In 2020 I wrote an interactive novel for Choice of Games, called Kidnapped! A Royal Birthday. You play as a damsel in distress, and take command of an inept but well-intended group of rescuers. It’s a comedy set in a fantasy kingdom, a lot like The Princess Bride meets A Game of Thrones. You can play a free demo HERE.
In Kidnapped! A Royal Birthday, you’ll battle the three-headed chimera, the two-eyed biclops, and a horde of insatiable gnomes! (They’re surprisingly dangerous after a few drinks.) Wield swords, magic, or fight with your wits and grace. If all else fails, pummel your enemies with a chamberpot tied to a stick.
- Act like a damsel in distress (or an imperiled lad) and let your rescuers do the work, or grab a sword and fight your own battles.
- Unravel the conspiracy behind your abduction and thwart your scheming siblings.
- Side with the aristocrats, or join a peasant rebellion.
- Gain stature to prove that you are the one true Heir.
- Harness fairy magic to bewilder and defeat your foes!
- Find love with any of your rescuers…or marry a goblin. (You know you’re curious.)
- Bring peace to the kingdom, or revel in the chaos of civil war.
When the game launched I did an author interview for the Choice of Game Blog. Here’s a quote that sums up the game nicely:
Because the Player is the one getting rescued in this game, I thought about the kinds of heroes that players usually control in a fantasy game. The knight, the Amazon, the enchantress, the simple peasant with a grand destiny. Each one of them thinks they are the hero of this story.
It’s like playing an online RPG with a group of strangers who can’t function as a group without someone to lead them, and that’s where the Player comes in. You have to be the leader, or you aren’t getting rescued.