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

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,099 reviews

story449 positive mentions

grinding70 negative mentions

Engaging and humorous narration that enhances the storytelling experience.
Unique choose-your-own-adventure mechanic with multiple endings that encourages replayability.
Beautiful art style and vibrant graphics that create an appealing atmosphere.

Repetitive gameplay due to limited enemy variety and the need to replay the same levels multiple times.
Combat can feel simplistic and lacks depth, making it less challenging over time.
Unskippable cutscenes and lengthy loading times can detract from the overall experience.

story
1,276 mentions
35 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The story in "Stories: The Path of Destinies" is a standout feature, characterized by its engaging, branching narrative that allows players to make choices that significantly impact the outcome. While the game offers a rich tapestry of paths and endings, many players note that the repetitive gameplay and inability to skip previously seen dialogue can detract from the experience. Overall, the charming narration and humor, combined with a unique storytelling mechanic, make it a compelling choice for those who appreciate narrative-driven games, despite some criticisms regarding its execution and pacing.
- “Great story, and there was enough done to prevent the feeling of repetition that you'd expect to be natural for what this game is about.”
- “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.”
- “You'd kinda expect this about a story-driven game, but after the first five or so playthroughs you know the story and there are only minor changes from decision to decision after that.”
- “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 lackluster and shallow up to what I've played.”
gameplay
444 mentions
32 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Stories: The Path of Destinies" is characterized by its simple hack-and-slash mechanics and a choose-your-own-adventure narrative structure, which allows for multiple endings based on player choices. While many players appreciate the engaging story and humor, the gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth, with combat often reduced to button-mashing and limited enemy variety. Overall, the game is best enjoyed for its narrative rather than its gameplay, which some find to be a secondary element that can feel tedious over time.
- “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.”
- “The gameplay is utterly simplistic to the point you simply need to mash your 'attack' button to win.”
graphics
259 mentions
53 % positive mentions
44 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant and beautiful art style, which effectively combines cartoonish aesthetics with engaging environments. While many players appreciate the charming visuals and smooth animations, some have noted performance issues, such as lag and long loading times, particularly on higher settings. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's storytelling and immersive experience, despite occasional technical hiccups.
- “The visuals are vibrant and beautiful, with a few maps that you can increasingly explore upon repeat playthroughs.”
- “The graphics are gorgeous, the characters are well designed and the world is actually quite interesting.”
- “The art style is beautiful and vibrant.”
- “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 couldn't get even a halfway decent framerate out of this game without going to the lowest graphics setting, and even then I only got 25-30 fps.”
humor
153 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever writing, engaging narration, and a mix of meta-humor and pop culture references that resonate with players. While many find the humor to be a highlight, some note that it can be hit-or-miss, with certain jokes feeling forced or repetitive over time. Overall, the combination of funny characters, witty dialogue, and a light-hearted approach to serious themes contributes to an enjoyable and entertaining experience.
- “The humor in the game is also good.”
- “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.”
music
92 mentions
62 % positive mentions
35 % neutral mentions
3 % 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 reviewers noted that the soundtrack may not be particularly memorable or groundbreaking, it is described as enjoyable, fitting the game's themes, and effectively supporting the narrative. The voice acting, particularly the narrator, also received positive feedback, although there were some criticisms regarding the execution of female voices.
- “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.”
- “Beautiful visuals, excellent music, a simple yet deep combat system, and entertaining story.”
- “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
73 mentions
40 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The game offers high 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 inability to skip certain dialogues. Overall, while the replay value is significant, it may feel forced or become a chore for some after multiple playthroughs.
- “Fun combat, it only takes about an hour or so to beat but the replayability is really there, you want to play through all the different storylines (there's like 20+!) with a good leveling system that's satisfying and swords to craft good times!”
- “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.”
- “After you unlock the true ending, there is not much replay value.”
grinding
71 mentions
4 % positive mentions
-3 % 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, while the game offers enjoyable content, the grinding required for completionists can detract from the overall experience.
- “The cool storylines offer great 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.”
- “Grinding in this game feels rewarding because each session brings new insights and strategies, making the experience enjoyable rather than monotonous.”
- “The variety of challenges and the evolving gameplay mechanics keep the grinding experience fresh and engaging, encouraging players to keep pushing forward.”
- “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.”
- “Overall a good game to play, however for those trying to 100% this game, it is a very tedious grind.”
stability
52 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous reports of glitches and bugs ranging from minor annoyances to game-breaking issues that can force players to restart levels or even the entire game. While some players find the experience enjoyable despite these problems, many express frustration over the frequency and severity of the glitches, which detracts significantly from overall gameplay. Overall, the game is considered quite buggy, leading to a mixed reception regarding its stability.
- “The game is so buggy that it just ruined my experience to the point where I don't want to play anymore.”
- “However, the game is still buggy and some timelines contain absolutely game-breaking bugs, resulting in show stoppers that render your save game unusable.”
- “There are some glitches where you get stuck in the ground, which forces you to restart the whole level.”
optimization
42 mentions
12 % positive mentions
48 % neutral mentions
40 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players reporting frequent performance issues, long loading times, and frame rate drops, even on higher-end systems. Many users noted that the game seems poorly optimized for mouse and keyboard controls, and while some aspects of gameplay are enjoyable, the technical shortcomings significantly detract from the overall experience. Overall, the lack of proper optimization and customization options has left many players frustrated.
- “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.”
- “Couldn't manage to play due to horrible control scheme & the game being poorly optimized.”
- “Good gameplay and fun story overshadowed by horrendous performance and loading times.”
- “This game is extremely bad in its optimization.”
emotional
15 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its engaging storytelling and well-crafted characters, with standout moments that resonate deeply, particularly the bond between the hero and his love interest. While some emotional scenes may not fully land, the combination of excellent writing, voice acting, and a touching soundtrack contributes to a narrative that is both heartwarming and occasionally darkly humorous. Overall, players appreciate the emotional depth and unique storytelling, despite some frustrations with cutscene navigation.
- “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
9 mentions
44 % positive mentions
22 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its captivating visual design and storytelling, creating an engaging experience that feels fresh even upon replay. Reviewers highlight the breathtaking ambiance, particularly in the final level, and appreciate the unique art style and humorous narration that contribute to a lighthearted mood. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature that effectively draws players in.
- “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
5 mentions
60 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is mixed, with some players appreciating the unique and visually appealing character design and voice work, while others criticize it as poor. Overall, the game's charm lies in its short and engaging story, complemented by attractive graphics and environments.
- “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.”
- “Beautiful graphics, with good character design and good environment design.”
- “Poor character design.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized for its poor optimization, with players noting that it demands significant resources even on mid-grade PCs, leading to long loading times exacerbated by excessive advertisements.
- “The monetization model feels exploitative, with constant prompts to spend money on in-game items that should be earnable through gameplay.”
- “It's frustrating to see that progress is heavily gated behind paywalls, making it nearly impossible to enjoy the game without spending extra cash.”
- “The game is riddled with ads and microtransactions, which detracts from the overall experience and makes it feel more like a cash grab than a genuine gaming experience.”