Walden, a game
A downloadable game for Windows and macOS
“Summed up in a single word, it would be ‘beautiful.’” — David Wolinsky, Common Sense Media
“An introspective ‘Oregon Trail’” — David G. Allan, CNN
“A remarkable experiment in translation. As contemplative as its source material, it forces an anti-reflexive pace and coddles at its center an appreciation of calm and quiet.” — Jason Sheehan, NPR Reading the Game
Play as philosopher and naturalist Henry David Thoreau in his experiment in self-reliant living at Walden Pond. Live off the land, seek out the small wonders and beauties of the woods, and find balance between your need to survive and your desire to find inspiration.
Walden, a game is a six hour, exploratory narrative that begins in the summer of 1845 when Thoreau moved to the Pond and built his cabin there. You follow in his footsteps, surviving in the woods by finding food and fuel and maintaining your shelter and clothing.
At the same time as you strive to survive off the land, you are encouraged to explore the beauty of the woods and the pond, which hold a promise of a sublime life beyond your basic needs. And, you can interact with characters from Thoreau's life including mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, sister Sophia Thoreau, editor Horace Greeley, activist A. Bronson Alcott, naturalist Louis Agassiz among others.
The game follows the loose narrative of Thoreau's first year in the woods, with each season holding its own challenges for survival and possibilities for inspiration. It features the voices of Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild, Milk) as Henry David Thoreau, Jim Cummings (Darkwing Duck, Sonic the Hedgehog) as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Misty Lee (The Last of Us, BioShock Infinite), and Tony Amendola (Stargate SG-1, Once Upon a Time) as Bronson Alcott.
Walden, a game has been a labor of love by a very small core team working over the past ten years. We sincerely hope you enjoy the experience and welcome your feedback! If you are an educator and would like to use Walden in your classroom, please contact us via our support form.
Original game soundtrack by Michael Sweet now available with game download! Check out this Behind the Sounds of Walden video.
System Recommendations:
PC
- Windows 7* / 8 / 10
- Processor: 2.4 GHz Dual Core or Equivalent
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: 1024 MB NVidia or ATI graphics card
- Storage: 2 GB available space
- Keyboard & mouse or game controller (See this list for supported controllers)
* Users running Windows 7 with Nvidia cards may need to run the game in Compatibility Mode and as Administrator. See our FAQ for more info.
Mac
- OS X 10.9+
- Processor: 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo or Equivalent
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: 1024 MB NVidia or ATI graphics card
- Storage: 2 GB available space
- Keyboard & mouse or game controller (See this list for supported controllers)
Developer: Game Innovation Lab
Copyright 2014-2017 Tracy Fullerton and the Walden Team. All rights reserved. Not authorized for posting on Steam or any other sites.
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $9.99 USD. Your purchase comes with a Steam key. You will get access to the following files:
