Each chapter involves Reynardo going from Point A to Point B, with various hordes of enemies appearing at defined, gated points a la Devil May Cryor Bayonetta. Stories‘ central gameplay loop can actually be explained rather simply (much like its core story). Stories: The Path of Destiny is a clear example of a good idea with middling results, and nowhere is this more evident than in its by-the-books gameplay. Shadow of Mordor without the Nemesis System is a pretty average Assassin’s Creed clone with an awful story, but it lays the groundwork for a better use of its core hook in future titles. It’s a more dramatic example of what we saw with Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its Nemesis System (though this title is worlds above Stories in every aspect, but stick with me here). Make no mistake, there is definitely a certain level of charm that comes from the friendly tales of Reynardo and his cohorts, but this charm feels more like it belongs in the 90s rather than in a 2016 game with such a novel concept. Again, Spearhead Games absolutely has an awesome idea on its hands (one that works quite well with its Bastion-style constant narration), but trapping this inside of a fairly mediocre fairy-tale feels almost like a waste. The same goes for some sort of Uncharted spinoff, though fans of that series (myself included) would quickly claim this to be straight-up heresy. That would potentially turn Jack Joyce’s story from an awesome media experiment inside of a decent game into a potential can’t-miss narrative experience. Imagine a world where Remedy’s Quantum Break took this idea and made it its own. It’s easy to admit that the idea of going back in time and revising your choices inside of a branching narrative is fascinating. ![]() However, each path leads you to some sort of new revelation, however big or small, and once players unlock an ending in each of the four major categories (one for each potential main plot-line), the path towards happily ever after becomes abundantly clear. We’d be left with what amounts to a twenty to thirty minute game without any semblance of narrative depth. Let’s say Stories was a game that wasn’t built around the idea of playing through the story over and over again in hopes of getting different results. Because Reynardo has obtained a book that allows him to play out various paths his quest can take, players are given the opportunity to try their luck at choosing which way to proceed through branching paths across this five chapter story. Players take the role of Reynardo, a quick-witted, cunning humanoid fox who is looking to stop the corrupt Emperor from destroying his homeland (and potentially the universe) in an act of pure evil. Stories: The Path of Destinies has a relatively simple central narrative premise, even by fairy tale standards. With that said, there’s still something to love here from an academic perspective, but the end product feels a month or two away from being the title it had the potential to be. In execution, Stories is a fairly middling action-RPG that suffers from overly stiff combat, rote exploration elements and technical issues that often directly impede player success. Unfortunately for players, having the framework for an awesome game is only one portion of the battle. Spearhead Games might wind up winning some sort of de facto award for having the a damn cool elevator pitch, as the concept of playing out a short story over and over again until your choices produce the ideal ending immediately gets the wheels in your mind turning. A fairy tale is inherently designed to end happily ever after, but we rarely get to see what happens in all of the alternate universes in which things don’t close in a spattering of sunshine and butterflies. ![]() ![]() Despite the fact that it sports perhaps the blandest name of any game this generation, Stories: The Path of Destinies does deserve credit for having an awesome core idea.
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