The Novelist

The Novelist asks one central question: can you achieve your dreams without pushing away the people you love? The game focuses on Dan Kaplan, a novelist struggling to write the most important book of his career while trying to be the best husband and father he can be.

The Novelist is a story rich, choices matter and atmospheric game developed and published by Orthogonal Games.
Released on December 10th 2013 is available in English on Windows, MacOS and Linux.

It has received 1,021 reviews of which 764 were positive and 257 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.2 out of 10. 😊

The game is currently priced at 4.99€ on Steam.


The Steam community has classified The Novelist into these genres:

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at The Novelist through various videos and screenshots.

Requirements

These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.

Windows
  • OS *: Windows XP SP2 or higher
  • Processor: 1.8 GHz
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 256 MB VRAM video card
  • Storage: 800 MB available space
MacOS
  • OS: OS X Lion (10.7) or higher
  • Processor: 1.8 GHz
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 256 MB VRAM video card
  • Storage: 800 MB available space
Linux
  • Processor: 1.8 GHz
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 256 MB VRAM video card
  • Storage: 800 MB available space
  • Additional Notes: Built with Unity 4.3.4, tested in Ubuntu 12.04 and 13.10

Reviews

Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.

Jan. 2025
Very fun and unique game. Also the main character's voice actor is goated.
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Aug. 2024
Personally, I loved The Novelist, but I will caveat that with it is not a game for everyone - it is very much a game that seeks to tell a story - the gameplay in itself is not terribly deep or complex, but I loved the story it told. It is short - at a quite leisurely pace, 3 hours to get through, but I really don't feel it needed to be any longer.
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July 2024
I really enjoyed this game, its one of those very few games that stayed in my mind for ages after playing and finishing it. Its very unique and made me really feel those consequences for the choices I made. I’m looking forward to replaying it and trying some of the other choices.
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April 2024
7.5/10 fun simple game with tough decisions and empathetic characters
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Feb. 2024
Wow, what a game. It's like the trolley problem but for real life! Or just real life! I honestly don't know how people with kids do it. When I think about all the things I'm balancing and all the things I know I have to sacrifice to get other passions accomplished I am in awe when I think of the people who after a long day of work also have to basically clock in to raising a human being. Some really crushing decisions have to be made but hey that's how it goes. If you decide to sacrifice the time you could spend doing other precious things in your life to play a game about the decisions and sacrifices made with those decisions then you may enjoy this game.
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Data sources

The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.

Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.

Last Updates

Steam data 18 November 2024 22:18
SteamSpy data 20 January 2025 11:42
Steam price 23 January 2025 04:44
Steam reviews 22 January 2025 21:54
The Novelist
7.2
764
257
Online players
0
Developer
Orthogonal Games
Publisher
Orthogonal Games
Release 10 Dec 2013
Platforms