Why isn’t there a mind-blowing King Arthur game or a title starring Odysseus? It’s tough to say, but soon quite a few literary legends will finally make their way to video games. Digital Tales and Intragames are working on Bookbound Brigade, a Metroidvania set to launch on the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC sometime this year. While it sounds like an after school gathering to earn emergency extra credit, it’s actually a 2D, side-scrolling adventure featuring a host of literary and historical figures. Those who attend gamescom 2019 in Germany will get their hands on the title first. The game does not yet have a firm release date.
In Bookbound Brigade, a team of literary and historical icons must avenge the world ruined by the theft of the Book of Books. As many may have already guessed, this text contains within it every work of fiction and non-fiction written in human history. Unsurprisingly, it will take a special kind of crew to resolve the world’s newfound troubles. This merry band of misfits will assemble the likes of Count Dracula, Nikola Tesla, King Arthur, Queen Victoria, Cassandra, Dorothy Gale, Sun Wukong the Monkey King, and Robin Hood.
Players should anticipate Bookbound Brigade to meet the typical Metroidvania standards, such as exploring, backtracking, leveling up, and puzzle-solving. However, this will all come with a twist that aims to subvert genre tropes. The twist appears evident in the way in which the game is played. Instead of assuming the role of a single hero, players adopt a “party of unique characters, each with their own traits and skills, who move in formation and fight as one,” according to Intragames.
Bookbound Brigade will also differ from other Metroidvania titles due to its art style. As opposed to pixel art, expect to see art inspired by illustrations throughout literary history. Get a taste of this and more in the game’s announcement trailer below:
Gamescom 2019, where Bookbound Brigade will soon be playable, will kick off on August 20th in Cologne, Germany.
[Source: Intragames via Gematsu]
