There are some press releases that grab the eye with exciting rhetoric or dropping a recognisable name, and then there are some that draw you in by making you go, 'Did I read that right?'. Athenian Rhapsody is certainly one of the latter, inviting players to make friends and catch IBS.

Made by solo developer Nico Papalia, Athenian Rhapsody is an ode to classic and beloved games like Earthbound and Undertale, all whilst lavishing itself in ridiculous humour. You will explore Athens, enjoy mini-games such as weight-lifting, and complete herculean challenges such as Carry A Feather. I can’t tell if the last one is going to be ridiculously hard or easy, and that excites me.

A feature that might be very interesting is drawing your own boss to fight. An entertaining prospect, and also I am personally looking forward to seeing how this pans out. Another fun addition might be the tough Souls-like dating mechanics, which might be the best way of describing video game romancing ever.

On your travels, you will meet 16 unique companions with their own unique personalities, who may or may not influence how you play your story. There are a ton of branching narratives to follow, from friendships made, to whether you fight or befriend the enemies you encounter. And rather interestingly, you will collect Rhapsodys’.

After each playthrough, you will pen your own Rhapsody, a personalised story of your journey. Every decision you made, interaction you had, and faces you slapped will be noted in your chronicle. You can even share these online with other people, however, Papalia has taken great pains to stress these Rhapsody tokens have nothing to do with NFTs. They are simply a good time, sharing your tale.

Athenian Rhapsody will be available on Google Play and the App Store from May 14th.