Joe Dever's Lone Wolf
A 3D action RPG based on Joe Dever's Lone Wolf gamebooks.
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf is a role-playing video game created by the Italian studio Forge Reply. It was first released for iOS by BulkyPix on 29 October 2013, and later made available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The game draws from Joe Dever's Lone Wolf series of gamebooks, following the protagonist as he seeks the secret behind the Shianti Cube.
The gameplay blends 3D action RPG combat with first-person text passages that deliver the story, reminiscent of the original gamebooks. Players can use supernatural Kai disciplines, which grant powers such as psychic attacks and defenses. Choices made outside of combat influence how the plot unfolds.
The story is set between the third and fourth Lone Wolf books, *The Caverns of Kalte* and *The Chasm of Doom*. Lone Wolf is called to the Sommlending village of Rockstarn, which has been invaded by Giaks. While trying to aid the villagers, he learns the invaders are after something specific.
Development began with a teaser website that appeared a week before the 2011 Gamescom convention, displaying the words "Be Kai." Forge Reply soon confirmed it as a Lone Wolf video game. Creator Joe Dever called it the adaptation that finally "got it right," describing the protagonist as having a Batman-like darkness while remaining a "paragon of virtue." The game was made more action-focused than the books to better translate the story to the medium.
Audio production studio 93 Steps handled the soundscape, including music, sound effects, and voices. To gauge the series' remaining fanbase after the books went out of print in several Western countries, the studio used Facebook to let players experience the original book *Flight from the Dark*, voting at each story choice.
Pocket Gamer praised the interactive text that shifts into a 3D game with third-person combat. TouchArcade gave the game a 4/5 star rating, noting it was exciting to guide Lone Wolf through the adventure but struggled to capture the fun of the original gamebooks.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Joe Dever's Lone Wolf
- Developer
- Forge Reply, Atlantyca Lab
- Publisher
- BulkyPix
- Release
- iOS, macOS, WindowsWW · 29 October 2013PS4, Xbox One WW · 16 March 2016Nintendo SwitchWW · 16 February 2018
- Genre
- Role-playing game
- Modes
- Single-player
- Platforms
- iOS, macOS, Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, Nintendo Switch
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The story takes place between Lone Wolf books three and four, The Caverns of Kalte and The Chasm of Doom. Lone Wolf is asked to intervene in the Sommlending village of Rockstarn as Giaks have invaded it, but as he tries to help the villagers, he discovers that the invaders have a very precise objective in mind. While traditional 3D action RPG combat is the main focus of the game, plot is mostly delivered through first-person perspective texts similar to the gamebook series. It also includes various supernatural disciplines learned by the Kai to give them otherworldly powers, including the ability to psychically attack opponents and defend against them. Decisions made by the player outside of combat sequences have an impact on how the plot evolves.
Reader's Guide
Joe Dever's Lone Wolf represents a notable attempt to translate a classic gamebook series into a modern action RPG format. A week before the Gamescom gaming convention in 2011, a teaser website was posted with the words 'Be Kai', which soon after was revealed by game developer Forge Reply to be an upcoming Lone Wolf video game. Creator Joe Dever described the game as the one that finally 'got it right', and described it as presenting the protagonist Lone Wolf with a Batmanesque darkness while still being a 'paragon of virtue'. The game was developed to be more action-oriented than the books to help translate the story from book to game. Audio production studio 93 Steps created the soundscape, including music, sound effects and voices. The studio used Facebook to let people play through the original Lone Wolf book Flight from the Dark and vote every time there was a choice of direction, as a way to test how many fans Lone Wolf still had since the books went out of print in several western countries. Pocket Gamer praised the interactive text that transforms as you make choices into a 3D game with combat done through a third-person perspective. TouchArcade gave the game a 4/5 star rating, saying the game was exciting taking on the role of guiding the protagonist Lone Wolf through the adventure, but had trouble capturing the fun of the gamebooks they originated from.
Did You Know?
- The game was developed by Italian studio Forge Reply and first published by BulkyPix for iOS on 29 October 2013.
- A teaser website with the words 'Be Kai' appeared a week before Gamescom 2011, revealing the game.
- Audio production studio 93 Steps used Facebook to let fans play through Flight from the Dark and vote on story choices.
More in Role-Playing Games of the 2010s, Part 2 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced