Order of the Thorne Q&A – 7 Days to go!

Before we start, here’s the brand new trailer for newest game, Order of the Thorne: The King’s Challenge, which is out January 26th.

This time next week you’ll be able to get the first Order of the Thorne game, and we’re very excited to see what everyone thinks! To kick off our launch week celebrations we give you an interview with Shawn Mills, Executive Producer of The King’s Challenge and ask him the tough questions!

Order of the Thorne

Q. Tell us about the new game!

A. Finn the Bard has taken up the King’s Challenge, a contest devised by the King of the Faerie Realm, in which the challengers must find the Queen who has been hidden somewhere within the realm. Finn’s reason for taking on the challenge is to live an amazing experience that will help him write his greatest song, a song that will live on long after he has gone. As well as finding the Queen, Finn has to deal with the other challengers and a variety of dangerous situations, all with only his wits and his lute to help him!

Q. What’s an anthology series? Why do you keep saying it’s an anthology series?

A. Well, an anthology is a series of stories that ties together thematically. We have four games in the Order of the Thorne series planned, and while each one is a self-contained story and playable on it’s own (with the probable exception of the final game), they all share the same universe and revolve in some way around the Order of the Thorne.

Q. So what’s the other games then? Do you have them planned already?

A. We have four games planned. The King’s Challenge, of course, and the second game is called Fortress of Fire. Fortress of Fire is in production at the moment. The third game, The Monk and the Mountain is in early pre-production and we have a strong plan for the final game as well.

Q. That sounds awesome. So, why a bard for the hero this game?

A. Bards are cool. Everybody knows that.

Q. That’s very true. Bards really ARE cool. Does the player get to control the lute in the game?

A. Of course! There’s even two difficulty settings for the lute, easy for the more casual gamer, and hard for the old-school adventure gamer.

Q. Is it in the same style as your previous game Quest for Infamy?

A. It’s in the same pixel graphics style as Quest for Infamy, although with more of a wide-screen aspect ration than that game. There’s over 50 hand drawn backgrounds, 2D pixel art animation, hand painted character portraits and a fully orchestrated soundtrack.

Q. So it’s a retro game then?

A. Not really. It’s a game crafted with modern adventure gaming sensibilities using current technology. For example, it has an easy to use two-click point-and-click interface. We use a pixel art style for creative reasons (we like the style is the biggest reason!)

Q. So, final question, I’ve seen a version of a couple of those backgrounds floating around the internet for many years. I believe they could be from something called Project X, or Kingdom of Sorrow. Am I seeing things?

A. Haha. No, you’re (probably) not seeing things. Some of the artwork in The King’s Challenge and the second game Fortress of Fire did start out as backgrounds for fan-games we were making once-upon-a-time. That said, all the backgrounds have been updated to match both our later style and the story we’re telling with the Order of the Thorne. Plus they were already completely original concepts to begin with. Sadly that fan-game never saw the light of day for a variety of reasons so it’s good that some of the work could finally be seen!