The Tale of Bistun is based on the 12th century poem “Khosrow and Shirin” with roots in Persian myths, which helps weave a compelling and captivating story.
You play as a stone carver who has no memory of his past. Looking to figure out what is going on, you must battle mythical enemies and travel between a real world and a magical, dream-like land to uncover what is going on. These worlds are beautiful, taking you to places that sparkle and shimmer, needing your help to open them up, then bringing you back to reality where you must figure out what to go to next.
Slowly, through solving puzzles and trying to find your way through this world, you are able to embrace and understand your past, as well as learn about your future. The world in The Tale of Bistun isn’t always a peaceful one, though. Sometimes enemies appear and you will need to quickly defeat them using combat and spells. The game has a lot going on, and feels like a deeply-captivating and magical tale that is worth exploring and trying to figure out alongside the main character, who also came into this story with no knowledge of the past.
When playing The Tale of Bistun, I also had no knowledge of the poem it was based upon or the Persian meanings and myths in the game, and I feel having played a bit of the game, I was able to learn more about the culture of another place, which is always a powerful thing in games. I am told that the voice acting in The Tale of Bistun really adds another level of polish to it, but at The Mix at GDC, the room was a bit too loud to really hear it. Hopefully, when the game is fully out, I’ll be able to enjoy every aspect!
The Tale of Bistun is currently in development, but in the meantime, you can add it to your Steam Wishlist.
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