Stories: The Path of Destinies is 32 tales in one (and it's getting bigger)

Stories: The Path of Destinies is a game about a dashing skypirate fox who rescues his lapine friend from the clutches of an evil, oppressive empire. It's also a game about how the same fox betrays and kills his old comrade in order to save his own hide. At the same time, it's a game where the fox stands alone as he faces down overwhelming odds, no rabbit chum in sight.

The small Canadian team of Spearhead Games may be making a game that sounds like a choose your own adventure, but the emphasis here is on "adventure." Reynardo, our lone wolf… er, fox hero, can collect loot, level up to gain new abilities and spells, and engage in fast-paced combat.

In this sense, The Path of Destinies is an action RPG in the vein of Diablo. The camera hangs overhead in isometric perspective, giving a bird’s-eye view of the gorgeous, stylized environments and animation. Combat has a quick, immediate, and strategic feeling as Reynardo leaps and dodges effortlessly between multiple types of foes, prioritizing his next target on the fly.

His magical sword cleaves through them with a tangible sense of weight and heft. Stunning enemies leaves them open for a particularly brutal overhead smash that leaves nothing but a puddle of blood behind - in other words, this may be rendered like a Saturday morning cartoon, but its content reveals the game to be anything but child-friendly.

As Reynardo fights and moves through the world, an omniscient narrator will describe his actions. Open a treasure chest and the narrator will relate Reynardo's thoughts about how strange it was for the enemy to just leave treasure lying around. Whack a patrolling sentry and the voice might say "'Good night, Gracie,' Reynardo said, as he wondered who 'Gracie' was." It doesn't happen every time; just often enough to remind you this is a story being told through the medium of video games and provide a feeling of cohesion.

All characters are similarly presented through the narrator, who gives different inflections and effects for each, including the smooth-talking Reynardo, his nervous rabbit friend, a croaking toad and a flirty feline. It's impressive and downright riveting to hear The Path of Destinies's narrator switch between voices so quickly and smoothly, and it reinforces the feeling of listening to someone read you a story. The main difference being that here, you get to choose what story will be told.

The Path of Destinies' deviations aren't minor. Depending on which choices you make, characters can live, die, or never be seen in the first place. Levels are uniquely constructed and hold different enemy compositions. The tone of the narration switches. Rescue your rabbit friend and the tale feels almost like Star Wars, with Reynardo playing the part of Han Solo – in this story, there's even a princess to rescue. Decide to fight the ravenous empire with forbidden magic however, and you'll engage on a much darker quest as you search for the fabled Demon Sword.

The build Spearhead showed at PAX had 32 endings, and the team is working to craft more content. I was told the final game will have approximately 22 hours' worth of story content, with each playthrough lasting roughly 6 to 8 hours. Those who optimize their time will be able to see everything with only a handful of completions, while those who take a more unplanned and scattershot route will get far more time out of the game (though depending on the route taken, they may see the same or similar scenes).

I consider myself a fan of narrative-driven games. But that doesn't stop me from enjoying a good dungeon crawl and baddie beatdown, too. Stories: The Path of Destinies looks like it'll offer players both, and I can't wait to see more.

Sam Prell

Sam is a former News Editor here at GamesRadar. His expert words have appeared on many of the web's well-known gaming sites, including Joystiq, Penny Arcade, Destructoid, and G4 Media, among others. Sam has a serious soft spot for MOBAs, MMOs, and emo music. Forever a farm boy, forever a '90s kid.

Latest in Games
Overwatch 2
My hopes for an Overwatch anime or Diablo horror movie are going strong as Blizzard president points out "we are Blizzard Entertainment, and not simply Blizzard Games"
Pokemon Go players brace for the worst as Niantic is sold off for $3.5 billion: "This game is entering its death knell"
Stamp PSP
A 16-year-old pitch for a newly discovered first-party PSP game has me mourning the death of PlayStation's Japan Studio all over again
Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion actor Neil Newbon says he "got rid of" agents who deliberately kept him away from video game gigs: "They just didn't want me to do it"
Mass Effect
Jennifer Hale says she didn't see a single line as Mass Effect's Commander Shepard until it was time to record: "It was all cold reading on the spot"
Baldur's Gate 3 screenshot of a boss turned to gold surrounded by blood
5,000 gold, 2,500 hours, and one priceless scroll: Baldur's Gate 3 player cooks up a "Midas run" by turning the RPG's bosses into solid gold trophies, because "why not"
Latest in Features
Key art for Assassin's Creed Rogue Remastered showing Shay Patrick Cormac in a black and red outfit that's a cross between Assassin and Templar armor, with his ship The Morrigan behind him
Assassin's Creed Shadows can wait – I spent 40 hours mopping up the map in the one game in the series everyone skipped
Avowed screenshot showing a corpse-like figure's face with glowing purple mushroom/spore growths
I thought I was going evil in Avowed, but one quest changed everything I thought I knew about morality in this RPG
Yakuza 0
10 years on, Yakuza 0 is still one of the strongest entry points to a franchise ever made
The Witcher 3 screenshot of Geralt
Avowed and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 tap into the same thing that makes The Witcher 3 so compelling – and it's something I'm always looking for in RPGs
Marvel Rivals Spider-Man
Spider-Man has become every Marvel Rivals player's worst nightmare
The Iron Mask
The 32 greatest swashbuckler movies ever made