Hidden Gem: A Story Beside

Alyssa found a gem

- Alyssa Rochelle Payne

I love keeping up with indie projects during their long developmental journey, so I often become attached to games I can't play yet. But with so many awesome works-in-progress to follow, I have to admit that I've accumulated a pile of forgotten ones, leaving them sitting in my library or wishlist. My forgetfulness comes with a perk though: once I decide to look through my backlog (months or years later), the games are finally finished, and I inevitably uncover some magnificent hidden gems among them.

In fact, that is exactly how I rediscovered A Story Beside, a narrative-driven fantasy game created by solo developer Wayward Prophet. The first few available chapters enchanted me back in 2019 when it was playable in Early Access, but its full release in May 2022 flew under my radar. Restarting my playthrough years later was like meeting an old friend for a warm cup of coffee on a calm rainy day; the charming characters, quiet 6. GameOn Magazine town, and lovely piano music were still there just as I remembered. I'm happy I found this heartwarming hidden gem again because now I get to introduce it to you.