Aside from writing for dotTech, I do other things. One of these other things is writing content for the newly released game Tales of Illyria. Typically we avoid self promotion here on dotTech but Ashraf asked to do a writeup on the game, so here I am. (Note: This is not a “review”; I couldn’t ethically review my own game. This is an informative writeup.)

If you can believe it, someone actually hired me to write content for a video game. I’m quite proud of the accomplishment too, if you can’t already tell. The game finally released (about two weeks ago), and it’s available now on Android via Google Play; iOS and Windows versions are in the works. Keep in mind it’s an early version so that means it’s about 99% complete, but because of that the price is currently half off. But I think that’s enough droning on about my hand in its creation, let’s get to the game shall we?

Tales of Illyria is a unique episodic 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. In true strategy fashion you have to manage supplies along your journey, which obviously helps keep you alive during the trek. You can also purchase and equip dozens of different weapons, level your heroes, and strengthen your party’s abilities and spells.

All of the art is hand drawn, and the events were created by a pretty imaginative team of writers. As such, the game is very text heavy, with more than 250K words of custom content- that’s over four novels worth

You play as Elric, once the lord of Eriez he has now been deposed. Despite the removal of his lordship, the people still sought his help. Because of this, Gareth the self-proclaimed King of Hysperia sent assassins to brutally slaughter Elric and his family. Elric escaped the attack, but his family did not. Fearing the deposed lord still had pull with the people of his city, Gareth claimed that Elric committed parricide and put a bounty on his head. Elric fled Eriez, heading north to the Torthan capital, hoping to reclaim his title and get vengeance on whoever killed his family. It is here that you take control, as you lead Elric on a quest for revenge. Your ultimate goal is to remove Gareth from his throne for good. Along the way you meet a host of colorful characters, some of which even join you in your quest.

Combat plays out in a turn based style, reminiscent of some of the best old school pen and paper RPGs. Every member of your party and of the opposing party, takes a turn attacking, casting a spell or using an item. The party battle area is separated into two rows: a front row, for your main melee attacks, and a back row for ranged attacks and spells. It is in this design that combat becomes strategized. You need to correctly place your units and equip them accordingly to handle the many different types of enemies you will encounter in the land of Illyria.

I don’t want to ruin much else about the game so I will stop there. Personally, I have not been able to put the game down since I started playing. It’s one of the first Android games that has actually held my attention for quite some time. I’m not just saying that because I created some of the content either. I had nothing to do with the beautiful art, and gameplay mechanics.

Give it a try fellow dotTechies! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. You don’t have to be a hardcore RPG lover to enjoy the game either. Casual gamers can have a lot of fun with this title too!

If you have any questions or comments you can lobby them at me below, or you can always hit me up on one of the many social networks that I frequent.

We are working on an iOS port, and a PC version, as well. Check out the official website for more information, or help us get it out to PC gamers faster by voting for it on Steam Greenlight.