Most games about war tend to involve being a soldier and shooting the enemy. The other option is usually being a general and commanding troops from afar. But Sunset, the latest game from indie studio Tale of Tales (who you may know for The Path, The Endless Forest, or Luxuria Superbia) is a war game in which you play as a maid. You can purchase it from its website and on Steam.
Sunset is a narrative-driven first-person exploration game set during 1972 in the fictional Latin American town of San Bavón, Anchuria. You play as Angela Burnes, a US immigrant to this country and housekeeper to a powerful revolutionary known as Gabriel Ortega.
As Angela, your role is to attend Ortega’s bachelor pad an hour before sunset and clean up. He’s always out when you arrive, giving you the chance to explore his apartment properly, finding political documents that tell the fate of San Bavón. As you visit, you’re also able to form a relationship with Ortega indirectly by the way you leave his possessions and respond to his notes.
Meanwhile, outside of the windows of the bachelor pad, you’re able to see what’s happening in the city as a rebellion rises up in the metropolis against its dictator. Fires are started, the military get involved, and people are injured as they rise up in arms.
While Angela may seem insignificant in her role as a housekeeper, she’s actually able to affect many of the events from her position. You can help her decide to inform the rebellions of what she learns at Ortega’s apartment and give them an advantage. Or you may want to encourage Ortega to not get involved in the rebellion at all. There are other options outside of these that you’ll have to find out for yourself.
