You are overseeing an apartment complex that sits on an isolated island in the middle of the ocean. The island is under the effects of six Influences, yet the residents treat it as incredibly mundane.
You were hired to oversee the residents. You can chat with them, solve their problems, and customize their rooms.
Your long-term goal is to earn the building's trust by acknowledging all six Influences. Only then will the building accept you as its steward—and only then can rent be paid.
Each Influence requires three steps before you can earn its decal:
Once all six Influences are acknowledged, you may complete the Rent Ritual—the building's final acceptance of you as steward.
Time in Red Springs moves continuously, whether you're paying attention or not. Resident moods, problems, and activities progress quietly in the background. Apartment badges will alert you when your attention is needed.
The island follows a 12-month calendar (Ember through Turn). Click the date display to see upcoming holidays and birthdays. The building's mood (Bright, Heavy, Silent, etc.) subtly influences what happens—pay attention to the weather icon for hints.
You may add new residents, edit their details, or remove them entirely. You can edit the default residents, but be warned—this will lock you out of their unique events!
A resident's personality traits shape their behavior—who they befriend, what problems they encounter, and when they ask to talk. Traits stack, so experimenting with combinations is encouraged. You can also set birthdays (they'll get a mood boost) and toggle romance/polyamory options.
Residents will autonomously chat (💬), begin dreaming (🌀), come to you with problems (!), and form friendships, rivalries, and romances over time. Close pairs may even marry.
The Interact menu lets you check in, encourage, talk about topics, introduce residents to each other, set up hangouts between friends, or mediate rivalries. Building relationships isn't just social—it keeps people safe.
Trust reflects how much a resident relies on you. Higher trust means they'll come to you sooner when something's wrong—including when a friend is in danger. Conversations, encouragement, and solving problems build trust. Dismissing concerns lowers it.
Visibility measures how much the Influences are paying attention to a resident. It rises through dream affinity and Influence traits. High visibility makes a resident vulnerable to becoming a vessel.
You'll see the glow on resident cards shift as visibility climbs—warm amber at first, then pink, then a deep violet pulse when someone is enmeshed. Close friendships passively reduce visibility—companionship grounds people. Rivalries do the opposite.
You can lower visibility by pulling away from dreams, setting up hangouts, grounding residents, or simply fostering strong friendships. Trusted residents will warn you when their friends are at risk.
Six Influences permeate the building. Each responds to different patterns:
Residents who linger too close may begin to dream of these Influences. Sometimes they dream together.
Some residents go further than others. If a resident's visibility and Influence affinity both climb too high, the Influences may try to claim them. You'll see the warnings—in the glow on their card, in the dreams they can't shake, and in the words of friends who notice something wrong.
They can come back. It takes work, and it takes people who care about them. Sometimes they reach out. Listen, if you can bear it. If all else fails, you can always call for help.
Problem badges (!) indicate issues that require your oversight. Be careful—your choices matter and may escalate small issues! Filing incident reports (the mad libs) is one way to get The Landlord's attention.
Residents in distress may require Quarantine. To release them, you'll need to calibrate the purification machine. Disappearances happen at random—use Search & Rescue to seek them out.
The Echo Inbox picks up signals from the building—mirror traces that echo resident behavior, fixations from someone watching too closely, and occasionally the building itself noticing what you do.
Respond to acknowledge messages, trace to follow a signal deeper (though you may be followed in return), mute to reduce noise, or use a Static Sweep to clear the line. Pay attention to what accumulates—Goodwill, Resonance, and Clues each attract different kinds of attention.
Projects require time and staff. You can unlock projects by having residents with different traits! The residents in charge will contact you for advice, and your choices are often the line between success and failure. Rewards include decals and themes.
Decorations are nonconsumable and can be reused freely. Reset Grid clears a room for easy rearranging. Decor size and color are randomly selected.
Decals mark milestones—time survived, anomalies encountered, and Influence favor. The six Influence decals require completing their full Recognition Path. Other decals arise from exploration. For example, have you tried poking a resident a lot?
Rent is not about money—it's about recognition. Before the building accepts your payment, you must prove you understand what lives here.
Once all six Influences are acknowledged and every resident holds their token, you may complete the Rent Ritual through the Office. This is the building's final acceptance of you.
There is no rush. The building is patient. Take your time learning what calls this place home.
Remember that you are always welcome here. I love you.