The climb

From the water to the weather

Every crew starts under the viaduct with nothing. Power moves you up the hill, district by district, and every district has its own people, its own prices and its own way of remembering you. Above the last one there is only the machine.

Under the viaduct at night, concrete piers standing in flood water, crates on the dry shelf, one cyan lamp on a pipe and a magenta glow deep in the arches — 01 *Drainside***Under the viaduct**Still wet behind the ears.

A single track on a railed bridge over the yards in blue rain, small amber lamps along the rails, a lit train crossing in the distance under a wooded hill — 02 *Rail District***The footbridge**You have a corner.

A concrete stairwell in the Stacks at night, flights of stairs crossing behind bent railings, one cyan lamp on the landing and a warm glow from the floor above, nobody in frame — 03 *The Stacks***Lantern Row**Everyone here owes someone.

The glass doors of a lift in a blue concrete shaft, the towers and red lights of Meridian Mid far below, one cyan strip on the floor — 04 *Meridian Mid***The glass lift**Fixers call you first.

A roofed stone terrace high over the city at night, glass rails lit along their top edge, one stone bench in the middle, the lights of Meridian below — 05 *The Terraces***The glass terrace**The towers have a file on you.

A bare white room high in the Skyline, a deep doorway in the far wall and one plain door with a steel handle standing open inside it, white light beyond — 06 *Skyline***The door with the lock**You are the weather now.

Drainside0 to 499
Rail District500 to 1,499
The Stacks1,500 to 3,999
Meridian Mid4,000 to 9,999
The Terraces10,000 to 24,999
Skyline25,000 and up

The people

They will remember what you did

Nobody in Meridian is a shopkeeper with a menu. Every recurring face wants something, is wrong about something and turns at some point. Your choices stay on your record, and they read it.

JuliaThe fixer. She finds you first, and she has no file at Parity, which is either impossible or expensive.
Sefika DemirSef. The oldest runner in the den and the one the others watch before they answer you.
Ines MarrowEx-Ledger sergeant. Knows what the custodians count, and what they never wrote down.
Alden DorseyThe Ledger's collector. Arrives in a long black car and has never once been in a hurry.
Teodor VassThe man who buys soup. Half of Drainside owes him a small kindness, which is the point.
Celestino AmaralThe fixer of Mid. Never raises his voice, never forgets a price, and your name is already on his list.

How it plays

A novel on top, a numbers game underneath

One picture, one question

Every scene puts a full-screen plate in front of you, asks one thing and gives you two to four ways to answer. Each answer has a different outcome, and the story keeps the one you chose.

Turns, credits, the vault

Underneath the prose the city keeps score. Train crews, run the street, hack and raid, and bank what you make before another syndicate notices you have it. Bots keep Meridian moving while you sleep.

Other players in the same rain

Raids, contracts, pacts and wars open once the prologue has earned you a place. What one crew does above the weather can change the Tally for everyone, for one night.

Turn: every 10 min
Start: 60 turns
Bank: 200 turns max
Vault: 3 deposits a day
Upgrades: 25 levels each
Story: 8 chapters

Launch

Be there when the doors open

Leave an address and we send one mail on launch day. Nothing else, no list to be sold, and it goes the moment the game is live.

We keep the address for the launch mail only. Reply to that mail and it is deleted.