am a programmer myself. More on the About page.
Why isn't the game on Steam?
Because it is very expensive, and I have already put a lot of money and time into developing this game. If there are many purchases and there is demand, I will bring it to Steam later.
Is there a Mac version?
A Mac version is coming soon. For now the game is available for Windows only.
Windows warns me when I start it.
The game isn't signed with a publisher certificate, so the first time Windows may show "Windows protected your PC". Click "More info", then "Run anyway".

Get it

Pick up the notebook.

Universe is sold on itch.io. After you buy it you get a file to download and a key that is yours alone.

$13.86Launch price, then $18
Get it on itch.io
Windows: available nowMac: coming soon

Dev note: set itchUrl in js/site-config.js so these buttons go to the itch.io page.

How to start playing

  1. 1

    Buy

    On the game's page on itch.io.

  2. 2

    Get the file and your key

    After you buy, the file to download and your personal key are waiting side by side on the game's download page on itch.io.

  3. 3

    Download and run

    Open the file you downloaded and run Universe.exe. There is nothing to install.

  4. 4

    Paste your key

    The first time you start it, the game asks for a key. Copy it from the download page, paste it in, and click "Unlock the game". You do this once, and you won't be asked again.

    XXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

The key is personal, so don't share it. If Windows warns you the first time, click "More info" and then "Run anyway".

Newsletter

Updates about Universe and the next games

Sign up for a free newsletter: news about the game, the Mac version and my next games. No spam, and you can unsubscribe at any moment.

Dev note: set newsletterUrl (the Kit page) in js/site-config.js so this signup shows on the live site.