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Clare’s Escape

Help poet John Clare on an adventure escaping from mental asylum and walking home. The world’s only* video game about John Clare.

“A must play for anyone interested in interactive storytelling, education and video games”

GameMaker

In the visual style of classic RPGs with simple controls designed to be accessible for players of all skills and ages, you explore the landscape between London and Northborough in 1841. Encounter local people, engage them in dialogue, hear their stories and bump into figments of Clare’s imagination.

Throughout the journey you’ll discover ‘lost papers’ – torn pages from Clare’s notebooks – featuring fragments of his poetry and writings. Collect them all to unlock hidden secrets.

John Clare may be broken and an unreliable narrator, but you can help him hold the pieces of his mind together and get him safely home.

More about John Clare’s own account of his walk from Epping to Northborough in 1841

  • Exploring John Clare through videogames
    Exploring John Clare Through Video Games
  • John Clare's Escape - in his own words
    John Clare’s escape in his own words – Pt 1
  • John Clare's escape - in his own words
    John Clare’s Escape in his own words – pt.2

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