A Postcard from Afthonia

About the Game

A Postcard from Afthonia is a short, free point-and-click adventure created by Jonas Kyratzes and released in 2014. It belongs to the Lands of Dream series, a collection of surreal narrative games built around an imaginative world that combines fantasy, political themes, humor and philosophical ideas.

The story follows Kyon and Katerina, two seemingly very different creatures—a cat and a dog—who have fallen in love and are expecting a child. Their relationship exists in a world affected by revolution and war, and they become concerned about what the future will hold for their child. They therefore ask the player to travel through a magical portal and seek the wisdom of the Oracle.

The journey takes place primarily on the Isle of the Sun, part of the Fortunate Isles in the Lands of Dream. The islands are under attack by the forces of Lord Urizen, whose campaign of war threatens the inhabitants and the wider dream world. The player's search for the Oracle consequently becomes part of a larger narrative about conflict, hope, love and resistance.

Gameplay follows the traditional point-and-click adventure format. Players explore hand-drawn environments, speak with unusual inhabitants, discover new locations and interact with objects and environmental details. A distinctive feature of the game is the enormous amount of optional descriptive text attached to seemingly insignificant elements of the scenery, encouraging players to examine the world rather than simply rush through its objectives.

The adventure is deliberately short, with an average play session of roughly an hour. Its emphasis is therefore on atmosphere, writing, exploration and world-building rather than complex mechanics or lengthy puzzles. It also connects to the events of The Sea Will Claim Everything, while remaining accessible to players who have not previously experienced the Lands of Dream universe.