{"rewrite":{"id":"r_53551528bc26b2f16082f6df","clusterId":"c_89001e0e4a0446fcb5b94aa1","slug":"locator-the-search-for-abigail-lidari-gets-first-demo-at-gamescom","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Locator: The Search for Abigail Lidari Gets First Demo at gamescom","summary":"Empty Exhibit's sci-fi detective puzzle game Locator: The Search for Abigail Lidari was playable at gamescom 2026. Players act as a cartographer, matching photos left by a missing archaeologist to locations on a map, using terrain and journal clues. The Steam wishlist count exceeds 41,000, and release is planned around 2027.","whyItMatters":"The demo reveals a GeoGuessr-style core that layers logical deduction from journals onto visual map-reading, with six or more themed areas and roughly 20 puzzles each, positioning it as a full-length mystery adventure.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe demo at gamescom 2026 showed a game that starts with simple photo-to-map matching and then complicates it. Photo directions can be reversed against the bird\u0026#39;s-eye view, and later areas resist visual identification alone. Abigail\u0026#39;s journals fill the gap, recording ship routes, navigation logs, and ruin legends, with hints like wind direction that must be cross-checked against terrain.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEmpty Exhibit said each of the six or more areas has its own theme and environment, with around 20 photos and puzzles per area. A single area takes one to two hours, making the whole game a substantial effort. The Steam page lists a release around 2027, with no Japanese localization currently planned.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Locator: The Search for Abigail Lidari turns photo matching into detective work, which puts its 41,000 Steam wishlists on Empty Exhibit. The puzzle is the pitch, not the story.","twitterPost":"Locator: The Search for Abigail Lidari's demo turns photo matching into detective work, and its 41,000 wishlists show the pitch is the puzzle.","threadsPost":"Locator: The Search for Abigail Lidari is a cartographer's detective game, matching photos to map locations. Empty Exhibit's demo at gamescom 2026 leaned on that mechanic, and the 41,000 Steam wishlists suggest the puzzle is the hook, not the narrative.","newsletterBlurb":"Empty Exhibit's Locator: The Search for Abigail Lidari was playable at gamescom, revealing a GeoGuessr-style core where players match a missing archaeologist's photos to a map. Journal clues add logical deduction, and the game spans six or more areas with about 20 puzzles each. Release is planned around 2027.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"4Gamer.net\",\"url\":\"https://www.4gamer.net/games/038/G103889/20260903019/\",\"title\":\"Locator: The Search for Abigail Lidari, a puzzle game anyone can play like GeoGuessr, gets first reveal [gamescom]\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4514,"outputTokens":597,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":null,"createdAt":"2026-09-03T06:25:44.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-09-03T06:30:04.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-03T06:30:04.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_89001e0e4a0446fcb5b94aa1","canonicalTitle":"“ジオゲッサー”同様，誰でも熱中してプレイできるパズルゲーム「Locator: The Search for Abigail Lidari」が初公開［gamescom］","representativeArticleId":"a_c04a75ea8917a0f7ba7f47a0","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Locator: The Search for Abigail Lidari\"],\"studios\":[\"Empty Exhibit\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"announcement\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-03T04:39:08.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-03T04:39:08.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-03T06:30:03.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"4Gamer.net","url":"https://www.4gamer.net/games/038/G103889/20260903019/","title":"“ジオゲッサー”同様，誰でも熱中してプレイできるパズルゲーム「Locator: The Search for Abigail Lidari」が初公開［gamescom］"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Locator: The Search for Abigail Lidari"],"studios":["Empty Exhibit"],"people":[],"type":"announcement","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}