In 2016, one is already used to expecting a game with the best graphics in line with the current generation of video games. Fortunately, there are still developers like Gabriel Santos who presents us Stone Story, a game with "ASCII code" graphics.
Graphics in video games are not what makes them fun. With that concept in mind, Gabriel Santos, sole developer of the independent studio Standard Combo, presents Stone Story, a game with "ASCII code" graphics. This game is an RPG set in a dark and vile kingdom, populated by haunted trees, reanimated skeletons, giant snails, and antagonistic bats, where the protagonist is searching for a singular stone that could change everything. This adventure currently features six places to explore, four boss fights, and a bunch of treasures to discover.
But the most striking thing about Stone Story is undoubtedly its multiple scenes, all animated in plain-text ASCII code, with characters and weapons built from recognizable keyboard symbols such as hyphens, parentheses, and semicolons. The Standard Combo developer has carefully animated the game for over two years, and the visual style is inspired by 90s artwork. These retro visual effects combine with modern design principles. In fact, one of the defining mechanics of the game is that you don't have direct control of the character.
You choose which items to equip the protagonist and which places to visit, while an artificial intelligence controls the character, handling exploration, combat, and treasure collection. There's also a crafting system that lets you combine disposable objects to create something useful. Currently the game is in an alpha state, but the developer expects to add more content once the project reaches a beta state. Stone Story is being developed by Standard Combo and will be available on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, and to play from the browser. For now, this game has no concrete release date.
Stone Story
