My new app for Choice of Games is called "Champion of the Gods". Here are ten things you should know about it:
1. "Champion" is an interactive novel
You'll notice right away that "Champion" is written in the second person, putting you in the center of the action. For all intents and purposes, you are the protagonist of this tale: a warrior from ancient times, blessed with great powers, and haunted by a mysterious destiny.
But you won't be sitting back and watching your story unfold on its own. Every few paragraphs, "Champion" will ask you to make choices about your character--how they fight, what they say, and even how they feel. Over time, these choices will change your story in ways large and small, unlocking subplots and new challenges, coloring the way your character perceives the world of the book, affecting the way other characters treat you, and (eventually) capping things off, for better or worse, with a tailor-made ending.
Unhappy with your fate? Just start the book again, and make different choices--you'll be surprised how much can change.
2. The world of "Champion" draws on the culture of Ancient Greece
The world of "Champion" was inspired by Ancient Greece, and a number of the cultural concepts that recur in the story are based in fact--particularly those that explore religious custom.
However, "Champion"'s world is more progressive than the ancient one really was, especially with regard to matters of gender and sexuality. (And this is probably a good time to mention that your warrior can be male or female; straight, gay, or bisexual.)
3. The plot of "Champion" takes inspiration from ancient myths, but it doesn't retell them
Although the plot of "Champion" makes nods to Greece's heroic myths, it doesn't copy those stories outright--it remixes them. Names are changed, aspects of different stories are merged, rules are broken and put back together again. While playing "Champion", you will know that you are in the myths, but you will never know quite which one you are in, or what to expect while you're in it.
4. In "Champion" you will meet gods, and possibly upset them
In "Champion", the gods are not unseen forces--they are living beings who interact with their followers, just as they did in the Greek myths. Their influence shapes the lives of the story's characters, such that faith becomes less a matter of personal conviction, and more like the law. (That said, you are free to disobey it.)
5. "Champion" is a game, but you don't have to play to win
If you are playing "Champion" strategically, you will want to pay close attention to the strengths and weaknesses of the character you have developed.
The app even contains a "stats screen," so you can see how your character stacks up: How merciful are they? How deceptive? How speedy? How haughty?
Play to your character's strengths, and you'll find that the world is a lot more forgiving. Play for kicks, and you'll get into trouble--but the trouble will still be fun.
Either way, your character will make it to the final chapter somehow; if they've chosen wisely, they may even survive it.
6. "Champion" is an immersive experience
Apart from cover art and chapter headers, "Champion" has no illustrations at all--technically speaking, the only real graphics are the bars on its stats screen. So it may be hard to believe that it will be an immersive experience. But I'm here to tell you: Choice of Games apps have a knack for making their stories matter to you personally, and this one has a lot of tricks up its sleeve.
So if you commute by train or bus, be warned: make the right choices (or even some of the wrong ones) and you may well miss your stop.
7. Your character's powers are pretty neat
Early in the story, you'll be given the opportunity to choose between great strength, speed, or resilience as your primary power. As the plot unfolds, you'll have the opportunity to add more epic skills (and perhaps even divine gifts) to the mix. If you are a "gamer of action," prepare to drink deep from the well of awesome.
8. "Champion" includes as much romance as you want, or as little
There are three romances of consequence in "Champion". You are free to explore all of them, even if it sets you up for trouble--but if you'd prefer to remain unburdened by matters of the heart, you can opt out of one, two, or all three.
Committed partner or conflicted lover? Lothario or lone wolf? The choice is yours.
9. "Champion" will read your horoscope
That's right, your character's personality traits will result in a live "horoscope" that shows up on your stats screen. Will you receive the Sign of the Eagle, the Sign of the Sheep...or the Snake?
10. There's more where "Champion" came from
Choice of Games is an interactive fiction company that's effectively blurring the line between books and computer gaming, with titles that bring the gamebooks of yore into the digital age.
"Champion of the Gods" is my second title for Choice of Games, after 2011's "The Fleet". You can read more about the full list of Choice of Games titles here.