Do you like horror and mystery? Do you like classic dice-based RPGs? Do you like to read?! Then the latest entry in the “Gamebook” market from Cubus Games, The Sinister Fairground is up your alley! In a world where people are reading less and gaming more, it is refreshing to see this genre gaining more and more popularity!
When I was a kid I would read the “choose your own adventure” books all the time. Then I remember when computer games started to adapt these into playable adventures, so I can really appreciate where these come from. But what really sets The Sinister Fairground apart from all of the others? Let’s find out!
I had to the opportunity to get my hands on the game before its release, so I put on my headphones and dived right in! Right away you are swept into an eerie environment, which is delivered nicely by the original soundtrack. Your character is called “The Lead” and you are going out to meet your girlfriend Sophia for an evening walk. Before leaving the house you have the option to load up your backpack with supplies.These include your first weapon, some health restoring items, and more. Already this game delivers one of the mainstays of any RPG game, the character’s inventory. Oh and make sure you choose to kiss your mother before leaving.
Before you know it you’re on your way to meet Sophia at the fair! Reading is a major facet of the game, and the storyteller does a great job setting up the environment and matching their descriptions to the ghoulish soundtrack that plays in the background. Before you even get into the fair you will/can be faced with dice-rolling situations and perilous events! What I enjoy about this game is its ability to really engage the player! Entering the fair takes away all of your cash so you will have to find some during your adventure within. The creepy man-thing from the logo is at the ticket booth and with an ominous speech let’s you into the fair.
There are some small adventures to go on before getting to the fortune tellers booth where you agreed to meet Sophia. But then she doesn’t show! After a half-hour you use your mobile phone to call her. But it isn’t Sophia who picks up! You hear some creepy voice on the other end, then nightmare begins! Your adventure at this sinister fairground has begun!
The map opens up and you can choose between a couple of locals to advance the game. At each location you read/play through a series events and you decide which choice leads to which consequence. If you pull the level you may not live to see another day! If you go the wrong way you may be killed or crushed by something! This is what makes the game a lot of fun! At any point you could face a perilous situation and either have to roll the dice to survive or duel a monster of some sort! If you die, don’t worry. You have something called Hero Points that you can use to revive yourself. It can be useful, especially since when you die you have to start over. But once you run out you can’t continue, and you’ll have to start the location again with better choices this time around!
Fighting monsters is based around rolling the dice as well. Right from the start of your adventure inside the fairgrounds, you face your first monster. With a a huge roster of baddies to fight and weapons to kill them with, this game doesn’t hold back on its item selection! Don’t forget to heal yourself after a duel, you don’t recover your health over time. They even have riddles that you have to solve by typing the answer! The game is pretty in-depth, with the use of armor, weapons, and curatives, The Sinister Fairground will definitely interest those with a soft-spot for the classic RPG.
The Sinister Fairground is well worth the investment when considering that there various paths to take through the story and also that each round requires multiple sessions. As I said before, I really found the game to be engaging. It did a great job at balancing the reading, fighting, rolling, and so on. The reading itself was very engaging, as you felt excited to see what the results of your choices were. Any fan of horror books, rpg video games, and the classic CYOA tales, will get a kick out of how far gamebooks, like this one, have elevated the genre.
A horrifying adventure through a fairground of weird characters, dangers, challenges and quizzes. The travelling fairground has set up just outside your village. You have arranged to meet your girlfriend Sophia next to the fortune teller’s stand just as the sun goes down, to go on the attractions and have an evening of fun together. However, she fails to turn up. You are alarmed and start to look for her. You don’t take long to find out that this place is not at all what it seems. Terror, magic and fantasy lie in wait for you around every corner, on every attraction and in every show. Places full of strange creatures you will have to interact with either to get them out of your way or to get their help. You’ll have to try your hardest if you want to find Sophia and save her from the sinister evil that seeps through everything!
- Interactive terror adventure
- You are the main character
- Balance between reading and playing
- Choose which attraction you are going to see on the map
- 700 sections of literary quality
- More than 45 minutes of original music
- Discover more than 60 characters
- Find and use up to 100 objects
- Solve riddles and enigmas
- Many challenges and dangers to overcome
- High replayability
- Available in Spanish and English- Switchable language from English to Spanish and vice versa at any time
Will you manage to save Sophia? Cubus Games is a team of gamebook enthusiasts (artists, writers, musicians and developers) who bring you original interactive stories (gamebook apps). Live out your own adventures with multiple choices, original soundtrack, great illustrations, and addictive challenges in different worlds of sci-fi, terror, fantasy, steampunk, kaiju… Imagine how far you want to go, and go for it.
Want to join? A great adventure starts with a choice!
Official Website: www.cubusgames.com
Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CubusGames
Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cubusgames
The Sinister Fairground from Cubus Games is available NOW for $3.99 on the AppStore for all iOS devices!
The Sinister Fairground : A
~CynicNerd
