On this 5th of May, backers of the Kickstarter campaign can take their first steps in the unique yet fascinating online RPG Book of Travels. We introduce you to the game.
What is Book of Travels? The online RPG is not an MMORPG and does not aim to be one. Nonetheless, you will traverse the fantasy world with other players and can interact with one another. However, encounters with fellow players are meant to be rare. Communication occurs without words.
When can you play? The beta starts today, May 5th on Steam. However, for now, only backers of the Kickstarter campaign for Book of Travels can participate. They will receive a key to redeem on Steam and then get started.
It is still uncertain when the beta will open for non-backers. However, the early access release date is planned for the end of the year.
An unusual online role-playing game
What makes the game special? Book of Travels aims to offer you a lot of freedom. You are in a beautifully designed fantasy world, but there is no overarching story or ending. It is about your journey, both literally and metaphorically.
As you explore the hand-drawn landscape with your personal hero, events unfold that you must master. Moreover, you will constantly face obstacles that you need to overcome to reach new places. How you approach these events and challenges is up to you. You even decide whether to tackle them alone or with the help of other players.
There are few aids and no so-called “handholding”. You must figure out for yourself how to proceed.
What is the focus of the RPG? In Book of Travels, it is about role-playing. You must embody a specific character and truly play this role. While in other online role-playing games, players sometimes fall out of character by speaking directly with others, this is not possible in Book of Travels.
For communication only occurs non-verbally through emotes. Similar to what you might know from the adventure game Journey (where there were no real emotes) or more from the mobile game Sky: Children of Light. Therefore, it is important to continually learn new emotes to communicate what you want from other players.
This non-verbal communication permeates the entire game and demonstrates that Book of Travels is a very tranquil game. It can almost be meditative to explore the beautifully designed world.
A role-playing game with emotions
Emotions are important: Book of Travels also focuses on conveying feelings. For example, you might witness the death of an NPC. This experience weighs heavily on the character, and they must overcome this sadness by visiting the person’s grave. From there, they draw new strength.
Journey into the unknown: Book of Travels takes you into the unknown. For you never know what to expect next. The visual and aesthetic aspects play a significant role. You do not explore a 3D world, but travel through hand-drawn landscapes that exude their own unique atmosphere. It should always be something very special when something happens in the game. Whether it’s just the passing of some villagers or the appearance of wild animals.
You might meet an NPC who has a task for you, and you must quickly decide whether you want to complete it or not. Some events only occur at night or only during the rain at a specific location. This should make it very interesting to simply explore the vast game world to see what can happen.
Sometimes teamwork becomes important as well. For certain events, it may occur that you need to operate a machine. However, this only works in a group. Or you might need to row across a river, but still need rowers.
MeinMMO author Andreas Bertits says: Book of Travels immediately caught my attention on Kickstarter. Initially due to the unusual and atmospheric visuals and then through the exciting gameplay mechanics.
An online RPG where players do not jump across the screen every five seconds but where encountering fellow players is something special could be very exciting. This gives me the feeling that my character is not like every other.
Book of Travels appears to be a somewhat slower online RPG where tranquility and atmosphere are more important than loot, battles, and becoming the best on the server as quickly as possible. This may not appeal to everyone but surely brings fresh air to the genre. And that is important for a genre like MMORPGs, which is gradually becoming mature and therefore needs to change.
If you’re still looking for other online role-playing games on Steam, we can recommend three MMORPGs that are currently booming on Valve’s platform. In these games, you will surely find fellow players for your adventures and have a lot of fun.
