Fighting Fantasy Classics has, since day one, focused on older titles, and some truly greats at that. But now Ian Livingstone’s Assassins of Allansia has joined the digital fray, making the 2019 gamebook more accessible than ever, perhaps even introducing a bunch of new fans to Fighting Fantasy. One can hope. Anyway, hope you’re ready for Snake Island! Oh, forgot to mention: there’s a bounty on your head in this one.
Provided the dice roll in your favour and you don’t make a wrong turn or a bad choice somewhere, seeing how this is very much a classic Fighting Fantasy gamebook, you should still be fine. Maybe. Not like you were forced into this after all – the challenge to survive on Snake Island was your own call. The bounty? Not so much.
At least you’ll have a slew of quality-of-life features in this version, as is the norm for Fighting Fantasy Classics entries: Free Read mode lets you, well, cheat, while the addition of a map makes it much easier to figure out where you have and haven’t been, and across every playthrough too. On top of all that, how about a groovy soundtrack and sound effects – something not part of the original, for obvious reasons – and an automated adventure sheet? No fiddling with a pen, a piece of paper, or even a pair of dice in this version! Ah, gotta love Tin Man Games‘ Gamebook Adventures engine: all the good stuff, including the art depicted on Karl Kopinski’s cover from the limited edition hardback and interior illustrations from Krisztián Balla, that first appeared in the Hungarian edition of the book, published by Chameleon Comix. So to summarize: a handful of new – entirely optional – bells and whistles, and its greatest strengths? Accessibility and availability!
May your STAMINA never fail!
Assassins of Allansia (Fighting Fantasy Classics) is available on Steam, Google Play, and iPhone/iPad, with a $3.99 price tag.
