Visual Twine alternative: THINGY

RPG in a Box is showing off a new visual story tool called THINGY, pitched as a no-code way to build branching narratives. (store.steampowered.com) RPG in a Box already sells itself as a beginner-friendly creation tool that does not require programming knowledge, and its Steam page lists a $49.99 price for the software. The official social post framed THINGY as an alternative to text-first narrative tools such as Ink and Twine. (store.steampowered.com, x.com) Branching narrative means a story that splits when a player makes a choice, then reconnects or keeps diverging based on later decisions. RPG in a Box already handles that in two ways: a node-based Dialogue Editor for conversations and a separate choice function that stores the player’s selection as a numbered result. (rpginabox.com, rpginabox.com) The existing Dialogue Editor uses draggable nodes for speech, conditions, and scripted events, and the documentation says those dialogue files can be attached to non-player characters or triggered from scripts. That setup works, but it still mixes story flow with the engine’s broader dialogue and scripting systems. (rpginabox.com, rpginabox.com) THINGY appears to push that workflow toward a more compact visual map, based on the demo image shared in the post. RPG in a Box has not published public documentation for THINGY yet, so the clearest confirmed details are the no-code pitch and the comparison to Ink and Twine in the showcase itself. (x.com) That fits the direction of the broader toolset. In a January 2026 roadmap post, Quercus Quag Software said version 1.4 would add new “Thingy” system features, including Harvestables for farming and mining mechanics. (rpginabox.com) RPG in a Box has used “Thingy” as a label for modular game behaviors before, including built-in components such as signs, item containers, and doors. The THINGY story tool suggests the same drag-and-configure approach is now being applied to narrative structure as well as world interaction. (rpginabox.com) For creators who know Twine and Ink, the contrast is straightforward: those tools are built around writing passages or script-like text, while RPG in a Box is trying to keep more of the process inside a visual editor. The company has not announced a release date or feature list for THINGY beyond the showcase. (x.com, rpginabox.com) The immediate takeaway is narrow but clear: RPG in a Box is extending its “build without code” pitch from maps and mechanics into branching story design. The next useful proof point will be public documentation or a hands-on demo that shows how THINGY handles large story trees in practice. (store.steampowered.com, x.com)