Start the single-player campaign by moving to the second screen and selecting the first mission, then proceed with the tutorial. After a good bit of reading, settle in to a storytelling experience with strategic gameplay. Don't be afraid to lose your body; you can find it again. Mouse over the stakes on the 8-pointed star in the Lore on Themes; think of the order and angle to which you Banish the Bad 6 (Beware the Typhen, Limoseht, Z, Stygia, Narhiim, and Kaligara!) before you open your third eye to Sartova and the Torfield; otherwise, use your judgement on whatever you need to strengthen for the current challenge. Some small UI improvements would help this game serve its well-designed meal on a more accommodating platter: windowed mode, more of the typically adjustable settings, a quick start to get right into the tutorial. Haven't tried the multiplayer yet; not sure how that would work based on what I've done so far, but I'd be glad to see it grow!
Apollyon: River of Life
- Release Date:
- Oct 28, 2023
- Developer:
- The Planar Danse
- Publisher:
- The Planar Danse
- Platforms:
- Windows
Game Tags
About This Game
Apollyon is a dark fantasy narrative RPG focused on choices, where you summon demons and spiritual entities, deal with them for power, and delve deeper into an occult universe! It is a multiplayer choose-your-own adventure RPG mixed with a roguelike strategy board game and hidden deckbuilder elements.
In this 40+ hour game, you will:
- Use obsidian tokens upon the Apollyic table to control the powers of the world. Moving them upon the table influences what spirits can approach your table, which abilities you can use, as well as aiding or harming every challenge before you!
- Deal with three spiritual entities every round. These might be creatures of other worlds, other occult practitioners, visions of the beyond, or many, many more! They must be dealt with through violence, invocation, treaties, deception, or the like.
- Make difficult decisions that will change the narrative, both in small arcs and large stories for character and table alike. Your choices will matter, for better or worse!
- Invoke spirits of your own. You may bring some of these spirits between rituals as permanent unlocks, known as Invocations. You may also bring a small charm into every ritual, such as the Silver Timepiece to keep yourself sane while projecting into the spirit world.
- Play Apollyon with up to two friends, who will share the table's alignment and take on every spirit together! This creates a unique strategy only present in multiplayer. For example, your efforts to escape a hostile fire spirit might be led by the player with more Agility, or the player who has a Guard on their physical statistics, in case they fail and take damage!
- Unlock and play the ten playable characters, and progress their stories alone or in multiplayer! Gaining power through these skills and abilities will help you complete later missions, known as Intentions.
In the world of Sartova this practice is used to evoke angelic beings, gods, and other intelligences related to souls, elements, the Themes, night terrors, disembodied voices, and even things older than the gods themselves... Through this practice, Apollyon, one may speak with them, make deals for power, capture them, or even project one's soul from their body entirely. The table can provide all of this, and it is all dangerous.
Apollyon is a narrative story that will be shaped by your choices. It comprises 550,000+ words and has over 600 pieces of custom-made art in the Apollyic mosaic style. These words and pictures will not be seen in every playthrough, and nearly every line of text can react in some way to choices you've made, items you carry, or even your character's identity! For example, the scientist of magic has insights different from the man shackled to devilish deals he regrets...
Head on over to Apollyon's discord to give feedback, ideas, report bugs directly to the developer, or find others to join in Apollyon!
Also, find the next game in The Planar Danse on Steam, with a free demo!
Screenshots
User Reviews
Pretty niche, but overall fun was my last review, but I think this game deserves more effort for this. This game is a very complicated game, similar to cultist simulator in certain mechanics, but very clearly its own game. It's a shame not many people know about it, because it's overall just a fun game to play. It might look complicated, and it is, but you can slowly figure it out as you go, and it doesn't force all of the knowledge onto you immediately. If enough played to get servers up, I think it would be a really interesting experience. Altogether, this game deserves more of a presence online.
RNG plays a part in most actions. If you fail, you might lose the scenario and have to restart the same scenario and hope that RNG goes your way this time. There is no strategy guide, and very few youtube videos with tips, so you are on your own. Either you do trial and error until you succeed or you give up and play another game.
System Requirements
Minimum
- OS *: Windows 7
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia 900+
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 6 GB available space
FAQ
How much does Apollyon: River of Life cost?
Apollyon: River of Life costs $14.99.
What are the system requirements for Apollyon: River of Life?
Minimum: Minimum: OS *: Windows 7 Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: Nvidia 900+ DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 6 GB available space
What platforms is Apollyon: River of Life available on?
Apollyon: River of Life is available on Windows PC.
Is Apollyon: River of Life worth buying?
Apollyon: River of Life has 67% positive reviews from 3 players.
When was Apollyon: River of Life released?
Apollyon: River of Life was released on Oct 28, 2023.
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