Californium
A tribute to Philip K. Dick exploring reality manipulation.
Californium is an adventure game created by the studios Darjeeling and Nova Productions, and it came out in February 2016 for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux through Proton. The project was made to honor science-fiction writer Philip K. Dick, marking thirty years since his death. Players take on the role of Elvin Green, a writer facing personal troubles and creative block, who learns to bend reality and moves through a series of strange, dreamlike environments.
In terms of gameplay, the player guides Green through each level but cannot directly interact with objects or characters. Non-playable characters can be approached to trigger one-sided conversations. Throughout the levels, cathode-ray tube monitors display Roman numerals when found, indicating how many reality-warping points are hidden nearby. These points appear as glowing Θ (Theta) symbols, but they may only become visible when the player looks from a specific angle, turns in a certain direction, or clears away objects blocking the view. When a glyph is concealed, nearby objects flicker in and out of existence, hinting at its location. Once spotted, the player activates it using the controller, causing a spherical bubble of altered reality to replace the previous scene. After collecting all glyphs in a section, the game delivers narrative content and unlocks further parts of the level. When every section is finished, the player must find the correct vantage point to reveal a final, oversized Theta glyph that stretches across multiple surfaces.
The story begins in Berkeley, California, in 1967, with Elvin Green as a struggling author. After his daughter Alice dies and his wife Thea Trauberg leaves him, Green suffers from writer’s block, faces eviction, risks losing his publisher, and battles a worsening drug addiction that causes brief seizures. A voice speaks to him through the static of his television, urging him to find Theta images. By doing so, Green shifts into an alternate reality. In this new world, he is celebrated as the Patriot Writer, the most important author of his generation, but California has become the California Republic—a repressive police state. His wife Thea is an anti-state revolutionary awaiting execution, and other characters, versions of their original selves, pressure Green to collaborate with the authorities and testify against her.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Californium
- Developer
- Darjeeling, Nova Productions
- Publisher
- Arte
- Engine
- Unity
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows, OS X
- Released
- NA · 2016-02-17
- Genre
- Adventure
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Californium was borne out of an idea between Darjeeling and Nova Productions in 2011 as the 30th anniversary of Philip K. Dick's death approached. Darjeeling digital producer Noam Roubah noted that many themes Dick wrote about have since come to pass in the 21st century, such as the Internet and the dehumanization of human communications. The developers initially thought of doing a web-based project but within a few months opted to use a video game. Artist Olivier Bonhomme created surreal environments to reflect a more psychedelic feel, acknowledging the influence of recreational drugs in Dick's life, rather than the darker tones used in other adaptations of Dick's works. The developers took inspiration from Dick's earlier years in crafting the protagonist Green; the departure of Green's wife and his dismissive editor are similar concepts Dick had to face early on.
The gameplay's central concept, of discovering the Theta glyph to change reality, was inspired by autobiographic material Dick wrote on coming to an epiphany in 1974 on seeing a woman wearing an ichthys symbol, which caused him to have a vision of a 'pink beam' that would impart wisdom and insight. The impact in the game comes from a speech by Dick, later published as an essay known as 'If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others'. In the essay, Dick considers that many alternate realities are occurring simultaneously with the current one, and may come to see those through the subconscious. Journalists from Ars Technica and Motherboard have noted the game shares many similarities with Dick's 1981 VALIS, the first of a planned trilogy, which presents a story in which human behavior is controlled by an external intelligence.
The game was developed with financial support from the French broadcaster Arte, and was released to coincide with an Arte mini-series on the writer. Though the game was meant to be a tribute to Dick, the developers could not get appropriate rights from Dick's estate to use his name in any of the promotional materials for the title.
Reader's Guide
Californium is notable as a direct tribute to Philip K. Dick, released on the 30th anniversary of his death, and for its attempt to translate Dick's themes of reality, perception, and alternate worlds into an interactive experience. The game's central mechanic—finding hidden Theta glyphs to warp reality—was inspired by Dick's own autobiographical account of a vision in 1974. Critics noted that while the gameplay of locating glyphs could become tedious or frustrating, the game succeeded as a deep dive into Dick's ideas. The visuals and era-specific details were praised, and the approach of showing bubbles of alternate realities was described as extraordinary level design. However, some felt the connection to Dick was weak due to the inability to use his name in promotion, and that the meta-fictional narration had been better accomplished in other games. The game's development was supported by Arte and tied to a mini-series on the writer, reflecting a cross-media approach to honoring Dick's legacy.
Did You Know?
- The game's central glyph, the Theta, was inspired by Philip K. Dick's 1974 vision of a 'pink beam' after seeing an ichthys symbol.
- The developers could not obtain rights from Dick's estate to use his name in promotional materials.
- The protagonist Elvin Green's struggles mirror events from Dick's own early life, including a departing wife and a dismissive editor.
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