About Last Night...

What kind of story do you want to tell tonight? That question sits at the center of About Last Night...—part escape room, part immersive theater, part social strategy game. The two-hour production opens February 26 at Off the Couch Games in Fremont for a limited run through April 5. Tickets are $75; need-based discounts available at aboutlastnightgame.com. Created by Golden Lock and IMMY Award winner Shuai Chen (Patchwork Adventures), CALI Catalyst Award recipient Bora "Max" Koknar (StoryPunk), and experience designer Casey Selden (Palace Games, Odd Salon, We Players), the production asks 5-20 participants to piece together what happened at a tech CEO's underground party, and decide which truths, if any, to make public. The Setup Marcus Blackwood, Silicon Valley VC darling CEO of NeurAI and host of last night’s illegal underground rave, is dead. You, as a participant, wake up the next morning, heads pounding and missing a significant chunk of your memories. That's because minutes before his death, Marcus used NeurAI’s proprietary technology to steal your memories and store them into tokens (which are locked away behind puzzles). These stolen memories could contain a participant's alibi for Marcus' death, evidence of another participant's wrongdoing, or trade secrets that can be sold for profit, and perhaps all three. Participants must decide, as individuals or small teams, which Non-Player Character to align with: a true crime reporter who wants to expose the truth, or a corporate toady offering cash for Marcus' dirt (both personal and professional). Participants must also decide, collectively, which version of the story they will reveal to law enforcement when the police inevitably arrive. But, as they say, one person's alibi is another person's conviction... The Design Philosophy "We wanted to build something accessible" says Koknar, whose previous work includes The Super Secret Society: A Playable Play (2023), that explores complex and timely themes like generative AI, culture, and the dangers of implicitly trusting charismatic leaders during times of crisis. "You don't need to be an actor, a puzzle expert, or a social butterfly. Our goal for the game is to let you shine based on whatever strengths you bring." The production draws from escape room puzzle design, Chinese jubensha-inspired roleplay, and economic trading systems. Puzzles unlock narrative. Narrative drives the puzzling. Negotiation determines which version of events becomes "the truth." "We want both tracks — puzzle-solving and story — to have real payoffs, not just one supporting the other." notes Chen, whose company specializes in unique puzzle-based experiences. Casey Selden, who designs experiences that disrupt traditional narratives, joins the creative team for the February run, contributing as lead writer and environment designer. "My job is making strangers comfortable doing uncomfortable things together," she says. "This game lives in that space." The Themes Set in near-future Silicon Valley, the production explores data commodification through gameplay. Memories become currency. The truth becomes malleable. The value of personal information becomes dictated by ‘the market’. "In an age when our ability to connect is increasingly commoditized, we wanted to create a space to explore that through fiction," says Koknar, "and make the metaphor playable."