inkle and Profile Books Announce 80 Days, a Jules Verne-Inspired Narrative Game for iPhone & iPad
This summer, embark on a round-the-world steampunk adventure from developer of acclaimed Steve Jackson’s Sorcery! mobile games
CAMBRIDGE, U.K. – May 14, 2014 – The year is 1872. Welcome to the future. inkle, an independent developer of interactive narrative games, and London-based publisher Profile Books are announcing 80 Days, a Jules Verne-inspired steampunk adventure game to release for iPhone and iPad in Summer 2014.
Taking the role of Passepartout, Phileas Fogg’s long-suffering valet and travel companion, 80 Days players choose their own path in an attempt to circumnavigate the globe and win a hefty wager. In this vast adventure across all seven continents, the player’s decisions weave a story written on the fly by the same flexible narrative system behind inkle‘s acclaimed Sorcery! mobile games. Getting around the world before the clock runs out requires strategy, cunning, and a dash of luck, with no two attempts unfolding the same way and boundless replay opportunities awaiting players who aspire to beat their best time.
Every second counts in 80 Days, with a networked live feed putting a real-world twist on Verne’s iconic race. Observe the routes, discoveries, and disasters of other 80 Days players in real time as you compete to be the fastest around the globe. Travel by steamer, express train, airship, hover-car, hydrofoil, gyrocopter, camel, horseback, or hot-air balloon. Avoid capture by pirates from Havana, aid the Indian uprising in Calcutta, track down mad scientists in the desert of Arabia, and explore the powerful Zulu Federation in Africa — just don’t let anything slow you down!
With a massive script penned by celebrated interactive fiction author Meg Jayanth, 80 Days has a flexible narrative with over ten thousand choices to make, a cast of hundreds to interact with, and more than 150 cities to explore. Far more than a digital adaptation of Around the World in 80 Days, the game blows open Jules Verne’s classic to pit a Victorian past against an imagined steampunk future, creating a dynamic world as challenging and unexpected for today’s audience as Verne’s works were for his own.
For additional 80 Days details and a first glimpse of the game’s Art Deco and steampunk-inspired art direction, visit the official website: http://www.inklestudios.com/80days
About inkle
inkle is a game studio that specializes in interactive narrative. Founded in Cambridge UK by Joe Humfrey and Jon Ingold, their interactive Frankenstein app, written by Dave Morris and published by Profile Books, was praised as ‘brilliantly designed’, ‘beautiful’ and ‘ground-breaking’. Their interactive fantasy series Sorcery! has sold over 150,000 copies. http://www.inklestudios.com/
About Meg Jayanth
Meg Jayanth is a writer, producer and game-maker with a particular interest in digital storytelling. She is the author of story-game Samsara, an award-winning historical fantasy of dream-walking and courtly intrigue set in 18th Century Bengal. Her short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies including Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History published by Crossed Genres. You can find her at http://megjayanth.com & @betterthemask
About Profile Books
Profile Books is an award-winning independent publisher based in London. http://www.profilebooks.com
