Once a Tale fully unfolds on Steam

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Demo also available for reimagined stop-motion-style adventure of Hansel and Gretel

The story of Hansel and Gretel has been widely told since it first appeared in Grimms' Fairy Tales in the early nineteenth century. At long last, however, we can now experience it – or at least a creatively reimagined version of it – for ourselves in the newly released stop-motion-styled adventure, Once a Tale.

As in the original story, Hansel and Gretel are siblings abandoned by their parents, though their adventure soon takes on more of a Little Red Riding Hood vibe, as they begin searching for a way home through a "dangerous forest that they find soon enough is inhabited by a hungry wolf prowling around." Indeed, there will be plenty of other familiar fairy tale influences throughout the children's journey, such as one of the three little pigs who needs help gathering new materials to build a new straw home. Not all of the characters you encounter will be friendly, but by being brave and working together, the young protagonists will find that "each challenge is an opportunity to grow."

Co-produced by French-Canadian studios Carcajou Games, Triple Boris and 2 Igloos, Once a Tale is a charming stop-motion-styled third-person adventure with hand-crafted sets made of "wood, cardboard, foam and clay" (and a real gingerbread house!), with lead characters resembling wooden marionettes without strings. Despite the occasional danger, the game is meant to be a family-friendly experience focusing more on the challenges to overcome and puzzles to solve along the way. Each child has their own strengths and weaknessess – Hansel can crawl through small spaces, while Gretel can climb and grab ledges, for example – so you'll need to make strategic use of them both to progress. The children will travel together by default, but with a simple click of a button (a gamepad is recommended), they can be separated and switched between to control separately. Only by cooperating will be they be successful in "uncovering the secrets of this land" and have any chance of "surviving in this cruel world."

Designed to "enchant anyone looking for a bit of magic in their lives," the full version of Once a Tale is out now on Steam for Windows PC. Or, if you prefer, a demo is also available to download, giving players a short first taste (so to speak) of what to expect.

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