Link Steam
indiegame.fan
Read Only header art

Read Only

A psychological narrative game about memory, identity, and things that were never meant to be “fixed.” Explore your past, piece together what was lost, and decide what you’re ready to see.

Steam Page
Developer
TheLight Interactive
Publisher
TheLight Interactive
Release
Coming Soon
Steam Reviews
No reviews yet

Does this feel indie?

Vote based on whether this game feels indie to you. You can change your vote at any time. Results earn an IGF score after 10 accepted votes.
No votes yet
Vote on More Games
Game contextLatest: IGF Team
ContextThe evidence factors used to assess whether this game belongs on IndieGame.Fan.Status
Notes
Latest Contributor: IGF TeamEdit notes
Search Google: Who developed Read Only?Developer scaleThe operating scale of the game's developer.
Search Google: Who published Read Only?Publisher scaleThe operating scale of the game's publisher.
Search Google: Is Read Only self-published or published by TheLight Interactive?Publisher statusHow the game's publishing relationship is classified.
Search Google: How is Read Only and TheLight Interactive funded?FundingThe known source of funding behind the game.
Search Google: Who controls the creative direction and IP for Read Only and TheLight Interactive?Creative controlWho appears to retain creative control of the game.
Search Google: What is the release status of Read Only?Release statusWhether and how the game has been released.

Media

6 items

About the Game

ABOUT READ ONLY

Read Only is a psychological point-and-click narrative game about memory, identity, grief, and the things people tried to “fix.”

You play as Mark, a tired office worker who receives an urgent call about his mother’s death. After returning home to pack his things, he finds a cassette on his desk — one he does not remember owning. The cassette leads him back to his childhood apartment, where familiar rooms begin to uncover a past that was never fully explained.

GAMEPLAY

  • Explore detailed 3D environments through point-and-click interaction.

  • Inspect objects and uncover hidden details tied to memory and story.

  • Solve environmental puzzles to unlock rooms and access new areas.

  • Search through an old computer system with files, messages, logs, and passwords.

  • Read notes, letters, and documents that reveal fragments of the past.

  • Make subtle narrative choices through interaction and observation.

EXPERIENCE

The story unfolds through exploration, interaction, and attention to detail. The way you engage with objects, spaces, and memories shapes how the past is revealed and how the story resolves.

Read Only explores themes of grief, personal identity, and the impact of coercive attempts to change who someone is.

YOU FELL ASLEEP AT YOUR DESK.

YOU DON'T REMEMBER WHEN.

SOMETHING WOKE YOU UP.

YOU GO BACK HOME TO PACK.

SOMETHING FEELS OFF.

A CASSETTE.

"FOR YOU."

YOU DON'T REMEMBER OWNING IT.

BUT SOMEONE WANTED YOU TO.

SOME MEMORIES COME BACK.

SOME WERE TAKEN AWAY.

THEY SAID IT WOULD HELP.

WHAT YOU FIND

DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU’RE READY TO SEE.

Indie Game Fan