Today, studio Spry Fox has released Road Not Taken, "an original, single-player roguelike puzzle video game about life's choices and surprises" for the PS4 and Mac and PC Steam clients.
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"It starts out looking like a simple puzzle game, but underneath is a mysterious procedurally-generated world that is loaded with secrets." explained Daniel Cook, Chief Creative Officer of Spry Fox. "We tried to create a life in miniature, where there's no 'best' way to play. It'll take the average person dozens of hours to master all the various encounters and strategies in Road Not Taken. And like most good roguelikes, it is not a forgiving game. You can expect to die repeatedly."
'Rogue-like' refers to a sub-genre of rpgs that feature turn-based tactics and very often, permadeath. They have also been referred to as "procedural death labyrinths", which is just an awesome band name.
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Players walk Road Not Taken as an enigmatic ranger and newcomer to a town which every winter loses several of its children to the freezing, treacherous nearby forest. Every year, your hero can opt to brave the brutal blizzards and challenging labyrinths of the forest to rescue these trapped younglings.
But with a lifetime of only 15 years, and endless puzzling possibilities presented by the constantly shifting routes, objects, obstacles, hazards and predators of the forest, each venture into the woods is a test that requires careful thought. Your actions (or inaction) will impact not only your own life's story, but those of the friends you make, loves you forge and the village you call home.
Certainly, you can spend your time not rescuing kids dumb enough to go out into the woods in the first place, but that might just defeat the purpose of the game.
Road Not Taken is available for free today, August 4, on PS4 as part of the system's monthly free-giveaway. It normally retails for $14.99 via the PlayStation store. The Steam version will be discounted at 20% for both Mac and PC.
Watch the launch trailer below!