Right on schedule, indie developer Tale of Tales' newest project FATALE is released as a digital download for PC and Mac.FATALE is an interactive vignette in realtime 3D inspired by the story of Salome, the biblical princess and protagonist in Oscar Wilde's stage play, first performed in England 78 years ago today.
FATALE can be purchased for 7 US Dollars from Tale of Tales' website.
http://Tale-of-Tales.com/Fatale
"We are not traditional game developers," confess designers Auriea Harvey & Michael Samyn, "We are more interested in exploring the potential of the interactive medium than refining any premature conventions. This applies to both form and content. The story of Salome is fascinating to us. Not in the least because it allows for so many interpretations. All of these are present in FATALE and we hope the players come up with many more."
Salome was a princess in first century Judea referred to in the Christian Bible by Matthew and by Mark. But it is Oscar Wilde's 19th century stage play "Salome" that really inspired FATALE. In the Bible, Salome is a child who dances for King Herod and asks the head of John the Baptist as a reward. In Wilde's version, Salome falls in love with the prophet. He rejects her and she has him executed. The play ends with her kissing the lips of his decapitated head. Most of FATALE takes place in the aftermath of this event, when all has turned quiet and the moon brings comfort to troubled hearts.
Despite of its disturbing theme, FATALE features a very relaxed play experience. Much like in Tale of Tales' previous works -The Path, The Graveyard and The Endless Forest- most of the interaction is voluntary.
There's no ticking clocks or challenging puzzles in FATALE. The player has all the time in the world to soak up the atmosphere and allow their mind to wander.
Tale of Tales is an independent studio based in Belgium, founded by new media artists Auriea Harvey and Michael Samyn in 2003. FATALE was produced in collaboration with Laura Raines Smith (animation), Takayoshi Sato (character design & modeling), Jarboe (voice acting & ambient music), Kris Force (sound effects & ambient music), Gerry De Mol (dance music) and Eleonore Valere Lachky (choreography). Production of FATALE was supported by Flanders Audiovisual Fund.