The 2019 action RPG The Outer Worlds received praise for several reasons. But the writing, in particular, really seemed to stick out to fans and critics alike. In fact, the writing resonated with gaming audiences so much that The Outer Worlds won the 2020 Nebula Award for Best Game Writing and became nominated for other similar awards. Fans of the game’s narrative and dialogue will likely be elated to hear that Marc Soskin, a former member of The Outer Worlds narrative team, has an upcoming narrative adventure titled Henchman Story. The game actually began life as a Kickstarter project last year, but Soskin’s development studio Silken Sail announced that PC players can finally try it out on October 14.
Henchman Story stars Stan, a lowly henchman that serves the whims of Lord Bedlam, who the developers describe as a “boisterous, bottom-feeding supervillain.” Stan’s henchman status does not exactly provide him much fulfillment or dignity, but he discovers that “his decisions as a lowly punching bag may determine more than just the fate of his student loans.”
Carrying over The Outer Worlds’ DNA
According to the developers, Henchman Story serves as “both a love letter, and a playful twist on the ever-growing superhero genre.” The game boasts a robust voice cast that features talent from works such as A Hat in Time and My Hero Academia. Much like with Soskin’s prior work, Henchman Story places heavy emphasis on its choice-driven narrative, as it features 11 unique endings “and a whole mess of relationships and choices in-between.”
Henchman Story may differ greatly from The Outer Worlds in terms of its premise, tone, and scope, but it should still catch the interest of Soskin’s fans and people who enjoy choice-driven narratives in general. Players interested in Henchman Story can check out the free demo on Steam or watch the new teaser trailer to see if the game clicks with them.