Sometimes, gamers don’t want to just mindlessly bash enemies in the face of danger. Sometimes, players want to experience a story. However, not just any story, but a story with meaning and feeling. There have been games, that, despite the greatness of their gameplay, fall through cracks regarding effective storytelling. It is in areas like these, where story-focused games have thrived, such as TellTalge Games’The Walking Dead Series, as well as the revival of Point-And-Click adventures.
Another sub-genre has been rising in this trait, and that is the visual novel. Harking back to the days of text-based adventures, visual novels give players a story, to read and learn about through text, as well as cutscenes. Players make choices, and those choices directly affect the end of the game. Lucky for completionists, many of the games contain multiple endings, each with different effects. Psychopass: Mandatory Happiness and Root Letter are examples of visual novels, which have been made popular in Japan and have made their way to the United States. Looking to enter the field is Akash, Path Of The Five by Truant Pixel.
Truant Pixel, the makers of the microbiological simulator VEV: Viva Ex Vivo, are looking to take on this genre with a unique, original tale, not based on any existing properties. Using state-of-the-art animation and solid character building, Akash looks to take players on a unique fantasy adventure, filled with mystery, fantasy elegance, interaction with humans and magical elementals, and all set within the backdrop of potential all-out war.
The official synopsis of Akash: Path Of The Five is below.
“Akash: Path of the Five is a visual novel in the otome style. Players will assume the role of Aurora, a member of a fantasy race known as the Al’wan, or elementals. For nearly a millennia, the number of elemental girls born has dwindled over the generations, forcing them to interbreed with humans to save their race from extinction.
As the first elemental girl, the village of Akash has seen in over 200 years; all eyes are on Aurora while she prepares for her Coming of Age Ceremony. Tensions between her home village and a neighboring village of humans boil over, threatening an all-out war. Players will have the opportunity to cultivate a romance with one of her five classmates, navigate the conflict between the two races, and plan the greatest Coming of Age Ceremony the village of Akash has seen in two centuries.”
Akash: Path Of The Five is set to arrive on all modern platforms later this year.