Today, Superstring launches a new update for its ambitious narrative ARG. The Acolyte: Voice Within Update is a substantial 1.1 update to the game, which includes dynamic, fully-voiced dialogue thanks to a partnership with TTS-developer ReadSpeaker.
As a celebration of the update, the developer posted a new trailer that can be found below:
From the press release:
“We’re excited to see the release of the Voice Within update” said ReadSpeaker’s Tom DiPietropolo about the implementation, “ReadSpeaker is excited to play a role in the engaging dialog Superstring has created by incorporating our Unity Game Engine plugin to bring dynamic, runtime Voice AI to their Alternate Reality Game.”
Alongside TTS functionality, the Voice Within Update includes a new Horoscope Module, new Jokes and Interesting Facts (all of which can be retrieved via natural language input), hundreds of lines of new dialogue, and a slew of fixes and improvements.
Acolyte takes advantage of the Spirit AI Character Engine, allowing players to converse with their Acolyte in real time via a series of text exchanges. The full game combines non-linear storytelling with ambitious puzzles and wider ARG (Alternate Reality Game) elements for a unique narrative that spills out of the game and into the real world.
“ARG’s haven’t been explored all too much in the traditional game space,” said Superstring’s Jamin Smith “With Acolyte the intention was to build an experience that quickly left the confines of the game itself, where the realities of game world and the players real life start to blur. Acolyte has some big ideas, and I hope it resonates with narrative fans looking for something a little different.”
Acolyte is a narrative ARG/Detective game that gives you your own Acolyte; a digital assistant you can talk to freely with unlimited dialogue options. Just like a real conversation.
