Ever wondered what life is like for the people who live in all those small towns that you simply pass through on your grand adventure, only conversing with the blacksmith when you need gear or visiting the tavern to recruit party members? Such is A Story Beside, the tale of a humble innkeeper in a quiet mountain village: a lifetime of bittersweet choices, heartwarming friends, and if you play your cards right… romance.
Welcome to Pyreside. There’s a lot to see and do in this cosy village and in its own way, however small, it has enough going on to prove that you don’t need to venture out into the world to be the hero of your own story. Sometimes the most interesting, or at least heartwarming, tales are the ones that happen close to home. Citing inspiration from the likes of Life is Strange and To the Moon, that pretty much seems to be the goal here. To tell a sweeping story, one of adventure – without actually adventuring outside the comfort of your home. Home town, that is. Or as its creator puts it, “you don’t have to slay dragons to be the hero of your own story”.
In the epic hero tales, these ordinary folk are the ones living on the fringes of the story, watching self-absorbed adventurers drop by the local inn looking for a warm meal and a soft bed.
There is no grand evil to vanquish, nor a world to save in this adventure. You’re only given one quest, too: live life to the fullest. Exactly what that means depends on the choices you make after stepping into the shoes of Lyric. Some have long-term consequences while others are more of a spur-of-the-moment thing, although one thing is still certain – both the village itself and those who live there will change as the years go by. Time waits for no one, after all. Even in this video game that wants nothing more than to tell A Story Beside.
A Story Beside is available on Steam for $14.99.
