The Cryptkeepers of Hallowford — Sharpen your sword and save Hallowford!

Announcements
, , , ,
1

We’re proud to announce that The Cryptkeepers of Hallowford, the latest in our popular “Choice of Games” line of multiple-choice interactive-fiction games, is now available for Steam, iOS, and Android!

Sharpen your sword to save Hallowford in this sequel to The Hero of Kendrickstone! Monstrous creatures prowl beneath the streets of Hallowford. When the enigmatic Cryptkeepers Guild sends a call for adventurers, you must answer. You’ll discover secrets in the crypts that are better left hidden, and a revelation that will shake Hallowford to its very foundations.

The Cryptkeepers of Hallowford is a 360,000 word interactive fantasy novel by Paul Wang, where your choices control the story. It’s entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

Step into the role of a veteran adventurer in a high fantasy world. Sharpen your steel, prepare your spells, and practise your silver tongue. Decide who to trust and who to betray. Discover lost secrets and forbidden magic. Ally with the powerful Cryptkeepers Guild, the town watch, your fellow adventurers, or follow your own agenda. Save Hallowford, or engineer its downfall for your own gain.

• Play as male, female, or non-binary; gay or straight.
• Continue the story of your adventurer from The Hero of Kendrickstone or create a new character.
• Play as a mighty warrior, or a smooth-tongued negotiator, a powerful mage, a stealthy infiltrator, or anything in between.
• Amass ancient secrets and lost knowledge to give you an edge in and out of combat.
• Betray or befriend knights, guildmasters, and your fellow adventurers.
• Delve into the sprawling underground passages beneath the town of Hallowford.
• Be an altruistic hero, a cruel villain, or someone just looking to make a little gold.

Will you complete your quest and save the town? Or will you make enemies of the Cryptkeepers of Hallowford?

We hope you enjoy playing The Cryptkeepers of Hallowford. We encourage you to tell your friends about it, and recommend the game on StumbleUpon, Facebook, Twitter, and other sites. Don’t forget: our initial download rate determines our ranking on the App Store. The more times you download in the first week, the better our games will rank.

24 Likes
2

@Ramidel

I’ve always found that an unrealistic trope honestly. Someone who spends their life travelling, fighting and getting into dangerous scenarios is inevitably going to develop a strong physique, especially if they’re on a hearty diet.

Just instead of being a rippling wall of testosterone poisoned muscle like an experienced warrior would be an experienced adventuring wizard would probably be closer to “lean and athletic”.

3 Likes
3

@TheRusty
My memory is a bit selective but I have the vague impression that if our character is a pure mage or chose to follow the path of one, that they spent a fair portion of their time (several months) studying under the tutelage of their mentor in a sort of mage tower (or equivalent), followed by a recomendation from their mentor to become a court wizard. This around / after defeating the main villain in the first game.

And unless I’m mistaking it for another game I believe you also traveled a lot on horse back (if you could afford it). So the impression I have is that while it’s possible to develop an above-average physique (for a caster) I don’t think the day-to-day activities of a mage will help maintain that “fit and lean” silhouette. All in all, adventuring feels like a second job or side-hobby for them, not exactly their main activity.

One of the reasons why our court wizard goes out is because they were ordered by their Duke to do so, along with the promise of gold but eventually realize that they were seriously underprepared (too over-confident) for the task that was set upon them. Basically, they won the jackpot after the events of the first game and rather than keeping at it they decided to ride on their wealth and fame, slowing down on the whole “adventuring” idea.

2 Likes
4

A fair point, I still dislike the trope in other stories though. Though I suspect a Kendrickstone wizard would be on the portly side at least.

1 Like
5

I must say, the Sword of Kendrick Giant-Slayer is badass in this game. Being able to do things that otherwise I couldn’t because of the sword is an awesome experience.
Kudos to you @cataphrak, for making a choice from the first game have this impact in the sequel.

Now I shall always collect the magic artifact in every game :stuck_out_tongue:.

1 Like
6

I feel like I’m missing some vital context to this conversation…

Also the game art is a little effed up on the Our Games page

Also congrats @Cataphrak!

6 Likes
7

They obviously just want to come to the tea party. And why wouldn’t they?

19 Likes
8

Now I kinda wanna leave it like that. (But fixed)

16 Likes
9

Good that you may never know, lest you go mad from the revelation.

Eh, to hell with that, go literally nuts: There was a discussion about the morale system being gone and Ramidel thought it was unrealistic that his squishy wizard character had a boosted combat stat just from eating and living well.

2 Likes
10

Congrats Cata. It is an extremely fun game for a power fantasy, although I must admit the ending with

Mundy making out like a bandit at our expense

is frustrating to my hard working knight MC.

11

I always thought that a large part of why wizards tend to be squishy was because they didn’t eat or live well (preferring to spend all that time cooped up with their tomes instead).

12

“Forgo eating for a month or buy that ancient tome of arcane lore? Decisions, decisions.”

Wizardy on a budget.

3 Likes
13

Knighthood on a budget: only buying armor after you have exhausted literally every opportunity in your current town, and are forced to move to a new one.

Thieving on a budget: Going through a long and illustrious thieving career without a dagger or even a set of lockpicks.

Barding on a budget: Everything.

2 Likes
14

If we were a freelance adventurer or wizard’s apprentice living in the wizard’s tower at the end of Kendrickstone, are we still living there or did Isan kick us out for some reason?

I’m only asking because a Court Wizard character mentions at the end of the game how nice it would be to get back to the tower and how they even miss Isan sometimes, but a freelancer living in the tower and an apprentice don’t have that text.

15

That was just my third year of University.

Tell me about it.

You’re probably still living there, but you’re probably also still living as if you were a servant, as opposed to a Court Mage in your own right, which would mean you’d be given quarters as luxurious (or at least as spacious) as Isan’s.

5 Likes
16

That’s good. That means we still get the awesome view from living high above the rest of the city. Really the only reason I turned down any reward at the end of Kendrickstone. It would have meant moving out of there.

Also, I mentioned this before in the other thread, but I really enjoyed this story, Cataphrak. Thank you for writing it.

2 Likes
17

@Cataphrak
It could be something just messing up in my display, but I’ve been playing this on android and the sword of Kendrick Giant Slayer isn’t popping up in my equipment.

18

It might be because you’re importing an older save. There was a bug with some of the older versions that didn’t export either the Sword of Kendrick Giant-Slayer or the Tome of Mad Whispers over. It was fixed a few months ago at least, so I think new exported saves should work.

19

There was an update to Kendrick today on Steam, so maybe there is one for Andriod and Apple as well that needs to be applied?

20

Ah well. It was probably that. I’ll just make a new run through. It’s a small thing, but it takes away the sense of continuity that I love in your games.