FORMAT: PAPERBACK (REVIEWED), DIGITAL | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
The Fighting Fantasy books are seemingly unstoppable. Crystal of Storms is the latest stand-alone book to bear the Fighting Fantasy title, making it the 69th title to bear the name, and number 17 in the current print-run. It’s a little different from the others, however.
For those who are unfamiliar with the franchise, Fighting Fantasy are multiple path game books in which you are the hero, and you use dice to resolve conflicts. This new book is set in Pangaria, an archipeglo of floating island surrounded by a perpetual storm. You take on the role of one of the Sky Watch, the local law enforcement. When the island of Nimbus falls out of the sky, taking your colleagues with it, it’s up to you to figure out the truth.
This is a new bit of world-building for the Fighting Fantasy series, though Pangaria is part of the broader world the books are set in. The tone is much lighter and the game less punishing; it’s clearly intended for younger gamers but there’s plenty for adults to enjoy as well. It’s a little plain in it’s approach but the ideas behind Pangaria are wonderful; it’s a goblin powered magi-tech place that is in stark contrast to the rest of Fighting Fantasy world.
They are few minor niggles here; character creation rules are at the back of the book and you get the feeling the mechanics aren’t that important here. It is nice that each page has two dice in the margin though so you can flip the pages to ‘roll the dice. This is also one of the few Fighting Fantasy books that needs a map and doesn’t have one; the order in which you visit the islands can be important. The art is also much more modern and minimalist. It’s pretty but older player will miss the distinct ‘heavy metal album’ style of the previous books.
The author, Rhianna Pratchett, is best known for her writing in video games such as Overlord, Mirror’s Edge and the 2013 Tomb Raider and it does show; the story and game mesh perfectly well together, more so than earlier books in the Fighting Fantasy series. The game is a much more forgiving than some other Fighting Fantasy books and this seems deliberate; it’s accessible to everyone but even experienced gamers will have to stop and puzzle out the best way to handle key scenes.
We look forward to seeing many more Fighting Fantasy books.
