The famous scientist Albert Einstein once stated that the only source of knowledge is experience. This idea is subverted in Quote, the latest video game from Vindit, which is currently in Early Access development at their studio based in London for release via Steam. Quote is an isometric action RPG video game which takes its graphical inspiration from surrealist artists such as Hieronymus Bosch, and legendary film directors such as Tim Burton and Guillermo Del Toro.

Many years before the game’s story begins, the world’s knowledge was eliminated by Bliss, the God of Ignorance. In the present day, Bliss has reawakened to discover that knowledge has returned to the world thanks to the efforts of creative individuals and the other gods. Eager to rebuild his idea of a utopia, Bliss corrupts a young heroine named Novella by making her his devoted priestess. After partnering her with Tatters, a bird like being with the head of a Venus fly trap, Bliss sends her to fulfil his mission to bring ignorance to the land.

From a graphical perspective, Quote has a distinctly gothic atmosphere that would feel at home in a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. On a further note, the game world is littered with various objects from throughout human history such as ink bottles, magnifying glasses and literal skeleton keys, all of which have half of a famous quotation attributed to them. By collecting these items and pairing them with another item or a door, in a similar fashion to the Kinstones from The Legend of Zelda – The Minish Cap, you can then form the complete quote. With this well implemented mechanic, you then complete a side quest, or unlock the next available dungeon. A few of the graphical problems that I found during the first two chapters was that the text on the user interface did not seem to alter in size along with the game resolution, and that some of the dialogue windows and context sensitive icons did not appear as required, but hopefully these will be ironed out before the game is released later this year.

When you are not piecing together famous quotes from the world’s knowledge, Novella has the ability to use the Book of Bliss, an empty book made of stone as an offensive weapon to bludgeon enemies to death. These foes can range from the usual low level pawns that inhabit each dungeon, or they can be the Authors of the quotations you collect along your journey. When you complete certain objectives, you will obtain various Books, which Tatters can literally digest in order for you to gain experience points which can be exchanged for powerful skills and enhanced attributes for Novella. While the levelling up mechanic is by no means a new addition, the way it is presented with the gothic style drawings of Tatter’s digestive system is certainly more unique than simply pressing a button on a bountiful list of potential upgrades.

The soundtrack of Quote is mostly a mixture of quiet orchestral tracks which build a calm ambience, with the occasional louder track when you face an enemy in battle. One the best pieces is when Novella is attacked by Bliss and transformed into his thrall, as it’s vibrant tones exemplify the change from determined hope to mindless subservience. The voice acting fits extremely well, particularly the voice that has been chosen for Bliss, who relishes in his power to create ignorance throughout the game world and to effortlessly eliminate anyone who gets in his way. His dark confidence is also shown during the scene of Novella’s transformation, where he believes he has the right to do anything he chooses.

After spending some time destroying knowledge in Quote, it is fair to say that the team at Vindit have certainly created a product to be proud about. The gothic styled graphics and atmospheric soundtrack create an immersive alternate world, and the interesting gameplay mechanics along with the delightfully dark humour from Bliss and the world he seeks to destroy is both terrifying and oddly enchanting. Provided that the developer fixes the issues with the user interface and the dialogue progression, Quote is shaping up to be a first class action RPG that is something a little less ordinary for all the right reasons.

Quote is currently in Steam Early Access. This preview is based on the build that was available at the initial launch of the game. A full review will be available when Quote has been officially released.