Epistory: Typing Chronicles (2016)

I couldn’t quite connect with the ‘plot’ but I loved the concept. I think there was something missing, the ending of the main storyline didn’t quite hit, but it’s not something I paid much attention to. The different ‘dungeons’ work as metaphors for different aspects of anyone’s human experience, and the narrator’s voice was a nice touch to indicate progression and add to the pleasant sound design.

The gameplay is very simple. I think the angle of the map lends itself to seeing the characters and elements and enemies on the map, but it’s a bit off-putting when you start. I ended up using the arrow keys to move around, instead of the recommended letters.

It’s important to note that this game is not for educational purposes. If you’re learning to type efficiently it’s a fun way to practice, but you might get frustrated if you’re expecting anything else. If you’re an explorer that enjoys checking out every nook and cranny then the map and dungeon design is quite satisfying. The puzzles are pretty simple: I liked the variety between dungeons and have nothing particularly negative to say about them. There’s great value once the main storyline is complete: more areas can be unlocked, including some difficult Nest battles, and a couple more dungeons. If you ever feel like doing some hard core typing or grinding to get some additional achievements, there’s an Arena option.

I think visually the game was designed beautifully. I loved the different areas, and the idea of origami and paper as the base for everything is so charming. The background music is nice and I like the sound effects; they’re not distracting and they’re a good indication of what’s happening or if something changed.

Overall a great experience: just make sure you’re ready for a lot of typing.

The narration and graphics of this game are done magnificently well. I adored them! The story is fun and I like that you are figuring out what is going on with the character. Exploration is made better by the chance to open the world up more by getting tasks completed which also continue the story.

Sorry I don't know what to say about this game. It's fun. It has good graphics. And the battle system is unique and I appreciate the chance they took on it but it also is a little repetitive, but I played with a controller so maybe this would be better handled with a keyboard. Positive not though, it did help me get to know my Stadia controller better.

I write this review at 4 in the morning, forgive me on how bad it is please 😅

If you like typing (where my fellow nerds at?) and Zelda-like adventures, chances are you'll like Epistory. Its dungeons are well-designed, the skills you gain along the way are surprisingly varied and fun, and seeing the world unfold as a result of exploration feels similar to games like Hob and Bastion.

It isn't quite as polished as those games, though. The insect-like enemies aren't the only bugs I encountered: Elements would pop in suddenly, environmental objects would occasionally stop accepting characters, and sometimes I retained the ability to move after death (which was a little unsettling). I found the game's "adaptive difficulty" eventually stopped working well for me: I suspect my skill level is somewhere between two steps the game supports, as I kept ping-ponging between being annihilated at nests to breezing through them (I eventually set a manual difficulty level instead). I found the "bottom to top" arrangement of words counter-intuitive, and the letters would benefit from more contrast. And I couldn't shake a feeling of dissonance between the game and its story: The narration honestly felt like arbitrary set dressing until its conclusion explains the (still pretty tenuous) connection.

But I enjoyed the game, and I'd be interested to see what improvements developer Fishing Cactus made in its follow-up, Nanotale.

Epistory is a perfect example of the phrase "a pleasant surprise".

When I think "typing game", the word "fun" isn't necessarily what immediately springs to mind, and this is coming from a writer...that being said, this game is loads of fun for lots of various reasons. Like a lot of people who've reviewed it, I too played typing games as a kid, and so of course I was curious about this for that reason. But, I also was much more drawn in by the visuals, because my god, this game looks incredible. The music is beautiful, the sound design is fantastic, the game runs great, and the story, if you can make it out, is really emotional, which, again, isn't what would immediately spring to mind when you think "typing game".

But I think games like Epistory are necessary in, especially, this modern gaming age because it shows that anything, if done right, can be great. Even typing games can have emotionally engaging games that are fun to play. The sequences taking out nests and having to switch between each power is tense as all heck, as much so as any sequences in current Triple A titles on consoles, and honestly, I love the Origami look they took with this. I am so happy to see things that take different visual approaches, and this one, especially for this game, worked tremendously well. Games like Epistory are also necessary because they prove that a game with a rather dark story don't have to be all bleak and miserable. They can be bright. They can be colorful. Not everything has to be grey and sad.

I got this game for half off and I easily would've paid full price, that's how great it was. Now, I understand it just not being for some people. There's certain types of games that I don't enjoy either, but I still give credit where credit is due. I think this game is one of those rare examples where the praise lauded upon it is actually well deserved. It's interesting because this isn't a game I've really read about anywhere, and I don't see mentioned outside of Steam itself, and yet it really deserves to be. Of course, that could just my own blind spot, as I don't really pay much attention to game journalism these days, but whatever. Either way I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who asked me if there was anything I played recently that I enjoyed.

So yeah, in essence, Epistory: Typing Chronicles is a great game in every regard. It plays well, it looks great (that matters to some people, I mean, I enjoy the visuals too but graphics are not high up on my list of needs), the sound design and music is wonderful and it's interesting enough to continue playing through to the end.

I give this game an easy 5/5.

I was rather surprised by the glowing reviews for this game here on Grouvee. This game struggles in many ways, especially with its writing. Here is how my experiences broke down:

--The Good--

By far the best part of this game was the typing battles. It was fun and frantic without being too punishing. There was also some strategic depth to it since you have a choice of four elements that you can use to infuse your words with one of four different powers. By the end of the game I had developed some specific tactics and I really felt I had improved in the way I played. I also enjoyed the paper aesthetics of the game, from the crinkling sound of paper being unfolded as the world was revealed to the origami style of the main character model.

--The Bad--

The most problematic part of the game though was (ironically enough) the writing. Generally speaking this game basically has no story. There is nothing driving you forward as the player. There is not even a sense of mystery. When the game ended and I found out there actually was some small plot device holding it all together I was actually surprised. The writing style itself also detracts from the experience. As I listened to the narrator (who speaks over almost the entire game) it felt to me like she was trying very hard to seem artistic and full of all the BIGGEST EMOTIONS. This led to lots of melodramatic, vague, and hyperbolic language. Just watch a few game clips to see what I mean.

The game design also had some flaws it was difficult to overlook. The way the main character moved (only in 8 directions) made some of the puzzles very tedious. And speaking of puzzles, while they were approachable they didn't have much flavor or creativity to them. The dungeons and the world itself also felt rather bland, perhaps exacerbated by the fact that no specific story held them together or defined them.

--The Verdict--

Clocking in at 8-12 hours this game won't overstay its welcome, as long as you can get past the frustratingly bad writing and other game design problems. If the idea of a typing battle game appeals to you at all then I do recommend this title, though perhaps with the tentative suggestion of waiting for a sale (I picked up my copy for about $2USD). Just keep in mind this is not a typing RPG in the robust sense. There is no inventory and the skill tree is so simple it is almost pointless. All loot is basically just experience points (and yes there is a level cap so eventually experience points mean nothing). And there are no real characters or places of note.

And of course if you are not interested in a typing battle game I would definitely steer clear of this title.

9.5/10

Typing (I originally typed "typying, good job Tyler) games are a bit of a novelty, and not seen as one of the most exciting genres in the world. I can count the amount of typing games I've played on one hand, more than likely, and might not be able to actually name them unless I spent some time researching to see the ones that I've played. Despite not indulging myself in the genre very often, I do have an affinity for it, so long as it offers something beyond just typing. Epistory looked interesting so I decided to check it out. I'm so glad I did, because this game is fucking great. Serious game of the year contender, though I know it won't actually win when it comes time.

Simply put: you are a little girl riding on a fox. You explore the world, and once you attain certain abilities or enough points (procured by defeating enemies and objects), you may open up more of the surrounding area. This keeps you from going too far at any given point, and while it might seem intimidating at first, it is fairly linear... though not in a bad way. The environment, in all its origami beauty, pops up around you as you unlock it, and there's a narrator chronicling your adventures. There are also dungeons and puzzle solving to be done. These are not especially difficult, but they end in a "boss battle" that features a swarm of enemies coming at you.

Battling consists of typing the words that pop up above the heads of your foes, but it's got more depth than one might think. Sure, your speed and wpm matters, but the game adapts to how good or crappy you are, which is a nice touch. More importantly, you have to prioritize the enemies, and that's the key to victory. You also get upgrades, such as fire which will actually burn the next word -- an incredibly useful tool when you see a big baddie with gigantic words and you start to panic and think, "ahhhh, my keyboarding class in grade 10 didn't prepare me for this!" But there are other upgrades as well, and it's crucial that you understand them and become proficient in switching to fit the situation.

If you want to challenge yourself, there's also an arena mode which is just horde mode. You defend yourself against the oncoming assault for as long as you can, with access to the abilities already, and it's truly terrifying when a gigantic enemy with a huge word appears and you start to pee yourself because a) I've, um I mean you've, never seen the word before and b) here it comes I have to type this quickly!

The atmosphere, visuals and gameplay mechanics all blend together terrifly on Epistory, which is one of the coolest things about it. The way it all ties together actually creates a sense of cohesion: they could have just done a game where you type to fight, but they went the extra mile and gave a reason why it's like this.