Once Upon a Jester

Release Date: November 9, 2022

Adventure, fantasy, 2D, arcade elements, indie games, side-scroll, singleplayer

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Once Upon a Jester is a side-scroll adventure game developed by indie studio Bonte Avond. Join Jester and Soka and with them create improvised theatrical performances throughout the kingdom, and who knows, you might even become the star of the famous Royal Theatrical Spectacle?

Plot
Mechanics
Technical aspects

Once Upon a Jester is an indie adventure game developed by a group of four musicians, co-founding the Bonte Avond studio. The Polish company Crunching Koalas, which has already helped to bring to light such productions as Darkwood, Ruiner and Regalia: Royal Edition, is responsible for releasing the title.

Plot

The action of the title begins in cozy Dorp Town, where two best friends, Sok and Jester, devise a cunning plan to steal the Royal Diamond . To carry it out, they decide to set up an improv theater and take part in a contest organized by Princess Kristina. If they manage to prove that their performances are the best in the whole kingdom, they will be invited to the Royal Theatrical Spectacle, held in the palace where the king keeps the diamond they want.

Mechanics

In this title we take control of Jester, and our main task is to organize shows that will appeal to a picky audience. In order for the main characters to take part in the Royal Spectacle, they must first meet the conditions dictated by the organizer of the festival, Princess Kristina. Only theater groups can participate in the competition, and only the one that is the first to win 15 bouquets in three different cities will get the honor of performing at the palace.

The player can get a maximum of five bouquets for each performance. In order for the performance to be successful, the protagonist must first of all find out what genre best suits the audience, whether they prefer romance, action, scary or dramatic stories, or typically musical performances. This information can be obtained by walking around town and engaging in dialogues or listening to conversations held by the NPCs one encounters. After the initial discernment, the player prepares a poster promoting the performance, informing about the genre, as well as choosing a background and decorative stickers. If he's not sure if the poster is good enough, he can always ask Soka for help.

With choices, no show is the same. Also during the show, the player has to decide what tone Jester's statements will take, whether he will follow the audience's preferences or venture in a slightly different direction. The title has also been enriched with arcade elements, thanks to which the protagonist can, among other things, sword fight with his companion, dance or play an instrument.

Technical aspects

Once Upon a Jester is a game with hand-painted, two-dimensional graphics, the events of which are presented in a side-scroll perspective. In addition, the game is enriched with an original soundtrack, written and composed by the creators themselves.

Videos and Screens

[0:48] Once Upon a Jester launch trailer