Stories: The Path of Destinies

Upon hearing the title: Story: The Path of Destinies, many gamers alike may roll their eyes and tut at the unartistic name.

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In Stories: The Path of Destinies, play as Reynardo, ex-pirate and accidental hero, as you defend your world against a mad Emperor and his ravens. Each choice you make leads to a unique narrative, with diverse and action-packed scenes ranging from light-hearted to dark and Lovecraftian. With multiple endings, you'll need to learn from past mistakes to find the one true path. The game is now powered by Unreal Engine 4.1.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,216 reviews

story905 positive mentions

grinding142 negative mentions

The game features a unique concept of branching storylines where choices significantly impact the outcome, providing a fresh take on narrative-driven gameplay.
The narrator's voice acting is excellent, adding charm and humor to the storytelling, making the experience engaging and entertaining.
The art style is vibrant and visually appealing, creating an immersive atmosphere that complements the whimsical nature of the story.

The combat system is simplistic and can become repetitive quickly, with limited enemy variety and no boss battles, leading to a lack of challenge.
The game requires multiple playthroughs to unlock all endings, which can feel tedious due to unskippable cutscenes and lengthy loading times.
There are several bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as characters getting stuck in the environment and issues with the controls, particularly when using a mouse and keyboard.

story
2,565 mentions
35 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The story in "Stories: The Path of Destinies" is a captivating blend of humor and adventure, featuring a branching narrative that allows players to make choices that significantly impact the outcome. With over 24 unique endings and a charming narrator, the game invites players to explore various paths, although the repetitive gameplay and inability to skip previously seen dialogue can detract from the experience. Overall, while the storytelling is engaging and well-crafted, the gameplay may feel tedious after multiple playthroughs.
- “A fantastic game held up by its wonderful story and very charming characters.”
- “The story itself is also interesting and well told through the narrator, who voices all the characters and chimes in regularly with comments and quips throughout the journey.”
- “The story is captivating! It really scratched my itch to participate in a good story with unexpected twists and turns, to laugh, and to kick the feathers off of hordes of raven henchmen.”
- “The worst offender is that I'm unable to skip the cutscenes I've seen more than a few times already when I want to see a different ending on the similar story paths.”
- “Every time you have to start from the very beginning of the story and it becomes grindy very fast, as there is zero variation, except for the growing amount of enemies each turn.”
- “The story is passable (if not a little bit of a 'world is ending' cliche, but some of the endings are fun parodies of this, too), and the music, while nothing too special, is nice enough that it doesn't get old.”
gameplay
892 mentions
32 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
- “With simple yet effective combat and overall gameplay, this is a very fun game.”
- “The gameplay, art style, the voicework, basically everything is super well made and fun.”
- “The hack-n-slash mechanics do a good job of making you feel powerful while also requiring you to react.”
- “The longer I played this game, the less engaged I was with the gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is decent enough, but it is extremely repetitive.”
- “This game is all about the stories and the ending that you eventually get to, the gameplay is kind of filler-content, so do not buy this if you want great gameplay.”
graphics
520 mentions
53 % positive mentions
44 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their vibrant and charming art style, which effectively complements the storytelling and gameplay. While many players appreciate the beautiful visuals and smooth animations, some note that the graphics can be a bit dated or glitchy, particularly on higher settings, leading to performance issues. Overall, the aesthetic is considered appealing, though it may not meet the expectations of those seeking cutting-edge graphics.
- “Beautiful graphics and animation.”
- “The visuals are vibrant and beautiful, with a few maps that you can increasingly explore upon repeat playthroughs.”
- “The graphics are well done and look great even on my 4 year old laptop!”
- “As it's an older game, the graphics are a bit wonky and it isn't extremely pretty, if that's something that influences your decision.”
- “The loading times are insanely long even on a high-end PC, especially for a game with mediocre graphics.”
- “I had a hard time getting it started and once I did it ran really slow, unless I put the graphics all the way down.”
humor
305 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with many players highlighting the engaging and witty narration that often lightens the darker themes of the story. The narrator's clever quips, pop culture references, and humorous commentary on gameplay mechanics contribute to a fun and immersive experience, although some find the humor can be hit or miss, occasionally feeling forced. Overall, the blend of humor and storytelling is seen as a significant strength, making the game enjoyable and replayable.
- “The narrator is very expressive and does a good job delivering engaging and funny lines.”
- “Fantastic writing and excellent voice acting from the narrator combine for a story that is both surprisingly dark, laugh-out-loud funny, and occasionally touching.”
- “The humor was refreshing, the narrator was really really good, and the overall world was just neat.”
music
185 mentions
62 % positive mentions
35 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and emotional depth of the experience. While some tracks are described as catchy and fitting for the game's themes, others find them somewhat forgettable or repetitive. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong aspect, complemented by competent voice acting, although there are mixed opinions on the narrator's performance.
- “The soundtrack is on point, I like the art style and the narration is marvelous.”
- “The music is very good and does a good job of setting up the emotion.”
- “The music is wonderful.”
- “The aesthetic is a very Unreal Engine terrain swap, the music is forgettable.”
- “Music and sound design are pretty forgettable, but otherwise acceptable.”
- “I've been told that there was supposed to be some kind of special mechanic about the music dynamically changing as the story went on, but I've never noticed because the music itself was not particularly memorable.”
replayability
149 mentions
40 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, featuring multiple endings and a "choose your own adventure" style that encourages players to explore different story paths. However, some players find the experience can become tedious due to repetitive elements and the necessity to replay sections to unlock all content. Overall, while the game is designed around replayability, it may require patience to fully appreciate its depth.
- “It has multiple endings and the replayability to learn more and more per run through is an interesting take.”
- “The choose your own adventure style gameplay makes the replayability factor great, as each choice you make yields multiple endings.”
- “Extreme replayability through 21 different 'stories' or acts.”
- “For a hack and slash game that promotes replayability with limited levels, it is better to make things smooth, but this is not the case for this game.”
- “The replayability severely drops once you've found the important clues of the game.”
- “Just don't expect hours of content or any replayability.”
grinding
144 mentions
1 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
99 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, especially when attempting to unlock all achievements or endings. While some enjoy the branching storylines and combat mechanics, the lack of variety in gameplay and unskippable dialogue contribute to a sense of monotony, particularly during extended playthroughs. Overall, completionists may find the grinding necessary for 100% completion to be a significant drawback, overshadowing the game's otherwise enjoyable elements.
- “The game features a cool storyline with good replayability potential; there are many ways to beat a level, so playing through the same one several times as you unlock different story routes isn't as tedious as it may seem.”
- “It will take you only a few hours to get to the true ending, but expect to see yourself grinding if you want to see all the endings of a plot that roams between the tragical and (mostly) comical outcomes.”
- “Unfortunately, it does get pretty grindy.”
- “If you're just in it to play through and see 'the true ending', then the pacing of the game is alright, but for the completionist, it will quickly become a tedious task.”
stability
104 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with numerous reports of glitches and bugs that can disrupt gameplay, including game-breaking issues that may require level restarts or even force players to quit entirely. While some players find the bugs bearable and enjoy the overall experience, many express frustration over the frequency and severity of these issues, which detracts significantly from the enjoyment of the game. Overall, the consensus suggests that the game is plagued by stability problems that could benefit from further testing and refinement.
- “The problem is that the game either turns up a black screen after the first load, or freezes in the middle of a chapter.”
- “However, the game is so buggy that it just ruined my experience to the point where I don't want to play anymore.”
- “There are some glitches where you get stuck in the ground which forces you to restart the whole level.”
optimization
86 mentions
12 % positive mentions
49 % neutral mentions
40 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players reporting frequent frame rate drops, long loading times, and unresponsive controls, particularly on mouse and keyboard setups. While some updates have improved performance for certain users, many still experience significant technical issues, making the game feel poorly optimized overall. The lack of customization options and inconsistent performance across different hardware configurations further exacerbate the frustration among players.
- “Recommending solely due to the optimization added in the surprise October 2018 engine update which enabled me to finally 100% the game.”
- “Quick edit: after playing for some more I can say that the performance is solid (60 fps at 1080p) and I haven't encountered any bugs.”
- “The game states clearly that it is optimized for a game controller and I would agree with it.”
- “Good gameplay and fun story overshadowed by horrendous performance and loading times.”
- “This game is extremely bad in its optimization.”
- “Bad optimization: load times take ages, and the game suffers from frequent fps drops, even on a higher-end configuration.”
emotional
30 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its well-crafted narrative and character relationships, particularly the touching bond between the hero Reynard and his love interest. While some emotional scenes may not resonate as strongly, the overall storytelling, combined with excellent voice acting and a moving soundtrack, creates moments that are both heartwarming and humorous. Players appreciate the game's ability to evoke genuine feelings, showcasing that impactful storytelling can be achieved without a massive budget.
- “A few in particular about the bond between the hero Reynard and his love interest were really touching.”
- “Fantastic writing and excellent voice acting from the narrator combine for a story that is both surprisingly dark, laugh-out-loud funny, and occasionally touching.”
- “The soundtrack is wonderfully emotional (especially the fleet theme!) the characters are well crafted, stemming in part from the different story paths present in the game to the brilliant narration throughout.”
atmosphere
18 mentions
44 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its captivating visual design and storytelling, which effectively draws players in and maintains a fresh experience even through repetitive gameplay. Reviewers highlight the breathtaking ambiance of the final level and the charming art style that evokes a children's novel, complemented by a humorous narration that keeps the overall mood light and engaging.
- “Stories: The Path of Destinies has an amazing story told with great atmosphere.”
- “The final level has a breathtaking atmosphere to it.”
- “You'll need atmosphere and visual design to lure players in.”
- “An interesting art style lends an air of a children’s novel while the narration lends a humorous atmosphere that keeps the mood light and fresh.”
- “It's well worth stopping for a moment to take in the atmosphere.”
character development
11 mentions
27 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highlighted by its unique and visually appealing character design, complemented by engaging voice work and a story that evolves based on player choices. While some reviews mention poor character design, others praise the vibrant environments and the enjoyable narrative, suggesting a mixed but generally positive reception regarding character development. Overall, the game offers a charming experience with a focus on artistic visuals and interactive storytelling.
- “Character design, voice work, and of course, the story and how it evolves.”
- “The character design has a unique artsy flavor to it, not distasteful to the eye, and a number of the explorable areas are quite visually tasteful as well.”
- “[Fantastic character design, colorful and vibrant environments, interesting story that changes based on your choices each time you play, revisiting levels is actually fun thanks to secret pathways, Arkham-lite combat is smooth and thoroughly enjoyable, funny, well-acted narration.]”
- “Poor character design.”
- “Poor character design.”
- “For what I paid for it, it wasn't bad and I'd say it's worth a play if you are just looking for a short and sweet game with cute character design.”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
Users criticize the game's monetization for its poor optimization, particularly on mid-grade PCs, leading to long loading times exacerbated by excessive advertisements. The demands of the game seem disproportionate to its title, causing frustration among players.
- “The monetization strategy is frustratingly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without feeling pressured to spend money.”
- “I feel like the game is designed to push players towards microtransactions, which ruins the overall experience.”
- “It's disappointing to see that so much of the gameplay is locked behind paywalls, making it feel less like a game and more like a cash grab.”