The Novelist is a game with some serious pedigree to live up to as it comes from Deus Ex: Invisible War, Bioshock 2 and Thief: Deadly Shadows veteran Kent Hudson. A game that sees players as a poltergeist watching a family that ends up on your door step for the summer. Rather than making daddy dearest Dan, the titular novelist, lose his marbles a la The Shining, your goal is to reunite this somewhat dysfunctional family unit. Players do this through reading the thoughts of each family member, watching their memories, reading messages left around the house. Whilst making sure that you don't alert the family to your presence, players must stealthily reshape the eponymous novelist's career and family life. Check out the trailer. Kent Hudson says of the game:

"The Novelist asks one central question: can you achieve your dreams without pushing away the people you love? The game focuses on Dan Kaplan, a novelist struggling to write the most important book of his career while trying to be the best husband and father he can be. The Kaplans have come to a remote coastal home for the summer, unaware that they're sharing the house with a mysterious ghostly presence: you."

He expands on the game's core theme of relationships and the player's involvement, saying, "Dan's relationships – to his work, his wife, and his son – react and shift in response to your choices. With a different sequence of events in every play through, The Novelist gives life to a unique experience each time you play."
Be sure to check out the official website here and to vote 'yes' for the game on Steam Greenlight here.

It'll be interesting to see if the two man team of Hudson and 'an artist friend' can pull off such a promising looking project. The game looks like it has the potential to be an emotional, affecting experience and I can't wait to get my grubby little mitts on a copy. What do you make of the trailer? Do you like what you see so far? Let us know in the comments.