REKA gets September Early Access release

I can’t explain REKA without sounding like I’m making it sound normal or somehow more bonkers than I normally attempt. You play as a young woman who lives inside a house placed on the head of a chicken that will often walk about. Since you already don’t believe, REKA is heavily inspired by Slavic folklore which makes sense as Reka herself is the apprentice to Baba Jaga/Ježibaba (often Baba Yaga in English). Yes, somehow the truth is more insane than I could have twisted it, but that’s beside the point.

Publisher Fireshine Games and developer Emberstorm Entertainment announced yesterday afternoon via a press release, “[…] the eagerly anticipated witchcraft adventure REKA will launch on Steam Early Access on September 12th, 2024.” Going on to say: “Fireshine Games is also delighted to announce that award-winning writer Rhianna Pratchett is collaborating with Emberstorm Entertainment as the game’s Lead Writer, lending her talent of storytelling to enrich REKA’s magical tale and tell an unforgettable story of witchcraft and wonder.

REKA’s adventure begins on September 12th, when players can experience the game’s opening chapters and discover their newfound powers of witchcraft to set out on an unforgettable journey with their walking, chicken-legged cottage companion. Additional content and story updates will be introduced throughout the game’s time in Early Access.”

On the length of Early Access, I can’t seem to get a straight answer on this one, at least that gives a timeline that is aimed for. The Steam page for REKA notes: “For [the] 1.0 launch, the remaining chapters and REKA’s complete story will be available! We plan to add new areas, quests, recipes, items[,] and more with each update. We’re aiming for these updates to bring other elements too, like new accessories for your witch, furniture[,] and side quests! We’ll share a roadmap closer to Early Access launch which will show you the new and exciting content that’s being added to the game.” Which isn’t really a timeline.

The first time I saw REKA was this year’s PC Gaming Show, one of the many additions to my wishlists. Despite that, we haven’t seen too much of REKA at this point, mostly snippets here and screenshots there. What I guess I’m getting at is that I don’t know what exactly your goal as Reka happens to be, other than “Solve quests & uncover the great mysteries” of Baba Jaga and decorating a “chicken-legged house.” I guess the point I’m getting to is that I’m in the door, I want to know more, but I think it will be a while before I do find any of that out.

Lead writer for REKA, Rhianna Pratchett, said, “I’ve never been one to shy away from embracing the weird and wonderful, so helping craft the narrative of REKA with Emberstorm and Fireshine has been an absolute delight.”

Emberstorm Entertainment’s lead narrative designer and studio co-founder, Jesco von Puttkamer, said, “With her marvelous writing style and incredible experience in storytelling, Rhianna has been tremendous at helping us bring the world of REKA to life and deliver an adventure that we can’t wait for players to experience.” He would conclude with, “Working with Rhianna has been a joy and a privilege, and we are so excited to have her ongoing support to help us enrich the game’s narrative even further throughout Early Access.“

REKA is set for Early Access release on September 12th, and as stated above Emberstrom Entertainment and Fireshine Games are set to bring a roadmap closer to the early access release on the timeline. I’m excited to see what comes of REKA both in Early Access and beyond, as the style and the setting seem much more unique than a lot of what we see when it comes to “You’re a witch Henryetta, now put your name in the cup of flame.”