Free to play9.03m
A short first-person walk on Baker Beach in San Francisco, years after the tsunami, where debris has washed ashore. You wander the sand and look for butterflies, and each one reminds you of a person behind the death toll. Quiet, sad, and worth ten minutes of your evening.
Is 9.03m worth it?
9.03m is worth it if…
- you want a short, quiet game with a serious subject
- you like walking simulators and experimental stories
- you do not mind a game that is sad rather than fun
Screenshots
A beach walk built around butterflies
You walk Baker Beach in first person, with the sand, the water, and bits of tsunami debris scattered around you. There is no map marker chase and no puzzle logic. You look for butterflies, follow one when you spot it, and that small act of attention moves the piece forward. It is slow on purpose, and short enough to finish in one sitting.
Numbers become people
The point is blunt: news reports count the dead, and this game wants you to remember that each number was someone. The debris on the shore is ordinary stuff made strange by distance, carried across the ocean for years before landing in San Francisco. Finding a butterfly ties one fragment to one individual. Bring tissues, or at least a willingness to stand still for a moment.
What should you know before you walk?
How do you actually play it?
You explore Baker Beach on foot and search for butterflies. Finding them is the whole interaction, so expect looking, walking, and reading rather than solving anything.
How long does it take?
It is made to be finished in one brief session. Set aside a quiet quarter-hour, play it straight through, and let it end when it ends.
Where does the money go?
As stated from 19/12/2013, all royalties are donated to charity: half of the Space Budgie royalties to Aid For Japan, which helps children who lost parents in the tsunami, and half to RedR, which helps in disaster scenarios.
