Epistory, an atmospheric adventure with a distinct origami aesthetic, is now available through Steam for Windows, Mac and Linux. The first half of the beautiful game which received an IGF honorable mention for Excellence in Visual Arts was previously available via Early Access, while today marks the debut of the final two chapters.
Players guide a girl riding atop a three-tailed red fox on an epic journey to discover the source of an invasive darkness taking hold in a once pristine land. As Epistory’s narrative progresses, its papercraft world literally unfolds before the player, revealing lush forests, ominous dungeons, scorched plains, frozen temples and lost cities.
Magical abilities derived from four elemental types are discovered during the adventure, and they enable the heroine and her companion to navigate these treacherous landscapes. Freezing an enemy with ice magic will lock them in place and allow players to deal with other threats, while fire magic will burn through enemies and obstacles.
Epistory’s tale is advanced entirely through an intuitive keyboard-only control scheme. Players unleash powerful magic, solve brain-teasing puzzles, attack menacing foes, explore dangerous environments and even navigate menus solely via typing.
Dynamic difficulty scaling allows everyone to enjoy the experience. Younger players will rarely encounter challenges they can’t overcome while adults who use a keyboard all day will notice phrases will stack and grow in complexity as they prove their proficiency.
Experience earned by toppling obstacles and foes can be used to upgrade character and magic-specific abilities. For example, players can improve the protagonist’s agility, or make the fire magic quickly burn through the next term in an enemy’s chain of words.
Epistory has two game modes. The core of the game, Story Mode, allows players to piece together the narrative shared by the heroine and her companion in the mysterious world. Those searching for a competitive challenge can battle for the top spot on the leaderboards in Arena Mode, an endless fight against an onslaught of enemies.
“Our synergistic approach to storytelling and the visually stunning land in which Epistory takes place is unlike anything gamers have ever seen,” says Bruno Urbain, CEO, Fishing Cactus. “Our origami world literally unfolds in unison with the plot, creating a truly one of a kind experience.”
Epistory is available in English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Polish and Portuguese Brazil via Steam for $14.99 USD. In addition to the QWERTY keyboard layout, QWERTZ, AZERTY, BEPO, Dvorak, Workman and Colemak are also supported.
Reviews
“Epistory’s strength is that it’s a great way to get calm and zone-out.”
GamersNexus
“The keyboard is your mightiest weapon in Epistory”
Kotaku
“Epistory – Typing Chronicles is differentiating itself with regards to gameplay mechanics and visuals.”
HardcoreGamer
About This Game
Epistory is an atmospheric adventure typing game that tells the story of a writer lacking inspiration who asks her muse to help write her latest book.
In Epistory you play the muse, a fictional character in a world where everything is untold. Your adventure begins on a blank page, but the world will soon become larger and livelier as you gather inspiration, solve its mysteries and defeat its enemies. From movement to opening chests and fighting in epic battles, every element in the game is controlled exclusively with the keyboard.
As you progress and explore the fantasy origami world, the story literally unfolds in the writer’s mind and the mysteries of the magic power of the words are revealed.
Features
◾Explore a beautiful paper craft world: play as the muse riding a giant three tailed fox, lost in a fantasy 3D world
◾More than just typing: solve mysterious puzzles, unlock magic powers and defeat enemies in adrenaline pumping epic combats
◾A writer’s block? Collect fragments and inspirations points to unfold the story as you explore the origami world in the writer’s head. But there is more to the story than meets the eye…
◾All in keyboard: from movements, combats to even menus, control everything with a keyboard
◾Adaptive difficulty: if your hands fly around the keyboard or if you are a slow typist, the game features a dynamic difficulty system that evolves to fit each players’ skill set
◾Competitive Arena Mode: challenge other players for the top spot in the arena leaderboards
◾Play in your own language: game texts are localized in English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Polish with voice overs in English. The game supports several keyboard layouts (QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, BEPO, Dvorak, Workman and Colemak)