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World of Darkness Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest - visual novel with RPG mechanics set in Poland
- Thread starter Infinitron
- Start date
Child of Malkav
Erudite
Woof woof.
orcinator
Liturgist
Awoo
compvet24
Educated
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Actually they are going to depict the exploits of clan Soy Redditor Pupper Doggo, but close
Morpheus Kitami
Liturgist
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Two questions:
1)Is this going to actually be a RPG, or is it going to be a VN that's a *wink wink nudge nudge* RPG?
2)Are any of these "text adventure totally not a VN" games actually good or are they all as bad as these photoshopped artwork leads me to believe? I'm sure they make money, paying a bunch of Poles to crap out a game in 6 months can't cost much.
1)Is this going to actually be a RPG, or is it going to be a VN that's a *wink wink nudge nudge* RPG?
2)Are any of these "text adventure totally not a VN" games actually good or are they all as bad as these photoshopped artwork leads me to believe? I'm sure they make money, paying a bunch of Poles to crap out a game in 6 months can't cost much.
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On GOG too: https://af.gog.com/game/werewolf_the_apocalypse_heart_of_the_forest?as=1649904300
"The new adventure game of savage horror". Surprised they're not labelling it an RPG, it looks like it has stats everywhere.
https://www.gamesradar.com/werewolf...ory-with-a-supernatural-twist-that-you-shape/
"The new adventure game of savage horror". Surprised they're not labelling it an RPG, it looks like it has stats everywhere.
https://www.gamesradar.com/werewolf...ory-with-a-supernatural-twist-that-you-shape/
Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart of the Forest is a dark origin story with a supernatural twist that you shape
Polish myths and legends come alive in our hands-on with Different Tales' visual novel
I can hear a faint, repetitive thud as the ambient sounds of the forest at night surround me. Specks of light that look like stars dance across the crimson red sky, framed by silhouetted trees spiking up from the earth. Words appear and the story begins, and within moments the first prompt is before me. I'm told that this is a game about rage, and how it can both help us do the things we need to do, as well as things we'll come to later regret. So, how do I feel about that? After giving my answer to this question, a big, bright, full moon comes into view, and from that moment on, every decision I make starts to shape the narrative of Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart of the Forest, a darkly atmospheric interactive visual novel coming to PC from developer Different Tales.
Based on the classic systems of the '90s RPG Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Heart of the Forest is set in the World of Darkness universe, which is enjoying a bit of a revival of late with the likes of other upcoming releases like Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 and Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood. Heart of the Forest though puts you in the shoes of Maia, a 24-year-old American woman who sets out to Bialowieza in Poland to uncover the secrets of her mysterious Polish ancestry and learn the truth about her own origin. Plagued by strange dreams that always seem to take place in the same forest, Maia has some kind of innate connection to the setting that pulls her to investigate.
"No right path"
I get the chance to try out the prologue and first chapter of Heart of the Forest, and right from the get-go, it's clear that I'm about to set out on a journey that's moulded by every choice I make. All of the decisions I make are reflected in Maia's personality, which also changes the direction of the story, and affects the reactions and approaches I can take to different events and situations.
Rage and Willpower are resources in the game that enable you to perform certain actions as the story unfolds. Having high Rage, for example, means you can be brazen, direct, and more willing to take action. But it also means you might be less open or empathetic. Some choices can be hard to make, and therefore drain your willpower if you select them, so you have to be mindful of how much willpower you have to ensure you use it when you truly need to. Helpfully, in the top right corner of the screen, I'm able to access my character sheet to keep track of Maia's stats, from her personality assessment to the condition of her mind and body.
With every choice, different facets of Maia's personality start to come together and also determine her overall goal. Sometimes my responses might increase my spiritual side, while others might make me more cunning. My reactions can also change the way a character I encounter feels about me. So someone might be friendly, while another becomes hostile. As the game informs me, "There's no right path here, just your decisions and their consequences." I play through the first chapter twice to see just how much my decisions alter the outcome and Maia's perception, and it really did turn out to be entirely different the second time around.
Family history
As it is an interactive visual novel, you'll be reading a lot of text, but the writing paints a very visceral picture of the events that unfold, so it never feels overly dense. The sound design really adds to the immersive experience and does well to really put you in the moment. While the story is in part left up to your imagination, each section is also accompanied by illustrations with a unique, stylised aesthetic, made up of bold colours and a mixture of drawing and photography that really pops.
Through the writing, ambient sounds, and illustrations, the story that begins to unfold before me is as atmospheric as it is intriguing. After arriving in Bialowieza, Maia meets Daniel, a man well acquainted with the forest who acts as my guide. I'm presented with a map, and have to set out to three different locations in a bid to uncover more about Maia's connection to this place, and hopefully get one step closer to finding out the reason she's been having these strange dreams.
From a wolf den to the barrows, and later to a place of power, each location you visit in the game is based on real-world areas and legends. Bialowieza Forest itself sets the scene for Maia's adventure because it's said to be one of the few remaining primeval forests in Europe, with many myths and stories bred from the area. Maia feels some mysterious pull that draws her to find the hidden secrets of these locations, and I try to gear my responses to advance Maia's goal, which in this instance is to learn about her family history.
Like Maia, it seems that many feel deeply connected to this setting, which poses plenty of intrigue about where the story will go. Interestingly, as well as its ties to the supernatural, Heart of the Forest also manages to touch on environmental issues too, including deforestation.
At the end of the chapter, I discover that my choices have led Maia to fall under one of the five auspices available in the game - New Moon, Crescent Moon, Half Moon, Gibbous Moon, and Full Moon - which shape the kind of person she is under the werewolf society known as Garou. Someone born under the New Moon is said to be destined to be masters of stealth, trickery, and guile, while those born under the Crescent Moon are more spiritualistic.
A werewolf born under the Half Moon are known as judges and balancers who can make wise decisions, while the Gibbous Moon auspice is for someone who's destined to be a storyteller and lore keeper. Finally, Garou born under a Full Moon are spirit warriors and the most vicious of their kind. The first time around, the Maia I play turns out to be a Seer born under the Crescent Moon based on my low rage and high spiritual personality. The second time, I end up taking a more rage-fueled, brash approach, leading me to be a warrior born under the Full Moon.
As someone who's a big fan of the visual novel genre, the systems and amount of weight your choices have left me eager to play more. With its immersive storytelling, eye-grabbing art style, and mysterious narrative, I can't help but wonder where Maia's story will go next.
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Maxie
Guest
Sorcery! but for furries
Vlajdermen
Arcane
Viktor: a Steampunk Adventure, Trip the Ark Fantastic, Heart of the Forest. Catholic Slavs are bringing about a goden age of furry adventure games.
LESS T_T
Arcane
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- Oct 5, 2012
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- 13,582
https://store.steampowered.com/newshub/app/1342620/view/2749962221391468438
So what is Heart of the Forest about?
Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart of the Forest throws you deep into a primeval wilderness in the center of modern Europe. It’s where the protectors of nature wage their ancient, neverending war against the forces of destruction.
You play as Maia, who comes to Poland hoping to trace her family roots. Trying to learn more about her ancestry, she will discover her family’s dark secrets and reveal hidden truths about the last wilderness of Central Europe.
We decided to show real-world places of mystery and power into the game. We will also show you local legends, traditions, and the history of Polish-Belarusian borderlands.
When playing through the game, you will need to mind your statistics as they determine your available choices and influence the overall presentation of every scene.
Rage is your main resource. The higher your Rage, the more go-getting and aggressive you become. However, this makes your perception quite binary, and you become unable to see all the shades of grey. Low Rage brings empathy and openness but also makes you fearful and less willing to act.
Willpower is the resource you need to control yourself, and also to not get carried by your Rage. If you let it drop to zero, you won’t be able to deal with many problems and situations. You gain Willpower by exploring the world, becoming better acquainted with it, and understanding it.
Personality describes the kind of person you are in the game world. There are 5 auspices available, which determine the ways you can approach any character, obstacle, or situation. Early in the game, your personality will be shaped by your natural choices. Later on, you will have to choose your auspice and determine your true nature.
Why did we choose Puszcza Bialowieska as the setting?
The Bialowieza Forest, also known as the Puszcza or Puszcza Białowieska, is one of the last primeval forests in Europe, located in Poland. It’s a special place where nature exists in its most primal form right next to the big industry.
The Puszcza is a vast area full of myths and legends, which you will also find in our game. The first people settled here 2,000 years ago, but their presence remained relatively limited. This makes it a perfect setting for a World of Darkness story.
The forest is where the wild survive in large part because of human influences, as, in the light of the changing climate, care and protection are absolutely crucial for the ecosystem. In recent years, large protests were held in the Puszcza against deforestation. This lets us ask questions that have always been relevant to Werewolf: The Apocalypse.
Where should our interference in nature end?
Aren’t we morally bound to interfere?
How far would you go for a good cause?
And last but not least, the word from Artur Ganszyniec, co-founder of Different Tales
Who could’ve foreseen that one day I’d be making a Werewolf: The Apocalypse game? And to think it all started with me being bit by a dog. Really!
It was in the ‘90s. I was walking back home from somewhere when a German shepherd grabbed me and tore my jeans. Its owner gave me money for a new pair. My mom stitched the pants together and I used the money to buy my first Werewolf: The Apocalypse rulebook.
I’m not the only World of Darkness fan here, by the way. Everyone at Different Tales and Walkabout Games are avid players. Piotrek, Jacek, and I used to run sessions and write scenarios (Jacek, a fan of everything dark, also dabbling with Call of Cthulhu and Kult RPG ). Our writers Joanna and Marta were Werewolf players, both tabletop and LARP.
To us, creating this game is like a 20-year-old dream come true.
We’re excited that we got this chance to tell you a story set in the world of Werewolf: the Apocalypse, and set in Poland. We believe that we have more than enough incredible stories and legends worth showcasing in our beloved universe.
I’d like to also stress out that your opinion matters. Piotr is waiting for your feedback, and he’ll be glad to talk with you. Or to send you a funny gif.
Thanks for reading!
Artur
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DraQ
Arcane
I wonder if Szyszko will be the main antagonist.
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And of course this is Outstar's next interview:
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Steam demo now available.
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fantadomat
Arcane
Last edited by a moderator:
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Played the demo. Very slow burner; nothing much happens other than some strange dreams and a peaceful walk through the forest. Apparently there will be a conflict with some loggers later in the game, which figures. Not bad, but not enthused about it either.
Edit: Replayed and went full-anger. A lot more violence in the dream sequences and it was amusing alienating everyone I came across. Pretty decent as far as reactivity goes though of course you're going through the same narrative.
Edit 2: This is from the project lead and lead writer of the first Witcher so one would think more Poles around here would be interested. Guess they're only into "real" games.
Edit: Replayed and went full-anger. A lot more violence in the dream sequences and it was amusing alienating everyone I came across. Pretty decent as far as reactivity goes though of course you're going through the same narrative.
Edit 2: This is from the project lead and lead writer of the first Witcher so one would think more Poles around here would be interested. Guess they're only into "real" games.
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- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
- Messages
- 97,437
Oh, coming October 13th:
Last edited:
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https://store.steampowered.com/newshub/app/1342620/view/2888454251883945190
Get to know more about Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest
Hi there!
I’m Piotr from Walkabout Games. It's great to be here in the Steam Game Festival with Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart of the Forest.
You can check out the preview by GamesRadar.
Or let me walk you through what's amazing about this for Werewolf fans like yourself!
Why not start by watching the trailer?
Did you like it? I hope so! The art used to create it will also appear in the game.
You can wishlist the game on Steam right now, to be the first to know about its release on October 13, 2020.
So what is Heart of the Forest about?
Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart of the Forest throws you deep into a primeval wilderness in the center of modern Europe. It’s where the protectors of nature wage their ancient, neverending war against the forces of destruction.
You play as Maia, who comes to Poland hoping to trace her family roots. Trying to learn more about her ancestry, she will discover her family’s dark secrets and reveal hidden truths about the last wilderness of Central Europe.
We decided to show real-world places of mystery and power into the game. We will also show you local legends, traditions, and the history of Polish-Belarusian borderlands.
When playing through the game, you will need to mind your statistics as they determine your available choices and influence the overall presentation of every scene.
Rage is your main resource. The higher your Rage, the more go-getting and aggressive you become. However, this makes your perception quite binary, and you become unable to see all the shades of grey. Low Rage brings empathy and openness but also makes you fearful and less willing to act.
Willpower is the resource you need to control yourself, and also to not get carried by your Rage. If you let it drop to zero, you won’t be able to deal with many problems and situations. You gain Willpower by exploring the world, becoming better acquainted with it, and understanding it.
Personality describes the kind of person you are in the game world. There are 5 auspices available, which determine the ways you can approach any character, obstacle, or situation. Early in the game, your personality will be shaped by your natural choices. Later on, you will have to choose your auspice and determine your true nature.
Why did we choose Puszcza Bialowieska as the setting?
The Bialowieza Forest, also known as the Puszcza or Puszcza Białowieska, is one of the last primeval forests in Europe, located in Poland. It’s a special place where nature exists in its most primal form right next to the big industry.
The Puszcza is a vast area full of myths and legends, which you will also find in our game. The first people settled here 2,000 years ago, but their presence remained relatively limited. This makes it a perfect setting for a World of Darkness story.
The forest is where the wild survive in large part because of human influences, as, in the light of the changing climate, care and protection are absolutely crucial for the ecosystem. In recent years, large protests were held in the Puszcza against deforestation. This lets us ask questions that have always been relevant to Werewolf: The Apocalypse.
Where should our interference in nature end?
Aren’t we morally bound to interfere?
How far would you go for a good cause?
And last but not least, the word from Artur Ganszyniec, co-founder of Different Tales
Who could’ve foreseen that one day I’d be making a Werewolf: The Apocalypse game? And to think it all started with me being bit by a dog. Really!
It was in the ‘90s. I was walking back home from somewhere when a German shepherd grabbed me and tore my jeans. Its owner gave me money for a new pair. My mom stitched the pants together and I used the money to buy my first Werewolf: The Apocalypse rulebook.
I’m not the only World of Darkness fan here, by the way. Everyone at Different Tales and Walkabout Games are avid players. Piotrek, Jacek, and I used to run sessions and write scenarios (Jacek, a fan of everything dark, also dabbling with Call of Cthulhu and Kult RPG ). Our writers Joanna and Marta were Werewolf players, both tabletop and LARP.
To us, creating this game is like a 20-year-old dream come true.
We’re excited that we got this chance to tell you a story set in the world of Werewolf: the Apocalypse, and set in Poland. We believe that we have more than enough incredible stories and legends worth showcasing in our beloved universe.
I’d like to also stress out that your opinion matters. Piotr is waiting for your feedback, and he’ll be glad to talk with you. Or to send you a funny gif.
Thanks for reading!
Artur
We would love to hear more from you.
Follow our game on Steam:
- Talk to us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/differenttales
- Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/differenttales/
- Join the official World of Darkness Discord: https://discord.gg/worldofdarkness
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