![]() I think this playful tone allowed me to simultaneously separate from specific historical tensions in the real world while also exploring themes like loyalty, heroism, and betrayal in an exciting way.ĭid you have a favorite NPC you enjoyed writing for most? That meant creating a fun pastiche that plays on European fantasy but also includes modern vernacular and place names and people that are more familiar to the life I’ve lived around the world. So, I wanted to subvert the genre in a way that didn’t misrepresent any cultures. It comes from Tolkien and Le Morte d’Arthur of course, but I also have a background in living outside the West and studying culture outside the dominant European knowledge sphere. When I was young, I was an enthusiastic fan of high fantasy, but I’ve shifted more to science fiction as an adult because I never quite understood why everyone needs to carry a sword and speak like they’re from 1800’s Britain for it to be considered fantasy. Honestly, at the risk of offending genre fans, it came from my doubt of the genre’s conventions. Tell me about your inspirations for this game. It’s still the text that drives the game.īattlemage is a kind of classic squire story with some interesting twists and worldbuilding. I’ve moved on from Twine to Unity, but all the fancy UI additions are essentially for flavor. In fact, I’m working on another IFComp entry this year that I would describe as a cyberpunk text Metroidvania. The fact that interactive fiction gives me access to such powerful mechanics made me love doing it. I had created what was essentially a point-and-click cyberpunk mystery with only the use of text and some imaginative coding. In fact, that first game, Black Sheep, was written largely on my smartphone (I had computer troubles while traveling) and it still managed to win some prize money. I quickly realized that interactive fiction is the same as any other game style, but the assets are all prose instead of drawings, 3D models, or particles. I did it at the suggestion of a fellow writer at another game I was working on, but I was immediately drawn in by the paradoxical simplicity yet potential complexity of the form. My first published game was for the Interactive Fiction Competition in 2019. What drew you to this form of storytelling? This isn’t your first time writing interactive fiction. ![]() You can play the first three chapters for free today. ![]() Battlemage: Magic by Mail releases this Thursday, Aug 12th. Will you defend your kingdom with forbidden magic, or backstab the crown? Win tournaments, kiss a prince or princess, or just seize power for yourself! Battlemage: Magic by Mail is a 168,000-word interactive novel by Nic Barkdull I sat down with Nic to talk about his first Choice of Games title and the tropes of this genre. ![]()
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