Core Game Lore

Mysterious events at Mr. Ashfish’s Distant Rehab unfold during a dim, reluctant spring of 1988. It’s a time when winter still refuses to surrender, and the frozen ground, covered in dirty snow, offers an unwelcome reminder of that. Yet spring does begin—hesitantly, subtly. Its arrival already lingers in the air, because spring is inevitable, even if, at times, detective Dog feels otherwise.

Meanwhile, the golden age of disco has passed, and car stereos now boldly blast Van Halen, Whitney Houston, and Michael Jackson. Personal computers are getting ready to take over the world, movie theaters are rolling out red carpets for blockbusters that are about to change cinema forever: audiences are about to discover how machines will rise from the ashes of nuclear fire—and that where we’re going, we don’t need roads. The ’80s are in full swing.

The storytelling and narrative of Mr. Ashfish’s Distant Rehab are shaped in the glow of the “neon era”—which, much like the spirit of Twin Peaks, leaves the everyday routines of the game’s characters oddly untouched. Familiar motifs and references in the game are inspired by cult movies, books, and video games from the final decades of the 20th century.