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About the Story
Fight the sea god's wrath to reclaim your throne, and free yourself from the ghosts of war. Will you live forever as a hero, a sovereign, or as a god?
"An Odyssey: Echoes of War" is an interactive retelling of Homer's "The Odyssey" by Natalia Theodoridou, where your choices control the story. It's entirely text-based—250,000 words, without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.
The war is over—Troy has fallen. After ten long years, you, the crown sovereign of Ithaca, have set your sails for home. But Poseidon, god of the sea, has cursed your journey, and now, many trials stand between you and the loving embrace of your spouse and son: Polyphemus the Cyclops, Scylla and Charybdis, the Sirens, the Land of the Lotus-Eaters…you and your companions will even journey to the land of the dead.
And what about the memories that haunt you: the ghosts of those that you slew on the fields of battle? Do you even want to return to your spouse and the burdens of rulership? What if you find love or peace somewhere along the way? Not all homes look the same. And what songs will the poets sing of you—will they hail you as a hero?…Or a murderer?
• Play as a female, male, or non-binary, cis or trans; gay, straight, bi, aro and/or ace; monogamous or polyamorous.
• Lead your crew across the wine-dark sea, home to Ithaca—or fall prey to the many temptations along the way.
• Make your way as a leader, a fighter, or rely on your notorious silver tongue as the protean hero of The Odyssey.
• Build your reputation and make sure you are remembered as a hero--or redefine the meaning of heroism itself.
• Prove yourself to the gods and claim your place in the pantheon as a god yourself.
• Face your personal demons and the actual monsters of ancient Greece: the Cyclops, the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, and the Hydra!
• Return to the loving embrace of your spouse and son who wait for you in Ithaca, or make a new home for yourself along the way.
• Travel to the underworld—but make sure you can pay the ferryman, and tame the three-headed Cerberus!
They say you can't go home again…
Ratings and Reviews
This game, in my opinion, faithfully captures much of the feel of the Odyssey.
In it, you play a greek hero (or from a neighboring country), child of a god (which one is your parent is selectable), trying to get home after sacking Troy.
It recreates many of the familiar scenes but leaves several surprises. So, for instance, you can visit the Lotus eaters or the cave of the cyclops, but you could just as well end up recreating the Labors of Hercules.
This is currently one of the top contenders for 'Most underrated game' on the choice of games website, and it makes sense, both that it is underrated and that people like it.
It makes sense that it is underrated because it uses loss, failure, and fate for a stronger narrative. I've seen before that Choicescript games that focus on those tend to be less popular, since they make players feel like their choices either are wrong or don't matter.
On the other hand, they do combine to make an interesting tale, and I felt like the ending choices especially did a good job of setting up competing interests.
It was a bummer that the game sets you up as married and also as having many possible love interests. It's completely faithful to the original story, but it makes all romances besides your wife cheating.
Overall, the writing on this is strong, at the expense of reduced player freedom.
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Game Details
First Publication Date: December 26, 2019
Current Version: Unknown
License: Commercial
Development System: ChoiceScript
IFID: Unknown
TUID: q0j72d9mdq7abjqw
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This is version 1 of this page, edited by Dan Fabulich on 16 January 2020 at 12:57am. - View Update History - Edit This Page - Add a News Item - Delete This Page
