Strange Scaffold announces haunted library sorting game Something is Wrong with the Library

Developer Strange Scaffold has announced Something is Wrong with the Library, a haunted book sorting simulator launching on PC via Steam this fall.

The game takes place in the Alex Dieter Public Library and Center for Reflection in the small mountain town of Sweet Elm. The library was funded by billionaire Alex Dieter, who has transformed the town into a hub of technological innovation. Behind the scenes, Dieter has been killing unhoused people and hiding their bodies in the library walls, leaving the building intensely haunted.

Players work with Phillip Shed, the library's former administrator, to clean and organize the library over one tense night. The core gameplay involves shelving hundreds of real books while uncovering a story about supernatural violence and bringing peace to the haunted space.

Xalavier Nelson Jr., studio head at Strange Scaffold, said in a press release: "If you've ever been in a library at night, you'll know that it feels unexpectedly warm and full of possibility–until you hear a single sound you don't recognize, and realize you're surrounded by towering shadows. As a former librarian, I truly hope that, despite the objectively messed up things they're going to witness, everyone who plays the game falls in love with their local library a little more."

The game features a fully-voiced story with eerie manifestations to unlock, an authentic modern library with thousands of real book titles, and a Modular Chaos System that generates different book collections for each playthrough. Players organize books using the Dewey Decimal System classification, author name, and title. The game includes an area called the Drowning Room.

Strange Scaffold is Xalavier Nelson Jr.'s development label. Nelson has previously worked as a leading developer on titles including El Paso, Elsewhere, I Am Your Beast, and Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator.