Play Candide — an interactive story where YOU are the hero

after the classic by Voltaire, 1759

Booted out of the castle for a stolen kiss, you're told this is the best of all possible worlds — then the world sets out to prove otherwise, hilariously and horribly. Play Candide across earthquakes, war and El Dorado, and decide what 'best' even means.

A moment from one playthrough

El Dorado's king offers you the impossible: stay in the one perfect country, where the streets are jeweled and no one suffers — or take a hundred golden sheep and go find your lost Cunégonde in the cruel wide world. The gate is closing. Stay in paradise, or load the gold sheep and leave it for love?

Play Candide now →

Start free — 10 diamonds when you confirm your email. No subscription; narrated aloud; plays in 26 languages.

The Somni Tales reader: an open book with two pages of a story, an ink illustration, and a “write what you do” bar below.

Live Candide, don't just read it

In this interactive telling of Candide, you don't read about the hero — you are the hero. The Storyteller keeps Voltaire's world true to the original — its characters, its places, its mood, all held as canon — then narrates every scene aloud and draws the moment you're in as an ink illustration. You type or speak what you do next, and the world answers: it remembers the promises you made, the things you took, and the people you crossed. Follow Voltaire's plot faithfully, or step off it and watch a brand-new version of Candide unfold — one that still reaches a real ending.

How it works

The Storyteller holds the world of the book as canon — its characters, places and mood — and opens with you as the hero.
Type or speak anything: the world reacts, remembers, and stays true to the original's spirit.
Every playthrough is a brand-new story. Follow the plot — or break it and see what happens.

Common questions about playing Candide

Is Candide free to play on Somni Tales?

You get 10 diamonds free when you confirm your email — enough to open Candide and step into the first scenes. After that, diamonds cost from $5 with no subscription, and unused diamonds are refundable within 14 days.

Do I have to follow Voltaire's original plot?

No. The Storyteller holds Candide as canon so its world, characters and mood stay true — but your choices write a brand-new telling. Follow the classic beats, or break from them and see where the story goes.

Can I play Candide aloud and in my own language?

Yes — every scene is narrated aloud word by word, and Candide plays in 26 languages. Change the language, voice and reading speed any time from the reader's Settings.