Thing-in-Itself
Released Jan 2017
“Thing-in-Itself” is a short interactive story about the struggles of understanding another human being. Using Immanuel Kant’s concept as a framework, it leads the player through stages of a relationship, exploring how perceptions may clash and surroundings can alter.
77% positive · 125 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Where to buy
Steam $2.49
Can't confirm — worth a look
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Evaluation
Thing-in-Itself is a short, self-contained interactive story released on January 5, 2017. The developer described it from the outset as a roughly 15-minute narrative experience with no win/lose conditions — a finished, complete creative work rather than a game designed to receive ongoing content.
After launch, the only post for this specific title was a Mac compatibility and bug-fix update on March 13, 2017, which represents the last meaningful work done on the game itself. Party for Introverts has since moved on to other projects in their anthology series: "From Head to Toe" launched in July 2019, "A Lozenge" launched in August 2020, and "Cabernet" — a full-length narrative RPG — was announced in May 2023. The studio's news feed shows a pattern of completing each short story and moving to the next project, rather than returning to update previous titles.
There is no announced DLC, no unreleased content on the store listing, and no developer statement suggesting anything further is planned for Thing-in-Itself. The game shipped as a complete, standalone experience and has remained that way since its March 2017 patch.
Evidence
Game is described as a short interactive story with a 15-minute walkthrough, explicitly not a traditional game — framed as a finished creative work with no ongoing content structure.
'A Lozenge' released, described as the third entry in Party for Introverts' anthology. Studio continues producing new projects rather than revisiting prior titles.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
Party for Introverts
Achievements
10
Platform
Windows, macOS
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Not rated
Players
Single-player
About this game
Ted and Molly are together. Ted feels a connection to Molly wherever he looks.
But, how do they both really see the relationship? See each other?
“Thing-in-Itself” is a short interactive story about the struggles of understanding another human being. Using Immanuel Kant’s concept as a framework, it leads the player through stages of a relationship, exploring how perceptions may clash and surroundings can alter.
With an average walkthrough time of 15 minutes, “Thing-in-Itself” is not a game in a traditional sense – it doesn’t have win or lose conditions and doesn’t present challenge to the player.
With this project, Party for Introverts attempts to establish a connection between the mediums of game and short story, reworking the possibilities when narrative and interactivity merge.
Key Features:
But, how do they both really see the relationship? See each other?
“Thing-in-Itself” is a short interactive story about the struggles of understanding another human being. Using Immanuel Kant’s concept as a framework, it leads the player through stages of a relationship, exploring how perceptions may clash and surroundings can alter.
With an average walkthrough time of 15 minutes, “Thing-in-Itself” is not a game in a traditional sense – it doesn’t have win or lose conditions and doesn’t present challenge to the player.
With this project, Party for Introverts attempts to establish a connection between the mediums of game and short story, reworking the possibilities when narrative and interactivity merge.
Key Features:
- Short, impactful interactive story that combines the motifs of German philosophy with a theme of modern relationship
- 15-minute walkthrough accompanied by inspired voice acting
- Emotional journey made relatable through casual interactions, dialogue choices and environmental changes
- Original musical score created by Elena Alekseeva
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Jun 27, 2026
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