Stories: The Path of Destinies

Last updated
Stories: The Path of Destinies
Stories the path of destinies.png
Developer(s) Spearhead Games
Publisher(s) Spearhead Games
Director(s) Malik Boukira
Producer(s) Atul Nath Mehra
Artist(s) Yan Mongrain
Writer(s) Alex Epstein
Composer(s) Vibe Avenue
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
ReleaseWindows, PlayStation 4
April 12, 2016
Xbox One
March 22, 2019
Genre(s) Action role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

Stories: The Path of Destinies is an action role-playing game developed by Spearhead Games. It was released for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 on April 12, 2016, and for the Xbox One on March 22, 2019.

Contents

The player controls an anthropomorphic fox named Reynardo that is part of a resistance force fighting against an oppressive Emperor. The player controls Reynardo from a third-person perspective, using a combination of attack combos to defeat foes, gain experience to unlock new combat skills, and craft new weapons that unlock parts of levels. During his escapades, Reynardo comes across a magic book that lets him see potential choices and their results, and subsequently go back and make different choices; however, Reynardo retains all the experience and upgrades earned up to that point, thus able to proceed along different paths at these points. The goal is to seek the best-possible ending out of the twenty-four that are set in the game.

Spearhead Games' following title, Omensight , is set in the same world and features a similar premise as Stories: The Path of Destinies.

Gameplay

Stories is an action role-playing game. The player can move Reynardo across the landscape, using a grappling hook to help cross open spaces between floating islands. At times, the player will encounter enemies and Reynardo must fight them before the player can proceed. The player starts with a number of basic attacks and blocks they can use, but as Reynardo gains skills, earned by gaining experience points from combat, more advanced combat techniques become available. Should Reynardo lose his health during these fights, the character will be respawned at a recent checkpoint and will have to start the combat over again.

Skills can be gained once Reynardo has gained enough points at various altars across the landscape. Treasure chests hold material items that can be used to craft or improve one of several sword types at a workbench. These swords can be used in combat for more potent effects, but also are required to unlock certain doors that are present on the level.

Within a level, the player may find an option to complete it to one of multiple endpoints, or may find only a single endpoint. Here, the game will then present the player, through narration, with two or three options they can take the story, which will determine which level the player will next start; in a few cases, a choice will lead to an immediate conclusion of the story often in the capture or death of Reynardo. There are generally four or five of these choices before the player reaches a final level and the conclusion of the story at that point. At this point, the player is then shown the magic book picked up by Reynardo at the start of the story, and how that ending fits into the overall picture. In this meta-game, there are four "truths" in relation to the game's narrative that will remain fixed regardless of the decisions the player takes, and the player's goal is make the right selections to discover each of these four truths. [1]

When the player repeats the game to discover these truths, Reynardo will retain all upgrades he has earned. This can enable access to areas on some levels that were currently blocked without having the correct sword. When the player comes to decision points, they will be shown which decisions have already been made in a previous playthrough, so they can explore other options. Information from the narrative can be used to determine which decisions are better options; for example, one path may reveal an ally to actually be a mole for the enemy, so by avoiding choices with that character will likely lead to one of the truths. Once the four truths are discovered, the player can use their newfound knowledge to find the only victorious path, thus winning the game, though they may go back to explore the other possible endings.

Plot

"Stories" takes place in a world of anthropomorphic animal characters in a steampunk-themed world on islands floating in air.

The protagonist is Reynardo, a fox corsair who reluctantly had retired from his adventures because of his mother's dying wish. One day his hometown is attacked by evil musclebound ravens sent by the Empire led by Isengrim III, once a humble and shy toad and a scholar but now has started a vicious campaign to find ancient artifacts and forgotten magic to gain access to the banished "elder gods" who once nearly destroyed the world.

Reynardo is the only survivor to escape the town on his fast airship with a mysterious book. As Reynardo reads the book, he joins with a Rebellion against the mad Emperor as a freelance vanguard and the last line of defense against the Empire's mighty imperial armada.

Reynardo finds out that the book is magic and provides him a narrative guidance as he makes choices along the story that provides a path that ends with a result that may or may not be to his benefits. The book is not showing Reynardo a future set in stone, but a possibility of what could transpire, despite him directly living it. For example; during his many choices, he learns that his best friend Lapino who is a cowardly, goofy rabbit spy working for the Rebellion, turns out to be a traitor working for the empire.

However, Reynardo discovers that a feline woman he knew during youth and is still in love with named Zenobia, who is Emperor Isengrim III's adopted daughter as well as his best general, has feelings for him as well even though she is conflicted by her loyalty to her adopted father. Reynardo tries many paths and choices, like using ancient demonic artifacts that possesses him to kill as many as possible no matter friend or foe, old magical technology that turns out to be extremely unstable that it can destroy the universe and using his loyal friends one way or another but they all ends the same: Reynardo dies or the world is destroyed at the end and is thrust back to the beginning of the book.

Eventually, Reynardo wises up and uses his knowledge of his past experiences via the book to win this time. He tricks Lapino into fetching the evil artifact that can corrupt him and kill the emperor which would force him to use the same unstable magical weapon that can destroy the empire. Reynardo also regains the trust of Zenobia by telling her that the Emperor plans to kill her as a sacrifice to the old gods. However, Reynardo's plans fails as he discovers that Zenobia knocked out Lapino, grabbed the artifact which corrupts her and has killed everyone in the Rebellion headquarters. But Reynardo manages to free her by finally admitting his love for her thus destroying the artifact because it was weak against true love.

Reynardo and Zenobia decide to run away but they are quickly followed by the empire fleet led by the emperor himself who is using the highly unstable magical weapon as a cannon, which fires a beam towards Reynardo's airship. Then it is shown that Reynardo and Zenobia are alone on his airship and no one else is around them and they continue their flight towards the island of Avellone. It isn’t cleared out if the Emperor and his fleet were destroyed by the use of the weapon (so Reynardo and Zenobia are headed towards the real island of Avellone), or the beam destroyed Reynardo’s airship and killed him and Zenobia, maybe with the Emperor and his fleet (so Reynardo and Zenobia would be headed towards an island of Avellone, meaning a place of rest in the afterlife).

Development

Reception

Stories: The Path of Destinies received mixed to positive reviews on release. The concept of the game, which combined the nature of action role-playing games with the allure of Choose Your Own Adventure books, was seen initially as a positive, and the gameplay was considered a cross between Bastion and Star Fox . [1] [3] However, critics found that the game's combat system, though considered very fluid similar to the Batman: Arkham Asylum game, to be repetitive with little variation in the types of enemies or the range of moves that Reynardo could complete. [3] Further, because the player must play through the game several times to get the right ending, critics further highlighted the limited range of combat options, making the overall title seem dull. [4]

Stories was named Best PC Game and Best Indie Game at the 2016 Canadian Videogame Awards. [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Destiny of an Emperor</i> 1989 video game

Destiny of an Emperor, known in Japan as Tenchi wo Kurau, is a strategy role-playing game by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System based on the Tenchi wo Kurau manga by Hiroshi Motomiya. It was originally released in Japan in 1989, with an English language localization released for the North American market in 1990.

Heroes of Might and Magic, known as Might & Magic Heroes since 2011, is a series of video games created and developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Replay value</span> Potential of a video game or other media product for replay after its first completion

Replay value is the potential of a video game or other media products for continued play value after its first completion. Factors that can influence perceived replay value include the game's extra characters, secrets and alternate endings. The replay value of a game may also be based entirely on the individual's tastes. A player might enjoy repeating a game because of the music, graphics, gameplay or because of product loyalty. Dynamic environments, challenging AI, a wide variety of ways to accomplish tasks, and a rich array of assets could result in a high replay value.

<i>Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat</i> 1995 video game

Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat is a single-player fantasy real-time tactics computer game based upon the Warhammer Fantasy Battle table-top game and miniatures. It was developed and published by Mindscape, and released in November 1995 for Microsoft Windows, and on PlayStation in November 1996. The game's story takes place within the Warhammer Fantasy world setting, and focuses on players managing a group of mercenaries, who take on work for various clients but become involved in stopping a plot by the Skaven. The game's main focus is on battles that feature a mixture of medieval warfare and fantasy elements, using a variety of units based upon those from within the Warhammer setting.

<i>Jade Empire</i> 2005 action role-playing video game

Jade Empire is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare, originally published by Microsoft Game Studios in 2005 as an Xbox exclusive. It was later ported to Microsoft Windows personal computers (PC) and published by 2K in 2007. Later ports to macOS (2008) and mobile platforms (2016) were handled respectively by TransGaming and Aspyr. Set in a world inspired by Chinese mythology, players control the last surviving Spirit Monk on a quest to save their tutor Master Li and defeat the dark forces behind his kidnapping. The Spirit Monk is guided through a linear narrative, completing quests and engaging in action-based combat. With morality-based dialogue choices during conversations, the player can impact both story and gameplay progression in various ways.

<i>Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny</i> 1988 video game

Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny is the fifth entry in the role-playing video game series Ultima released in March 1988. It is the second in the "Age of Enlightenment" trilogy. The game's story takes a darker turn from its predecessor Ultima IV. Britannia's king Lord British is missing, replaced by a tyrant named Lord Blackthorn. The player must navigate a totalitarian world bent on enforcing its virtues through draconian means.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kreia</span> Fictional character in Star Wars

Kreia is a character and party member in Obsidian Entertainment's video game Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. She is a blind Force-sensitive who forms a "bond" with the player character, the Jedi Exile, through the Force. Kreia sets herself up as the Exile's mentor, and rejects the divide of the light and dark side of the Force, as well as the predestination the Force entails. By the game's end, it is revealed she is the Sith Lord Darth Traya and is planning on destroying the Force, and she becomes the final boss of The Sith Lords. Kreia makes no more appearances in Star Wars fiction, though a miniature by Wizards of the Coast was released in August 2008, and she appears as an obtainable character in Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes.

<i>Suikoden II</i> 1998 video game

Suikoden II is a role-playing video game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation video game console and the second installment of the Suikoden video game series. It was released in late 1998 in Japan, 1999 in North America, and in 2000 in Europe. The game features a vast array of characters, with over 100 recruitable characters, of which over 40 are usable in combat.

<i>Dark Messiah of Might and Magic</i> 2006 video game

Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is a first-person action role-playing game developed by Arkane Studios. The player controls Sareth, the apprentice of the wizard Phenrig, after he is sent to the city of Stonehelm to accompany an expedition trying to retrieve a powerful artifact known as "The Skull of Shadows".

Characters of the <i>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</i> series

The video games Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003) and Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (2004) features a large cast of characters noted for its diversity and is the subject of significant discussion from gaming magazines and websites.

<i>Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny</i> 2005 video game

Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny, released in Japan as Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana 2, is a role-playing video game developed by Japanese developer Gust Co. Ltd. for the PlayStation 2. The game is the sequel to Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana, although lore-wise is a prequel.

<i>Piece of Wonder</i> 2002 video game

Piece of Wonder is a hybrid tactical RPG and visual novel originally published in Japan in February 2002 by Studio Crossfire and released on January 21, 2007 in the United States by Hirameki International. The storyline incorporates science fiction elements.

<i>Heroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the East</i> 2007 video game

Heroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the East is the second expansion pack to the turn-based strategy game Heroes of Might and Magic V and the first stand-alone expansion pack released for the fifth series. It was developed by Nival Interactive and was released by Ubisoft in 2007.

<i>Alpha Protocol</i> 2010 action role-playing game

Alpha Protocol is a 2010 action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Sega. The player assumes control of agent Michael Thorton, a new recruit at a clandestine United States agency called Alpha Protocol, which is given unlimited resources to conduct covert operations on behalf of the government. Thorton becomes a rogue agent and must unravel an international conspiracy to stop a war. Throughout the game, players must make many choices that affect the narrative. Played from a third-person perspective, players can confront enemies using firearms, gadgets, martial arts and stealth. The game features extensive customization and a dialogue stance system that allows players to select dialogues based on three different tones.

<i>X-Men: Destiny</i> 2011 video game

X-Men: Destiny is an action role-playing video game based on the X-Men comic book series. It was developed by Silicon Knights. Written by Mike Carey, the writer of the X-Men: Legacy comic book series, it was published and released by Activision for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles.

<i>Pillars of Eternity</i> 2015 video game

Pillars of Eternity is a 2015 role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Paradox Interactive for Windows, OS X, and Linux. The game is a spiritual successor to the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale series, along with Planescape: Torment. Obsidian started a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for it in September 2012, raising over US$4 million. The game uses the Unity engine.

The Artifacts Cycle is a tetralogy of Magic: The Gathering expansion sets centered on the exploits of Urza Planeswalker. It consists of the expansions Antiquities, Urza's Saga, Urza's Legacy and Urza's Destiny. The latter three sets are sometimes referred to as an "Urza block" for tournament purposes, since there have been formats and time periods in which cards from the later three sets were legal but cards from Antiquities were not. However, the books "The Brothers' War", "Planeswalker", "Timestreams", and "Bloodlines" unambiguously confirm that, from a story and thematic point of view, "Artifacts cycle" is correct and it begins with the events depicted in Antiquities.

<i>Tyranny</i> (video game) 2016 video game

Tyranny is a role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Paradox Interactive. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux on November 10, 2016.

<i>Ruined King</i> 2021 video game

Ruined King: A League of Legends Story is a 2021 turn-based role-playing video game developed by Airship Syndicate and published by Riot Forge. A spin-off to Riot Games' League of Legends, Ruined King uses characters and a setting originating in its parent title.

<i>HighFleet</i> 2021 dieselpunk action-adventure strategy game

HighFleet, styled as HighFleet: Deus in Nobis is an action-adventure strategy video game developed by Konstantin Koshutin and published by MicroProse. The game involves the player commanding a fleet of metal airships on the dieselpunk post-apocalyptic world of Elaat in an attempt to seize a rebellious region rumored to have access to a nuclear reactor. The working title for the game was "Hammerfight 2", as the game was in development for more than a decade.

References

  1. 1 2 de Rochefort, Simone; McElroy, Griffin (April 18, 2016). "Stories: The Path of Destinies is way more fun than its boring name suggests". Polygon . Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  2. "Stories: The Path of Destinies". Metacritic . Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Shae, Brian (April 14, 2016). "Stories: The Path of Destinies". Game Informer . Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  4. Riccio, Aaron (April 15, 2016). "Stories: The Path of Destinies". Slant . Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  5. McAloon, Alissa (November 17, 2016). "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided honored with multiple awards at CVAs". Gamasutra . Retrieved November 17, 2016.