With games like Earthbound and Undertale inspiring so many creators over the years, there’s no shortage of quirky RPGs out there. Athenian Rhapsody pulls in even more esoteric inspirations to create a stew that’s veritably overflowing, and it’s now set to bring its absurdity to the world on May 14, 2024.
Athenian Rhapsody comes from a developer by the name of Nico Papalia. From the first frame of the release date trailer you’ll pick up on the vibe it’s going for, but keep watching and you’ll see a sizzle reel that paints a pretty packed picture. There are WarioWare-style minigames, enemies you can fight or befriend, and 16 party members to find over the course of your ridiculous journey.
It’s billed as a “true choose-your-own adventure” in which no two players will have the same experience. Building on that promise is the concept of Rhapsodies. Every time you finish the game, you get a unique Rhapsody that includes all the details of your individual story. You can show off your stats and trade playthroughs with friends, and you can apparently even choose to be a huge jerk and delete your friend’s Rhapsodies. You can see a sample of that and more in the trailer from publisher Top Hat Studios below.
Thanks to a Kickstarter campaign, Athenian Rhapsody was successfully crowdfunded back in July 2021, with 234 backers pledging a total of around $7,000 to make it happen. It was a modest win over the initial $5,000 goal, but it was enough to let Nico Papalia focus on making the game happen. As the Kickstarter page details, Papalia is a solo developer who’s been getting a lot of assistance from their good friend Arp, who handles the soundtrack and also helps with “many little things that come up along the way.”
Whether it’s a single person or a dozen designers, It’s always cool to see this type of passion project come to life. We’ll get to compare playthroughs when Athenian Rhapsody hits PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Steam, GOG, iOS, and Android next month.
