A Storied Life: Tabitha has arrived on Nintendo Switch this week, accompanied by a launch trailer released by publisher Secret Mode and developer Lab42 Games.
The wholesome narrative puzzle title was created from an idea by writer Cherish Goldstraw and developed under the direction of Terry Goodwin at Lab42.
Secret Mode, which has previously worked with Lab42 on ports such as A Little to the Left and Wobbledogs, handled publication for the Switch release and distributed the game digitally via the Nintendo eShop.
Premise and development
A Storied Life: Tabitha places players in Lavender Laithe, the home of a recently deceased character named Tabitha.
From the outset, the player learns Tabitha had an agreement with a publisher to print her memoirs, but the manuscript has been damaged.
Players must search the house room by room, collect items, and reconstruct the gaps in Tabitha’s life to create a coherent memoir for the publisher.
Lab42 conceived the project from writer Cherish Goldstraw’s original idea, and studio director Terry Goodwin led the team through development.
Secret Mode picked up the project for publication after responding positively to the game’s watercolor art direction and narrative approach.
Gameplay and mechanics
Gameplay centers on careful inventory decisions.
In each room you are given a single cardboard box for keepsakes; you must decide what to keep, sell, or recycle.
Objects must be rotated and arranged to fit the box, flexible items can be folded into envelopes to save space, and fragile pieces require cushioning or wrapping.
The game also designs moments around broken objects, which can reveal additional story elements rather than merely representing loss.
Players use the items they save to fill missing lines in Tabitha’s memoir pages.
The choices you make shape the memoir’s tone—whether it reads as a conventional biography, a portrait highlighting specific traits such as motherhood or botany, or an experimental, avant-garde assemblage.
There are no prescribed right or wrong decisions; the experience is driven by player choice and replayability as you return to the house to discover new keepsakes and narrative threads.
Availability and trailer
Secret Mode and Lab42 released an official launch trailer alongside the Switch release.
A Storied Life: Tabitha is available now as a digital download on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch.
For readers looking for visuals or a closer look at the mechanics, the launch trailer provides a concise overview of the game’s art style and systems.
The wholesome narrative puzzle title was created from an idea by writer Cherish Goldstraw and developed under the direction of Terry Goodwin at Lab42.
Secret Mode, which has previously worked with Lab42 on ports such as A Little to the Left and Wobbledogs, handled publication for the Switch release and distributed the game digitally via the Nintendo eShop.
Premise and development
A Storied Life: Tabitha places players in Lavender Laithe, the home of a recently deceased character named Tabitha.
From the outset, the player learns Tabitha had an agreement with a publisher to print her memoirs, but the manuscript has been damaged.
Players must search the house room by room, collect items, and reconstruct the gaps in Tabitha’s life to create a coherent memoir for the publisher.
Lab42 conceived the project from writer Cherish Goldstraw’s original idea, and studio director Terry Goodwin led the team through development.
Secret Mode picked up the project for publication after responding positively to the game’s watercolor art direction and narrative approach.
Gameplay and mechanics
Gameplay centers on careful inventory decisions.
In each room you are given a single cardboard box for keepsakes; you must decide what to keep, sell, or recycle.
Objects must be rotated and arranged to fit the box, flexible items can be folded into envelopes to save space, and fragile pieces require cushioning or wrapping.
The game also designs moments around broken objects, which can reveal additional story elements rather than merely representing loss.
Players use the items they save to fill missing lines in Tabitha’s memoir pages.
The choices you make shape the memoir’s tone—whether it reads as a conventional biography, a portrait highlighting specific traits such as motherhood or botany, or an experimental, avant-garde assemblage.
There are no prescribed right or wrong decisions; the experience is driven by player choice and replayability as you return to the house to discover new keepsakes and narrative threads.
Availability and trailer
Secret Mode and Lab42 released an official launch trailer alongside the Switch release.
A Storied Life: Tabitha is available now as a digital download on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch.
For readers looking for visuals or a closer look at the mechanics, the launch trailer provides a concise overview of the game’s art style and systems.
