Choice-based storytelling in video games is hardly a new concept, but it seems even more popular now with modern titles.
However, even with current storytelling choice-based systems, many of the choices made by the player don't really affect the game's outcome that much: sure, many games offer multiple endings now, but the majority of choices players make have absolutely nothing to do with what ultimately happens.
That's where Stories: The Path of Destinies differs. Every choice made by the player matters, and only one set of choices allows the player to get the happy ending. Getting to that happy ending takes multiple playthroughs.
Stories: The Path of Destinies, by Spearhead Games, takes players on a journey as Reynoldo, a fox pilot who has the task of saving a special book, which will also help him save the world. Reynoldo must make choices throughout his journey, including wrong ones, so that he can uncover four truths about his world. The book allows him to play through the same scenario of saving the world over and over, using what he's learned in previous playthroughs to make more and better choices.
Gameplay
While Reynoldo chooses his path, he must fight the evil Ravens that work for the Emperor while progressing through levels of each chapter of the story. Fortunately, Reynoldo gets a sword early on, and he uses various attacks in a typical button-mashing hack and slash way. This gameplay element works well with fending off ravens, and also comes with a choice of swords with different powers that Reynoldo can use to his advantage. Not only can Reynoldo hit his enemies, but countering is also a well-designed system here.
Each sword also unlocks certain doors, which gives Reynoldo access to different parts of levels as he obtains more weapons. The swords are also upgradeable, giving the pilot more skills that he can use to defeat the Ravens.
Combat is not only easy to learn, but also feels natural. Before the final happy ending story, most skills and swords are upgraded to the max, meaning that getting through levels gets easier, rather than harder, as the game progresses. Some players will miss the challenge of combat by the end of the game, though.
Graphics and Sound
Stories is a fantasy, so expect a lot of beautiful and vibrant worlds, with each level different from the next. From a world encased in ice, to a world of skies filled with flying ships to a desert that harbors a powerful and dangerous weapon, each locale is beautifully-crafted, thanks to the use of some great cel-shading.
Those beautiful environments and attention to detail, though, often crashed the game on the PlayStation 4, either resulting in Reynoldo getting stuck under ice crystals he smashed, improper loading of certain scenes or even occasional game crashes. This becomes frustrating when the game needs rebooting, which takes Reynoldo all the way back to the beginning of a level (in spite of each level having checkpoints).
The game's soundtrack is also good, but what really sells Stories is the narrator, who reads the story from the magical book as if he's reading a bedtime tale to a child. He even changes his voice for each character in a way that is both entertaining and endearing.
There's also some good random dialogue by the narrator during gameplay, complete with pop culture references (don't miss the bit about Neil Gaiman's Sandman).
Story
Here's where Stories really excels. Stories encourages players to go through the game multiple times to uncover more story, as well as figure out how to give the story a happy ending. The first few playthroughs are a delight, especially as more areas of each level get unlocked, meaning that Reynoldo can take different paths to get to where he's going. At the end of each story, Reynoldo meets an untimely end, but uncovers a truth that teaches him what he did wrong.
This ultimately leads Reynoldo to do what's right, but will require players to go through four or five playthroughs. Some of the choices to get to the good ending remain the same, which means that the player must sit through the same narration for that particular level again and traverse the same level from the first three playthroughs. This is where Stories starts feeling repetitive, meaning that some of the same ground must get turned over to get to where the final story needs to go.
The good news is that, eventually, players will find that happy ending, and once it's played out, all's well that ends well. For those players who want to see what other choices bring, though, gameplay can continue, but only with the knowledge that other choices will result in death for Reynoldo: there's only one way to get to a happy ending here.
Overall, Stories: The Path of Destinies strives to do something different with game storytelling, and it definitely succeeds in that mission. If you can get past the repetition of revisiting the same narration and levels, it's ultimately worth it.
Pros:
– Choice-based storytelling that really affects the game's outcome
– Easy-to-learn combat system
– Gorgeous Graphics
Cons:
– Occasional freezes and crashes
– Combat becomes too easy by the end of the game
– Levels and narration become repetitive toward the end of the game
We received a review copy of this game from the developer for the PlayStation 4.
