If you have history with playing choose-your-own-adventure books, turn to paragraph 2. If you don’t, turn to paragraph 3. For anyone who’s enjoyed a childhood of playing Fighting Fantasy books, filling out character sheets with a pencil and a couple of dice, Swordbreaker: The Game on Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC might well be the perfect nostalgia trip. It’s a fantasy novel punctuated with choices, played out as a video game – enter the castle through a window or go through the front door. Every choice is down to you.
Swordbreaker: The Game launches today on Xbox One, Switch, PS4 and Steam. It pits you as an adventurer who arrives at an abandoned castle with nowt but his sword, armour and a mysterious device called the Swordbreaker. Your adventure is recounted through chunks of text, and it’s broken up by choices. Make the right choice and you’ll keep going, but a wrong choice could cause you to lose one of three hearts. Lose them all and you die.
It looks like this is more novel than novella, as there are 300 screens to get through (or die a grisly death in).
Main features of Swordbreaker:
- – A compelling non-linear “gamebook” with various endings
- – Tough and crucial choices to make with unique outcomes
- – A mysterious castle with exciting locations and events
- – Powerful enemies and characters on your way
- – Stunning artwork (over 300 illustrations)
Interactive fiction has tended to go the way of the visual novel in recent years, so it’s great to see the traditional choose-your-own-adventure get a run on Xbox One. Hopefully it’s less Dragon’s Lair and more Warlock of Firetop Mountain. Our review is out now, so turn to the review here to find out where it lands.
Swordbreaker: The Game launches today for £4.19 on Xbox One – with a special discounted price of £3.35 in place for a day. It also rolls the dice on Switch, PS4 and PC via Steam.
Game Description:
Make crucial decisions that will lead your path to glorious or fatal outcomes…illustrated by over 300 beautiful images. You are an adventurer brought by fate to an abandoned castle. You only have your favorite sword and the remains of an old armor with an unusual device – a sword-breaker. Step in and try to overcome the obstacles and foes that stand between you and the treasure you’re hunting. In this interactive fiction, you take every action and decision. How your story unfolds and ends is entirely up to you. Some moves can change your karma and others may lead to the darkest corners of the castle…it is strongly advised to choose your next step carefully, as it might also be your last!
