Interactive Fiction returns twice to Pentari

Written by Jack Allin — May 10, 2007 at 12:01

Warm up those typing fingers, Interactive Fiction fans, because they'll soon be getting a workout, as Malinche Entertainment has announced the imminent release of Pentari: The Apprentice, with Pentari: Second Dawn to follow some time later.

There aren't many commercial text adventures anymore, but Malinche just keeps rolling along. The Apprentice represents the company's tenth IF title in five years, and returns gamers to a setting first visited in Pentari: First Light. The two new Pentari games are described by Malinche as "parallel works" telling the same story from two entirely different perspectives.

In The Apprentice, players assume the role of a young wizard training to become a full-fledged sorcerer. But when his master is abducted, a much deeper plot is exposed that threatens the city of Lindon and the Kingdom of Pentari itself. With only a tentative grasp of magic at his command, the apprentice "goes on a quest to save his city and his master as he meets up with pirates, exploited ants, a smart-alec dragon and a retired wizard who's seen it all. All of the young wizard's encounters prepare him for a showdown with the Dark Queen of Umbra where the fate of two nations lies in the balance."

Pentari: The Apprentice will be available in various formats directly from Malinche on May 24th. Pre-orders are being accepted now, and prices range from $9.95-$34.95 USD, depending on the version chosen.