Fairy Tales: Three Heroes from the Russian developer Cats who play is on sale (this weekend only) on Stardock’s Impulse for $19.99. I was intrigued by the Russian folk tale setting and the cel-shaded storybook art style. I got a King’s Bounty: The Legend vibe from them and bought the game.
It seems to be a simple action adventure with fighting, missions and character advancement. I’ve just had a quick try so far. There are apparently three heroes you can switch between like in Trine. Here’s a couple of screen shots: talking and fighting. Videos are also available and so is some game music.
I really liked the 3D title screen with the three heroes lounging about and the folk-like music reminded me of King of Dragon Pass. I feel I got my money’s worth from this alone, I was so pleased by it. The starting location with the tippable pig and the oversized fruit also made me happy. It’s been a while since just starting up a new game provided so much amusement. I almost don’t care any more whether the actual game is any good.
The developer site also lists a game called Parphenty the Cat: Adventures in the country. It doesn’t seem to be available in English yet. It actually looked more interesting than Three Heroes. Jumping on the roofs of a ramshackle fairy tale Russian country village could be a nice diversion and looks kid friendly. There are several videos of this behind the video link above. There are also videos of a kitten’s adventures in an apartment with the same game engine for the more city-minded cat friends. Nice stuff.
I also love the crazy English throughout the site and the game and the names. The more exotic the better, I say. Enough with the generic western Johns an Jacks, in with the Slavic strangeness.