I'm usually slow to buy these gamebooks because I'm afraid that there won't be alot of replayability. Does the board game/game book mashup in this game add any extra replay value that wouldn't normally exist in your average game book?
I was thinking about this. Ok that a paper gamebook can cost $20,00. But the book I can play it, give it to someone later, sell it. I can go to an used book shop and buy one for $1. Normally games that goes around $5 has more replayability or multiplayer component, like San Juan or Carcassonne. Ok that gamebook apps are niche, so you can't charge $1 because it'll not sell millions like Angry Birds. I do understand that. And don't come trolling me saying that I'm complaining about something that costs a burger. It's about the way AppStore is. You can't lend games to your friends, you can't sell. So if 20 people wanna play, 20 people will buy. I'm not diminishing in any way the developers. And I'm not saying bad stuff to a game I never played. I just find it a little expensive. Definitely goes to my watch list.
the appstore is the way it is because people place less value in the hard work put in a game, than in the 30 seconds placed into putting together a few industrial food components and calling that a meal. That's not a fact to be accepted, but to be fought with your hard-earned money, spending it where you think value lies. I guess there's no absolute truth on this matter, and explaining your point of view is not trolling, just making a point.
You are explaining your point. Somebody prefers to do this on a more agressive fashion... I don't know, maybe pricing should be a middle ground? Hard work and pricing is something kinda related, but not totally.
Actually the save system is kind of genius. You go from one point to the other on the map, and each of this point effectively acts as a bookmark, to which you can go back whenever you want, beginning the adventure with the health/inventory you had at this point. This means that can go back at a fork in the story just a few pages behind to try another path, or even go back to the first village if you so desire, at any point..
He may be referring to the initial release. The only version on the app store now is the Gold edition. Although the lackluster game design is far more of a burn than whether or not it's available on the app store. I paid $8 when the gold came out, lured in by the colorful art and the way the dev was selling all the work and art and awesomeness your money would buy. I thought it looked like something I could play with my daughter... short answer: bored both of us to tears and was deleted ages ago. Whether or not I could download my purchase again is a moot issue since it's not worth playing to begin with. This game, however, has me super tempted. The look reminds me of an old combo game book/map with dice to determine combat outcomes that, I think, was called Barbarian King. I played the bejesus out it as an adolescent in the 80s, wish I still had it. EDIT: HA, I love the internet, found it, was called "Barbarian Prince", came out originally in 1981 from Heritage Games (copyright held by Reaper Minatures). Dwarfstar has permission to distribute a free download to allow you to play it since it, of course, is well out of print: http://dwarfstar.brainiac.com/ds_barbarianprince.html
The only version available now is Fabled Lands II Gold Edition. The bigger issue with that one is that the folks at Megara Entertainment aren't working on that series anymore, so it's going to remain unfinished no matter which version you bought. The Gamebook Adventures/Fighting Fantasy series show what a faithful digital adaptation of a physical gamebook looks like, and Sorcery! shows what what can be done if you allow yourself the freedom to reinvent a respected work without slavishly adhering to all the physical conventions and limitations. Fabled Lands, on the other hand, is the kind of bastardised experience you end up with when you try to "enhance" a gamebook for a digital format, but refuse to stop clinging tightly to the source material.
I'm new to this whole gamebook thing, but am incredibly impressed by Sorcery! The beautiful artwork, stellar writing, interesting choices, and interesting combat make this a very unique experience. Kudos to Inkle...this is a fascinating game.
How's this for a comparison...instead of browsing the "Games" section of the appstore, check out the iTunes Bookstore. How many books are cheaper than 4.99? Think of it that way.
I've only played this for about a half hour so far (got too excited over star command) but I already think its worth the cost at under your average pint of beer in the UK. I'm looking forward to exploring every nook and cranny of this beautiful and novel (heh) game.
You saw the Gold edition, I assume? I bought the standard addition, which subsequently was pulled. The standard edition had part 2 as an iap; the gold edition just integrated part 2 into the game. Screw anyone who bought the iap, and the original.
