Ain't much, but it's dishonest work - Henchman Story launches on PS4/5, Xbox, Switch and Steam

In this narrative adventure, working for a supervillain might not be ideal, but hey - it pays the bills

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Trailer (YouTube) | Steam page | Website

14 October 2021 - Developer Silken Sail is beyond excited to launch their long awaited supervillain adventure Henchman Story today across all platforms. Players can begin their villainous career with the game's brand new launch trailer, grab the game for PC via Steam, and, with publisher Top Hat Studios’ support, play on Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S now. 

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Well whatever it is - your job is to get rid of it! Henchman Story, created and written by Marc Soskin, formerly part of the award-winning The Outer Worlds narrative team, tells the story of Stan, an average guy with a seldom used history major in one hand and crushing student debt on his shoulders. Work can be hard to come by these days, so Stan doesn’t ask too many questions when he finds himself working as a lowly henchman to the eccentric Lord Bedlam.  [Continues below]

Henchman Story takes the classic comic book tale of superheroes fighting supervillains and drops you right into the pages, just not where you’d expect. Through Stan’s eyes you’ll see the more humble realities required to keep supervillainy flowing smoothly between the exciting standoffs.

With voice talent like Anairis Quiñones from Attack on Titan/RE:Zero, Anthony Sardinha from A Hat In Time, and Elissa Park from Marvel Avengers Academy, Henchman Story offers a fresh take on a classic concept, creating a world filled with dynamic, colourful characters.

In this choice-driven adventure, with eleven distinct endings, it’s up to you to decide how this lowly henchman makes his mark. 

When asked about the  inspiration for Henchman Story, Soskin said: "Henchman Story is kind of like Office Space meets the superhero world of Marvel Comics or My Hero Academia, with a sprinkling of Mel Brooks influence because I just can’t help myself. 
 
In terms of gameplay, I like to think of it as sitting in the space between a classic Telltale game and a text adventure. We’ve got these bright, comic book visuals, but because we’re a leaner production, we also have tons of room to make a truly branching, reactive story.”  [Continues below]

Regarding how Henchman Story handles choice, consequence, and navigating the satirical genre, he added, “When players make choices that affect their relationships, send the story in different directions or start a romance, we try to really lean into it. The cast can end up in some wildly different places depending those choices – it really covers the whole superhero and supervillain spectrum.

Hopefully players find it funny, but by seeing the world through the eyes of the superhero equivalent of a cubicle worker, I hope it offers some food for thought between the laughs. There’s a bit of economic commentary in there.”

Henchman Story launches on PC, Switch, PlayStation and Xbox today. Purchasing via Playstation and Xbox stores gives players access to the game across all recent console iterations.

For more information, please contact Lucy Ann Jones at lucy@gameifyouare.com


About Henchman Story

Henchman Story is an interactive story where you play as a beleaguered henchman working for a bumbling supervillain.

It’s thankless work. Week in and week out, you put on your purple spandex and get the crap beaten out of you by much stronger, much cooler people wearing much fancier spandex. But the checks clear, and Lord Bedlam offers healthcare, so a job’s a job, right?

Even henchmen have bills to pay, and sometimes, even henchmen can make choices that change everything.


Features 

Superhero Satire - A comedic take on the world of superheroes that revels in the ridiculous nature of its setting, and showcases a colorful, comic book aesthetic.

Colorful Characters - Find friends, enemies and even romance amongst a lively cast of villains, heroes and fellow henchmen.

Meaningful Choices - Your decisions directly influence the story - leading to eleven endings, determining the fate of its characters, and if you play your cards right, you might even earn a promotion!

Full Voice Acting - Starring a talented cast of professional actors that have been featured in anime, video games and more!


About Silken Sail

Silken Sail Entertainment is a game developer that is focused on creating compelling interactive stories. 

It was founded by Marc Soskin, a writer and game designer with six years of professional experience on games like Lone Echo, ARK: Survival Evolved, Lost Within and The Outer Worlds – earning a Nebula Award for the latter, alongside the rest of TOW’s talented narrative team. Before entering the industry proper, he was known for his occasional foray into voice acting, and his Skyrim mod, “Moon and Star,” which has received over 500,000 unique downloads.


About Top Hat Studios

Top Hat Studios is a New York-based boutique publisher whose titles include Synergia, Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story, Potion Party, and Kickstarted successes as Ova Magica, SteamDolls, and The Girl From Arkanya. Having started as a grassroots indie company with no external investment, Top Hat Studios now provides a holistic suite of publishing, business development, and porting expertise to indie and solo developers.