Simogo releases free interactive short story The Sensational December Machine

Year Walk, Device 6 and The Sailor's Dream developer Simogo has released a free interactive short story entitled The Sensational December Machine.

Described as "a wintry tale about an inventor and her unusual new creation," the whimsical, yet wistful side project was created over the course of three weeks as a "Christmas present" to fans.

"The year is almost over, and it's that time of the year when you look back, get a bit contemplative and perhaps even a little misty eyed," wrote the "Sim" half of Simogo, Simon Flesser, in a blog entry. "What we found looking back, is that we always get so much support and kindness from our fans, and we wanted to find a way to express our gratitude. So, we've spent the last three weeks creating this thing as a Christmas present for you, our dear fans."

The Sensational December Machine definitely has a lot in common with Simogo's latest efforts in that it's a story told through scrolling text where the hand-drawn images, music (by Year Walk and Device 6 composer Daniel Olsén) and text layouts are dynamically attuned to the piece of the prose you're currently chewing on.

There aren't any puzzles or game mechanics to sort through, and the whole experience should only last about five minutes or so.

But what a five minutes! A parable about man's relationship to machines, fear of the unknown, and the inner turmoil that comes with pursuing creative endeavors that others might not understand, The Sensational December Machine may be the most melancholy Christmas tale since Edward Scissorhands (though the similarly sadly sweet Little Inferno would rank up there too).

You can unwrap The Sensational December Machine for PC and Mac on Simogo's official site.