Athenian Rhapsody follow-up Tales of Tuscany announced

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Top Hat Studios and developer Nico Papalia have unveiled a new project titled “Tales of Tuscany“, which they describe as an “open-world RPG drenched in the spirit of WarioWare“. This upcoming game is a follow-up to their 2024 release, “Athenian Rhapsody“. The game will be available on various platforms, including PC via Steam, in the year 2026.

Here is an overview of the game, via Top Hat Studios:

About

In a twisted plot by the malevolent wizard Thunder Goober, Tuscany lies shattered for his amusement. Embark on an exciting journey as Lambypoo, traversing the devastated landscape of Tuscany. Along the way, you can either form alliances and recruit allies to your cause or confront adversaries to earn their Experience Points (EXP), all in a valiant attempt to rescue your kin and restore Tuscany to its former glory.

Every trip through Tuscany offers a unique experience tailored to the driver, and upon finishing the game, you’ll receive something called a Rhapsody as a reward – essentially, a keepsake summarizing your entire gaming session that can be shared cross-platform with friends. Your objective is to bring peace to Tuscany, but there are no instructions given – feel free to explore and make your own decisions!

What Kind of Stuff is in This Game?

In “Yarns from Tuscany,” you embark on an exciting, laugh-out-loud adventure where you write your own tale. Gather a group of unlikely heroes to face off against formidable foes, and decisions you make will influence the world in this role-playing game! Some of its highlights include…

  • Befriend Every Enemy, and They’ll Join Your Team! – In Tales of Tuscany, you don’t have to defeat enemies for their EXP… if you’re clever, you can find a way to BEFRIEND them, and they’ll join your team—complete with their own stats, BURST skills, and personalities. Pretty much every enemy in this game can join your party, aside from some special bosses… You can even find shiny versions of them all, too!
  • Varying Battle Mechanics… What Genre Even Is This? – Crucial battles throughout your journey will flip the battle mechanics upside down! You’ll find yourself carving pumpkins, surfing waves at the public pool, filling out paper work, and even stealing money from old people to progress through Tuscany!
  • This Game is Hilarious – Look, I might be a little bit biased because I did make the game and now I’m writing this, but… This game seriously is pretty funny. It’s lighthearted, goofy, and not over the top with toilet humor or anything. It’s like a fine, tasteful sort of funny that leaves your soul feeling nice and gets your social battery all charged up.
  • A Whole Button Dedicated to Going “Baaa” – It seems pretty funny and pointless, which it could be, but… Using the “Baaa” button allows you to interact with the overworld in new ways—destroy rocks for items and money, speak to NPC’s, blow up cars and shatter windows, this “Baaa” has powers greater than we will ever understand!
  • Choose Your Own Adventure! – Tuscany is left in a state of disarray… which is the perfect time to come in and make everything worse! You can actively choose to rebuild your Village and unlock epic upgrades such as the ability to defeat enemies in the overworld using your “Baaa,” changing Lambypoo’s color, and many more amenities—or, you can take advantage of the chaos and grab control of Tuscany through brute force… Your decisions small and large will all shape the world around you!
  • Trade Collectibles Cross-Platform – Earn a postcard called a “Rhapsody” at the end of every unique playthrough that you can trade amongst your friends cross platform! These Rhapsodies are highly customizable, and contain all of your stats and decisions, plus an awesome photo that you get to take in-game!

Bla Bla Bla I’m a Sheep. Alright I Get That Part. What is Like, the Actual Story?

In an untouched, timeless landscape known as Tuscany, peace reigned until the malevolent sorcerer Thunder Goober burst through from Elysium’s realm, leaving a trail of destruction. He unleashed a colossal bolt of lightning upon Tuscany, reducing your hometown to ruins and scattering your cousins across various locations! The resulting tear in the atmosphere also began emitting EXP particles; when gathered by Tuscanos, these particles enhance their strength but can lead to madness too!

Currently, Lambypoo is given an opportunity to tour Tuscany and rescue each cousin. This action will contribute to building fresh amenities at The Village. However, Thunder Goober might be concealing a hidden motive behind his chaos… But you’ll have to play the game yourself to find out! Wink wink, I got you!

Can You Explain the “Rhapsody” Part Again? (I Was on the Phone With My Mom, Sorry)

Listen carefully—this game is similar to a ‘choose-your-own-adventure’, giving you the freedom to decide your own path. You can opt to accumulate vast amounts of EXP, a moderate amount, or none at all; you can choose to aid or hinder numerous characters for reasons that are personal to you and find solutions to problems in multiple ways… As you make these choices, a graphical representation of your story (in Tuscany) is generated, enabling you to materialize it in reality and share your journey with others. The objective of Tales of Tuscany isn’t merely to be a solo game, but also serve as a platform for exchanging experiences, comparing them, and even trading valuable mementos if you choose to trust one another.

Is This Game “Good” And / Or “Fun”?

Absolutely, it’s fantastic! You could opt for a multi-level marketing venture, play with a spice-coated dung beetle ball, secure a corporate position, engage in car demolition derbies, launch friends from cannons for fun explosions, and there’s also a community pool. I may have mentioned this earlier, but honestly, who wouldn’t appreciate a public pool? It’s simply the best spot on our planet…

Watch the announcement trailer below.

Announce Trailer

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2025-04-22 20:36