Tales of Illyria Now Includes [Native] Multi-Language Support

The latest update to Tales of Illyria introduced native language packs for the game. The translations are not spot on, which means it’s possible there are be context issues, but the good news is that now you can enjoy the finely crafted events and story in your language of choice.

Tales of Illyria Language Packs

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Which In-Game Event is Your Favorite and Why?

Tales of Illyria is jam-packed with so many unique encounters, that during your play sessions you had to have experienced at least one or two events that stuck with you. In the interest of reveling in the massive amount of content that the game offers, please share with the team and community your favorite events!

Crippled Black Bird

Which events do you remember most? Why were they so special, and why do you like them? The team would love to hear your thoughts, especially since we’re currently working on the sequel. Who knows, maybe your opinion will even encourage us to deliver more events like it!

Were there any events you didn’t like? Which ones were the most difficult? Did you experience any that were a lot of fun?

Feel free to drop a line here or on one of our social profiles!

Tales of Illyria Available on the GameStick at Launch

As you know, we previously announced that Tales of Illyria is available for the OUYA Android game console. We are also proud to announce that TOI will be playable on the GameStick when it launches later this month!

In case you’ve never heard of it (and if that’s so you’re probably living under a rock), the GameStick is an ultra-portable Android game console in the same vein as the OUYA. The GameStick is simply an HDMI stick about the size of a USB drive paired with a Bluetooth gamepad. For quick storage, the stick actually slides right into the back of the controller. Obviously, the entire setup allows you to display Android games, media and apps on a big screen TV through an HDMI port.

GameStick

We’re still working hard to bring Tales of Illyria to other platforms, so please be patient with us. We do have plans to release TOI on iOS, PC and more. We’re also exploring the idea of implementing cloud saving support so that you can continue your playthrough across multiple devices.

As always, thank you for continuing to support our game and the team! Look out for the GameStick coming soon, it’s currently scheduled to launch on Oct 29, 2013.

Have You Read the Illyrian Codex Yet?

One of the team’s talented writers (Mike Hanson) put together a rather lengthy codex, which chronicles Illyrian lore and provides a more in-depth backstory for the game. Recently, we adapted the codex for online viewing and pushed it live here on the site. If you haven’t had the chance to check it out, you should go and do that.

You can read the Illyrian codex here.

Illyrian Codex Banner

Many of you are probably wondering why we would feature a post on the codex itself. It’s because the codex is a completely standalone project that was created to entertain our loyal fans. Just like the game is meant to be experienced, so is the codex. We believe that it adds to the game immensely, and many players have expressed the same opinion. The codex is actually available through the game, and can be viewed while the data files are being downloaded and installed.

It explains nearly everything about Illyria, including the climate, creatures and inhabitants, local culture and more. Ever wonder where the dreaded Anthra came from? Want to know what the Feylanorians generally eat for dinner? Want to know what the most resourceful city in Kourmar is? All of these answers can be found in the pages of the codex.

It includes over 35,000 words, and about 23 chapters of themed content. One could say we really did our homework before putting this game together. We’d encourage you to do the same!

Have you read the codex? What did you think? Do you feel it adds to the game? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Beat the Game… Now What?

So you have beaten the game, which in turn means that you have invested 20-30 hours into it. What do you do now?

If you still want your Tales of Illyria fix and don’t want to wait for the sequel, we recommend starting another play-through! There are so many unique events and encounters in the game that it’s likely you missed a few during your first run. Better yet, our talented writers are continuously adding content to the game and tweaking existing content for the better. Our most recent addition was a series of high level events (8+) that introduced a whole new quest-line for players to complete.

Try making different choices on your next play-through. Take Kassel to a brothel or two, make a bad choice and keep him happy. Turn Elric evil by pillaging, stealing, or murdering when you have the opportunity. Sure, that sounds a bit gruesome, but the team worked tirelessly to offer various paths for these events. We want our players to experience all that the game has to offer!

toi_intro

There are lots of hidden [and not so hidden] goodies in the game too. We’re not giving away any secrets here though, sorry! You’ll have to play the game for yourself.

If you had an experience in the game that you’d like to share with the community you can always leave a comment here on one of our posts, or you can pay a visit to the official forum! We also welcome suggestions from our players, and we’d love to hear what you think of the game!

Did you encounter any events that you didn’t like? Did you find it more difficult to play as an “evil Elric” instead of a noble one? Do you think we should have added more trolls to fight?

Feel free to share!

Tales of Illyria is Now Available for the OUYA!

We promised the game would soon be available for more platforms and yet again we’ve come through! Tales of Illyria is now available for OUYA, the infamous Android game console. If you have one in your possession you can get the game through the OUYA marketplace or by visiting this link.

OUYA console

We still have a lot of work to do, because we’ll be porting the game to even more platforms soon. In the meantime, let us know how you’re enjoying the game so far! Have you had a chance to play TOI on your big screen TV using a MOGA or OUYA console? Feel free to share your experiences with the community down in the comments.

Calling All Noobs: What is Tales of Illyria?

Obviously, not everyone that comes across this site has had a chance to play Tales of Illyria. While the site does a great job at describing the mechanics and gameplay this is a great time as any to get you acquainted with the game.

What is Tales of Illyria?

Tales of Illyria is a unique party-based RPG that simulates the experience of a traditional pen and paper role playing game. What sets TOI apart from other games, is the unique gameplay and turn based mechanics. One of our main sources of inspiration when we designed the game was Oregon Trail. Like Oregon Trail, you are on an epic journey, and you must manage all aspects of your party, right down to the supplies you carry.

TOI Screenshot 6

Your party is subject to all the dangers of pre-modern era travel. The weather, disease, access to food and water, and bandits provide a constant threat to your party and mission. As the party travels, seasons change and so does the world around you.

How Do You Play the Game?

The honest truth is that this is a video game, not a novel or a movie. That means, at some point you need to play it in order to experience the content. Many will wonder how you interact with this game, especially since there is so much text-based content.

It plays like this: You travel between locations on a world map, which includes moving from large cities, to towns all over the countryside. While traveling between locations you are taken to the trail based gameplay. While on the trail, you have a chance to encounter random or story driven events (provided you are in the right area). The events are the driving force in the game. You may encounter enemies, sub-quests, or even player character backstories.

TOI Screenshot 8

Throughout everything, you must manage your supplies and party health. Food and water are absolutely essential to your survival in the game. Without the proper supplies your party slowly dwindles away, just like what would happen in the real world.

There’s a lot more to the game than what’s been described here, but we don’t want to spoil the fun for you.

What is the Most Prominent Feature?

The story has been crafted by a skilled team of writers and includes more than 275,000 words. If you do the math, that’s over four complete novels worth of content. It’s no secret that there’s a lot of reading involved when it comes to playing this game, but the team is proud of that.

Tales of Illyria certainly won’t be ideal for everyone, but we’d encourage you to at least give it a try. It is a labor of love, and the team has worked tirelessly on fleshing out the world and the game.

We will continue to do so long into the future, and that includes any potential sequels. We hope you enjoy the game as much as we enjoyed developing it.

Help Us Shape the Future [of Illyria]

As the team continues to develop the sequel, we are also continuously revamping the first game. Over time, we’ve added new events, gameplay mechanics, UI enhancements and lots more. If you have been following the first game and watching the update and patch notes on Google Play, you probably know that already.

intro_kourmar2

Our development team does their absolute best to work with the community. Many have offered suggestions on Facebook, on Google Play and on the forums. In fact, without the help of many members in the official game forum, we wouldn’t be where we are today.

We would like to open up this post and allow you to do the same here.

Please feel free to share reflections on the first game. This is your chance to tell us all about those ideas you may have been mulling over. What would you like to see in the sequel? What did you have issues with the first time around? What did you like most, and would you love to see more of it?

Remember, constructive criticism is the most helpful because it allows us to better understand why you didn’t like something, or adversely why you loved it.

How to Spend a Saturday in Illyria

It’s the weekend! Hopefully you’re not working behind a desk or shoveling horse dung in a stable.

If you’re in Illyria you’re surely trudging along those dreadful trails, managing your supplies and trying to avoid dangerous parties. In the interest of week’s end, we thought we’d explore some of the best ways to spend your Saturday in the land of Illyria.

Illyria Summer

First Things First

Before you do anything in Illyria, you’ll need a trusty steed. Not only will they help you travel the wide expanse of the country much faster, but they’ll also afford you more storage space for supplies. You don’t want to be caught out on the open trail without food and water.

Make sure you have those blades sharpened, staves sanded down smooth and arrows nocked. There are all sorts of baddies roaming the land, and the last thing you need is a limb torn off because you ran out of arrows.

The Illyrian countryside is beautiful, but make no mistake about it, it’s a very unforgiving place.

Spend Some Time in the Wild

TOI Screenshot 11

One of the best things to do in the country is to camp out in the open wilderness. It’s likely that while out in the wild you’ll encounter all manner of creatures. Don’t be frightened, though many are extremely volatile they are certainly interesting to watch. Of course, you’ll need to bolster your stealth skills if you want to monitor them from a distance unnoticed. You’ll also have to live on uncooked meats and without the comfort of warmth, as a campfire will surely give you away.

Tortha Should be a Kingdom You Visit

Though Gareth the King of Hysperia might disagree, Tortha is a very interesting place to visit. Since it was the first kingdom to fall and the first to lose its almighty lord Tortha is now in a state of disarray. Don’t take that to mean that it is hostile territory however. Because Hysperia has no tangible rule over this vassal, the people are divided in many ways. The varying cultures, beliefs and practices that make up this single kingdom are certainly worth checking out!

Visit the Lovely Streets of Narcena

The city of Nycenia

Okay so maybe Narcena is pretty much a steaming pile of filth. The streets are disgusting, the people are virulent and despite the nearby coastline the city is, well… it’s not that attractive. Then again, you don’t visit Narcena for the visual aesthetics.

Rumors mention that Nycenia is home to the infamous Sparrow, leader of the thieves guild. The group is hiding somewhere in the vast realm and they’re always on the lookout for potential members. If you can build yourself a decent reputation in Illyria, perhaps you’ll be called upon by the guild during your travels?

The Great Dividing Wall

To the north lies Vasena, a land of mystery and magick. No one has seen or heard from the country since the great wall was constructed ages ago. The wall itself is a sight to behold, it’s a great spot to visit for the adventurous. Many even claim they can even hear alien voices and noises drifting over from the opposite side in the early hours of morning, just before the sun has moved past the horizon.

An old wives tale speaks of a certain merchant known as the candy man. Though no evidence suggests that such a man is real, many believe there is credence to this old tale. If you do encounter this mysterious spectre, make sure you’re stocked up on gold for he apparently has a very rare and desirable selection of goods.

To be Continued…

Vasenian City

There are many more things to do in the land of Illyria, this is but a taste. Stay tuned for lots of other great ways to spend your weekend.