The Drowning Machine

About

The Drowning Machine is a first-person adventure that feels less like a game and more like a private journal. You wander through sparse, surreal environments filled with handwritten notes, audio clips, and fragmented memories tied to the developer’s real-life loss. There’s no traditional goal, just the quiet act of piecing together a friendship cut short and a creative project left unfinished. The pace is slow, the tone meditative, and the mechanics minimal: you walk, you listen, you read. What lingers is the raw, unfiltered emotion woven into every detail. Players describe it as a haunting yet tender experience that blurs the line between interactive art and personal elegy. Developed by Rabbit Run Games and published by The Haunted PS1, it released in late 2020 for PC. All proceeds support Trans Lifeline, a cause tied to the developer’s late friend. Short, impactful, and deliberately imperfect, it’s a tribute that feels honestly human.

Storyline

In February of 2019, my best friend Charlie took his own life. In the months preceeding his death, the two of us had begun working on a game together, but due to unforseen circumstances the game had to be shelved. Through all of this, Charlie was insistent that "if anything bad ever happens to one of us, the other has to finish it." In his memory, I think it's time to finish that game. Profits from The Drowning Machine will be donated to a Trans Lifeline in Charlie's honor