Grail to the Thief is seeking $8,000 to complete the game’s development and as of this writing $2,083 was raised with 26 days remaining in the campaign. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Grail to the Thief will release in August 2014 as a DRM free download for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.
Grail to the Thief is inspired by text adventure classics such as Zork and Grim Fandango. For All To Play is specifically addressing common complaints about text based games by blind and visually impaired players from the confusion that arises from players typing their own responses to the text prompts to relying on the mechanical voices of screen readers to tell the story.
In Grail to the Thief, Hank Krang is a thief who’s accompanied by a self-aware Time Excursion Digital Interface (TEDI). TEDI is a time machine that Hank uses to time travel in order to steal rare artifacts. Grail to the Thief is Hank’s first adventure and he travels to King Arthur’s court in pursuit of the Holy Grail.
A browser based prototype is available here.
The prototype features black text on a white background that depicts the audio in text, including story pertinent audio cues, while the audio plays. The conversational options at the end of a sequence are voiced rather than relying on a screen reader. Players can click on their desired option or hit the corresponding numerical key.
Grail to the Thief is in development specifically to address the lack of quality and polished games that are available for the blind and visually impaired. Voiceovers, sound effects, ambient sound, and music makes up the gameplay. The audio based adventure will be accessible to the blind and visually impaired as well as welcoming for players without a visual disability.
Pledge levels range from $1.00 contribution for acknowledgement on the website’s Thank You page to $5,000.00 that most notably includes a 15 minute interactive audio adventure with the pledger as a consultant. Stretch goals hope to bring Grail to the Thief onto mobile devices, create a playable female character, and provide the game in Spanish.
For more information, check out Grail to the Thief’s Kickstarter page here.