It’s been really interesting watching the revival and subsequent reinterpretation of the gamebook genre on mobile platforms. We’ve had pure text-based interpretations from Choice Of Games and others, fancier recreations like the Gamebook Adventures from Tin Man Games, and games that draw heavily from electronic RPGs, like Forge Reply’s Lone Wolf (Free). Probably the most attention-grabbing attempts at bringing the gamebook experience to new places are the recent releases from inkle Studios. Sorcery! ($4.99) and 80 Days ($4.99) garnered tons of praise from almost every corner with their stylish, fresh approaches to interactive fiction. In the wake of those excellent experiences, the expectations of the audience have risen, and Tin Man Games is ready to take up the challenge with their adaptation of the original Fighting Fantasy book, The Warlock Of Firetop Mountain.
Rather than do a straight adaptation as they’ve done in the past, this time they’ve decided to completely re-imagine the book. Oh, you can still more or less enjoy Warlock in the manner it was created, albeit with prettier visuals. The look of the game goes for a style reminiscent of miniatures on a game board, a great match for Warlock‘s theme and setting. Beyond the new look, however, Tin Man has also added quite a few things that fans should enjoy. There’s a new tactical battle system for those who want something a little more spicy than dice rolls, though those who enjoy the classic method of combat can still use it if they like. Even cooler, there’s now more than one hero in the game, and each hero has their own story and perspective. Perhaps you’d like to play as an orc chieftain looking to clear the mountain of those vile dwarves? Or maybe you’d like to play as one of those vile dwarves, trying to reclaim your ancestral home from the warlock?
Personally, I’m pretty excited to see a solid developer trying something new with a classic. If you want more details on The Warlock Of Firetop Mountain, I encourage you to head on over to the Kickstarter page for the game. Tin Man currently hopes to have the game out in April of 2016. It’s a bit of a wait, but it’s looking like it’ll be worth it.
