77 Oleander Avenue Ghost House Investigation by Runa Liore

77 Oleander Avenue Ghost House Investigation #

When you hear a ghost story, how much of it do you believe? Do you believe the ghost sightings and the paranormal encounters people have reported over the years? Do you believe all the strange coincidences recorded in their lives? How much do you doubt? How much is left behind when you doubt? What is left behind by your belief?
Waking up disoriented and weary, Tabby (Short for Tabitha, but she’s not gone by her full name since 3rd grade) wakes up in the parlor of an abandoned house. Her keys, wallet, and phone are missing and she can’t remember why she’s in such a place… not that it’s too far gone from some of the other places she’s woken up in over the years.
It doesn’t take long for her to meet Evie, a ghost, and this greatly irritates Tabby on account of she was hoping to just grab her things and leave quickly. The Larkspur house on 77 Oleander, however, is not Evie’s home. It is not the site of a bittersweet tragedy. It is not the skeleton left behind by a family’s unexpected death. Tabby will realize this too late, and then, when she’s finally ready to heed Evie’s warnings, she will forget.

Important note for those who have downloaded the demo version: #

If you go to launch the game from itch and you’ve previously downloaded/installed the old version, which is now the free demo, you’ll need to click the settings button (the gear wheel) and select the full version of the game (v 2.0) rather than the demo version you previously installed.

About #

77 Oleander Avenue Ghost House Investigation is a narrative driven Horror Mystery game that follows Tabby, a paranormal investigator who wakes up in an abandoned house with no memory of where she is or why she’s there. Through the course of the game you’ll learn more about the family that once occupied the home, the mysterious circumstances surrounding their deaths, and ultimately decide what you believe about the haunting of 77 Oleander. Set in a small coastal city in southeastern North Carolina, the game explores deep-seated religious trauma, the nature of ghosts and demons, the way we create narratives of a person’s Death, and contemplates the prospect of flirting with a supernatural orb.

The facts, insofar as they can be trusted, stand as follows: The Larkspur House, also known by its address of 77 Oleander Avenue, was built in the early 20th century and remained in the possession of the Larkspur family until every member died suddenly between 1990 and 1992. Since that time, it has stood abandoned with only tenuous plans for a historic site designation standing between the property and demolition (or worse, renovation into an anachronistic bed & breakfast). The last living patriarch of the family, Garrett Bertram Larkspur, died at the age of either 84 or 86 depending on which paper you read, with his official cause of death listed either as congestive heart failure or overwhelming grief and sadness. Two years prior to his death, his only child, Gloria Larkspur, died in a car accident alongside her husband, Thomas, while on business in Little Rock, AK. While merging onto a highway, they drove over a length of barbed wire left behind by construction workers – the ensuing crash killed them both instantly, as well as three others caught in the collision. Gloria and Thomas left behind their only child, Christian Larkspur, who continued living at the Larkspur home until his untimely death in 1992 at the age of 25.
Tabby knew all of this when she entered the Larkspur house at roughly 10pm on July 20th, 2022. She knew that the Larkspurs were a reclusive and private family, one with few connections outside of their immediate neighborhood and church, and that the four of them were the sole and final occupants of the home. When Tabby very quickly meets a ghost named Evie, then, she begins to wonder… if this isn’t Evie’s house, and if she isn’t part of this family, then why is she here?

Key Features #

The full game contains 9 endings, multiple routes for you to explore,
a complex and insidious mystery, something horrible that may be watching you at all times, dozens of opportunities to flirt with a ghost, and more!
Multiple routes, 9 endings, and dozens of very unsafe haunted rooms to explore
A unique system for selecting your final route: Your beliefs and theories about 77 Oleander will determine the ending you reach.
A Real Dog* that you can pet
A full soundtrack, available for free with each copy of the game
A Non-linear narrative that shifts based on your belief and conclusions
Orb Interaction
And More!
*Dog is real, dog is not composed of fur or flesh.

Demo and 1.0 version #

This game was originally created in short form for the 2021 Trans Game Dev discord server’s Birthday Game Jam and that version of the game is still available for free as the demo version of 77 Oleander.

Controls #

Left Click/Spacebar/Enter – Confirm/Advance Dialogue
Esc/Right Click – Open Menu
Mouse/Arrow Keys – Navigate dialogue choices & menu options
A – Enable Auto-mode
Page Up – Rolls back to previous dialogue/choices
Ctrl – Skips previously read dialogue/actions
Ctrl+A – Opens the Accessibility Menu
H – Hides User Interface
S – Screenshot

Known Issues – Version 2.01 #

• When skipping through already read text and dialogue during the DREAM ending, there is a chance that music from unrelated parts of the game will play.
• On rare occasions, unexpected screams may occur.