Ghost of a Tale

Lore & Background

Ghost of a Tale is set centuries after the War of the Green Flame, a cataclysmic event where a ball of emerald fire swept across the world, killing those who opposed it and raising an undead army. The mouse kingdom betrayed other nations to earn mercy, but most of their land was destroyed; the rat army ultimately defeated the Green Flame and took over mouse territory. The player character, Tilo, is a mouse bard imprisoned in the rat-controlled prison Duinlan Heights, nicknamed 'Dwindling Heights' for its slow sinking into the water. He was captured after his wife Merra refused to sing for a Rat Baron, and he learns she joined a secret revolutionary group.

Reader's Guide

Ghost of a Tale is notable as a largely solo project by Lionel Gallat, a veteran animator who worked on films such as The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, and Shark Tale. The game's development began after the 2012 film The Lorax, with an Indiegogo campaign in 2013 raising €48,700. Gallat cited inspirations from films like The Secret of NIMH and The Dark Crystal, the Redwall book series, and games such as The Legend of Zelda and Dark Souls. The game's stealth-focused gameplay, lack of weapons, and reliance on hiding spots and costumes for disguise were central to its design. An early access version launched on Steam in July 2016, with the full PC release on March 13, 2018. The game received a Metacritic score of 75% based on 22 reviews. A sequel has been in development since 2020, initially on Unity but later switched to Unreal Engine 5, requiring the team to rebuild most assets over a year and a half.

Did You Know?

• The game was funded via Indiegogo, raising €48,700 from April to May 2013.
• The prison is nicknamed 'Dwindling Heights' because it is slowly sinking into the water.
• The player has no weapons and must rely on hiding spots and costumes to evade guards.
• A free update in October 2018 added 23 minutes of new music by Mathieu Alvado.