After a successful crowdfunding campaign back in 2015, Elsinore a time-looping adventure game set in the world of Shakespeare's Hamlet is releasing with Linux support on July 22nd.
This was previously mentioned on GamingOnLinux a few times, in our older crowdfunding roundup articles "The Funding Crowd". Some of you might actually remember it, I certainly didn't but I'm putting that right now by making sure everyone knows, as it does sound very interesting.
Elsinore is a time-looping adventure game set in the world of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Elsinore combines strong social simulation elements, a dynamic story that reacts immediately to player decisions, and a world full of diverse characters with secrets to uncover. Can Ophelia prevent the tragedy that lies before her?
Elsinore is a point-and-click adventure game set in a living world where the story plays out around you in real time. Every four days, time resets, and you gain another chance to change the fate of the inhabitants within Elsinore Castle.
Direct Link
Features according to the information from the developer:
- Dynamic Story Engine: Elsinore uses a story simulation engine to determine which events occur based upon your interactions. Lie, forgive, gossip, befriend, or destroy — the actions you can take at any stage are numerous, and the game immediately responds.
- Intelligent Character Behavior: Each character manages their own lives, schedules, needs, desires, and plans over the course of each time loop. Even the smallest interaction has an impact on the world around you as it unfolds.
- Learn from Previous Loops: Whenever a time loop resets, Ophelia remembers anything she has learned from the previous world, allowing you to access new ways to play.
- Use Your Influence: Understanding each character's motivations isn't just part of the story. It's necessary for Ophelia's survival. Characters are complex and have long histories with each other; all of them are keeping secrets.
- Life-or-Death Decisions: In a Shakespearean world, most roads end in tragedy, and characters are quick to meet a grisly fate. Hard decisions and terrible trials force players to think on their feet.
You can now wishlist/follow Elsinore on Steam. As I understand, they were aiming for GOG and itch.io as well, although neither have a store page ready I can find to link for you.
It has also been added to our dedicated Crowdfunding Page.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
QuoteAs I understand, they were aiming for GOG and itch.io as wellAs a backer, I had access to DRM-free builds on itch.io since their first alpha (which was available for Linux too and worked like a charm). Subsequent betas were Win/Mac only, so I didn't follow along, but now itch.io has the Linux version again, released 9 days ago. (I think we backers got an earlier go at the game, because they did not want to release to general audiences amidst the Steam summer sale.)
Gameplay wise, I only briefly tried the alpha (until Ophelia's untimely demise at the hand of an assassin). But I think that's the core concept of the game, reliving the "same" series of events time and time again, using your newfound knowledge to change them to your (and everyone else's) favor.
I've made the mistake of buying Civilization VI in the summer sale, so likely will not be able to play Elsinore for a while to come (and I need to complete Kingdom Come: Deliverance, too).
1. This sounds very interesting and could be cool and complex, and yet
2. She could solve the whole mess by just whacking Claudius while Hamlet's taking his time getting his shit together.
(In university, I actually took a Shakespeare course that me and my favourite prof defined as special studies in Hamlet just so I could get credit for taking the Shaksper course from her even though I'd already taken it before from a boring guy. My final essay argued that Hamlet wasn't actually having trouble making up his mind. But Hamlet was a university student. He knew he had to kill his uncle Claudius, but it was an unpleasant task, he didn't want to, so as a true university student he procrastinated, ending up getting the job done literally at the last minute (before he died of his poisoned wound). In the mean time he came up with various things he just had to do first, to put off what he was avoiding--things like acting nuts to throw people off the scent, pulling shenanigans to see if he could get his uncle to incriminate himself, bugging his mother and so on. It all fits! I got an A)
Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 10 July 2019 at 5:29 pm UTC
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