# NAWLZ: An Interactive Biopunk/Cyberpunk Experience



## Heliophobic (Mar 13, 2013)

(Please play this while reading. Why? Because I said so.)







*"What the fuck is Nawlz?"*

Nawlz is an interactive Australian webcomic created in 2008 by international award winning illustrator, writer, and interactive designer, Stuart Campbell (A.K.A. Sutu).

It's designed in a way that absolutely transcends the limits of a webcomic. Alongside animated illustrations and dialogue, it also encompasses the elements of sound and reader interactivity. All this is formatted into a panorama of intertwined panels.

*"Sounds like an eyesore."*

Haha, that's right!

Nawlz is drawn in a maximalistic graffiti style that amplifies the overwhelming experience *tenfold*. That's as many as *FIVE TWOS*, and that's *FUCKING BADASS*. It takes a few minutes to get used to the unique style, but it's so worth it.

*"You said it contains sound too?"*

In addition to it's kickass artstyle, it also has a kickass soundtrack, ranging from ambient to hip-hop to DNB to fucking breakcore. Listen closely and you will notice ambient sounds of the environment hiding behind the music as well, such as crowds of people walking and indistinctly chattering and police sirens blaring in the distance.

*"So, what's the comic about?"*

The comic takes place in a futuristic metropolis called Nawlz, an enormous city overstuffed with seemingly-endless towering buildings and suffocating advertisements every square inch. Tokyo on steroids.

The story revolves around a young man named Harley Chambers and his life in a world where technology has drastically changed society by allowing people to affect what they see via a neural chip that can alter how the visual cortex displays reality. People can now induce (cast) fully customizable, broadcasted hallucinations (reals) that other people can enter, given their consent.

That's as much as I can say without revealing too much.

Here's the trailer for season one. It doesn't contain any spoilers and should give you a general idea as to what it's like.

*"Where can I read it?"*

*http://www.nawlz.com/*
(NSFW; contains some nudity)

*Enjoy!*​


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## Sarcastic Coffeecup (Mar 13, 2013)

Ok I gotta admit, this looks very interesting. Will read more

E: Read the first chapter. My my, this looks absolutely amazing. The plot thickens!


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## Heliophobic (Apr 10, 2013)

Really? 146 views and only one reply? Is this just yet another webcomic doomed to sit in everyone's bookmark bars for eternity?

I must say, I'm rather disappointed.


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## Kitsune Cross (Nov 21, 2013)

Looks interesting, I may give it a try


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## Wrobel (Nov 22, 2013)

Okay so that... that was cool as hell.


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## Kitsune Cross (Nov 22, 2013)

It is really amazing, the sounds are excellent, it really gets you into it. And the art is super interesting, I really like how it is all displayed


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## Heliophobic (Nov 22, 2013)

Woah shit I didn't that link in the other thread was actually going to work. c:


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## Antronach (Nov 22, 2013)

This looks pretty neat, but this does seem like something you'll have to pour a lot of time into. Hope it's worth it.


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## Heliophobic (Nov 22, 2013)

Antronach said:


> This looks pretty neat, but this does seem like something you'll have to pour a lot of time into. Hope it's worth it.



Oh it most certainly is.

It's one of those things that require your full attention, though, otherwise the immersion is broken. Even the sounds are important in painting the ambiance in your head.


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## CaptainCool (Nov 22, 2013)

Ok, while the presentation really is impressive it just isn't my cup of tea. 
I am not a particular fan of the setting. I don't really like the whole cyberpunk thing that much.
Also, while it certainly looks cool and is well made the whole thing just strikes me as a little too busy. I prefer just having traditional pages. If I want to look at something that moves I'll watch a movie. And if I want something with more interaction I'll play a videogame. But interactive novels just aren't my thing at all.


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## Heliophobic (Nov 22, 2013)

CaptainCool said:


> Ok, while the presentation really is impressive it just isn't my cup of tea.
> I am not a particular fan of the setting. I don't really like the whole cyberpunk thing that much.
> Also, while it certainly looks cool and is well made *the whole thing just strikes me as a little too busy*. I prefer just having traditional pages. If I want to look at something that moves I'll watch a movie. And if I want something with more interaction I'll play a videogame. But interactive novels just aren't my thing at all.



I feel this is what the creator was going for. An atmosphere is being set in which technology and mindless consumerism is speeding up exponentially. Those that refuse to keep up are left behind by the world as it continues to grow more and more chaotic. Dystopian civilization ends up choking out the sky, engulfing humanity and enclosing it in its loud, garish belly; and it just won't shut the fuck up. And while this all seems ridiculous, it's really just an over-exaggeration of a road humanity may very well go down one day if we don't get our shit together. It's definitely not supposed to look pretty or comforting. If anything, I would assume it's actually _intended_ to make the reader feel overwhelmed and nauseous. As if it was some sort of legitimate warning.

But I certainly respect your opinion and completely understand why one wouldn't want to subject themselves to it for more than a few minutes. I just hope what I said clears it up a bit.

Or, rather, explains why absolutely none of it is clear at all.


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## CaptainCool (Nov 23, 2013)

Heliophobic said:


> I feel this is what the creator was going for. An atmosphere is being set in which technology and mindless consumerism is speeding up exponentially. Those that refuse to keep up are left behind by the world as it continues to grow more and more chaotic. Dystopian civilization ends up choking out the sky, engulfing humanity and enclosing it in its loud, garish belly; and it just won't shut the fuck up. And while this all seems ridiculous, it's really just an over-exaggeration of a road humanity may very well go down one day if we don't get our shit together. It's definitely not supposed to look pretty or comforting. If anything, I would assume it's actually _intended_ to make the reader feel overwhelmed and nauseous. As if it was some sort of legitimate warning.
> 
> But I certainly respect your opinion and completely understand why one wouldn't want to subject themselves to it for more than a few minutes. I just hope what I said clears it up a bit.
> 
> Or, rather, explains why absolutely none of it is clear at all.



That is what I thought the author is going for as well. And while that is definitely an awesome concept it just doesn't work with the way how I like to read :3
I don't want reading to be an audio visual experience... I am boring like that I guess


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## Rhee (Nov 25, 2013)

I read it but I still have no idea what the main charrie is doing with the whole brain thing. I did enjoy the art though


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## Corperk (Dec 1, 2013)

This looks pretty awesome.


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## Heliophobic (Dec 2, 2013)

Rhee said:


> I read it but I still have no idea what the main charrie is doing with the whole brain thing. I did enjoy the art though



Shit, sorry for the late response!

There is a device in the Nawlz universe called a deadlight (that small gun in his hand). The device is used to calibrate one's brainwaves to an optimal pattern. Though, because there are so many variables in the human brain's mechanics, it takes a lot of trial and error to find the best results. Think of it as a sort of "custom medication designer".

What Harley has been trying to do over the past year is design a custom deadlight setting for his brain which allows him to concentrate, think creatively, and recall his "sleeper dream" more clearly. Though, Harley in particular has a problem in which he abuses the device beyond the legal amount of times a person is allowed to use it, which leads to some negative consequences for his brain that you see later on.


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## Sarcastic Coffeecup (Dec 2, 2013)

Whenever I hear NAWLZ mentioned, season 2, chapter 7 Grey matter page 2 song comes to my mind. Looping it now.


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## Heliophobic (Dec 2, 2013)

Sarcastic Coffeecup said:


> Whenever I hear NAWLZ mentioned, season 2, chapter 7 Grey matter page 2 song comes to my mind. Looping it now.



Oh lord... I forgot how awesome some of the music in Nawlz was.


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## Hooky (Jan 5, 2014)

Thanks for sharing this, i'll be sure to check it out.


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