{"id":33555,"date":"2026-09-26T20:45:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T17:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/console-classics.com\/?p=33555"},"modified":"2026-09-26T20:45:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T17:45:09","slug":"journey-to-the-emerald-city-brings-a-storybook-adventure-to-the-tabletop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/console-classics.com\/ru\/retrogaming\/journey-to-the-emerald-city-brings-a-storybook-adventure-to-the-tabletop\/","title":{"rendered":"Journey to the Emerald City Brings a Storybook Adventure to the Tabletop"},"content":{"rendered":"

Journey to the Emerald City turns the Oliver Twins\u2019 puzzle-solving heritage into a screen-free Oz adventure packed with cards, clues, and tactile surprises.<\/em><\/p>\n

A New Kind of Journey Begins<\/h2>\n

The Oliver Twins are stepping away from conventional video games and inviting players into the Emerald City with nothing more demanding than a book, a deck of cards, and a curious mind. It\u2019s a wonderfully old-fashioned idea in an age of glowing screens and permanently anxious battery icons.<\/p>\n

Known for creating the Dizzy games, Philip and Andrew Oliver have announced Journey to the Emerald City<\/a><\/strong>, a story-driven adventure designed for players ages eight and up. It will be the first release in their planned Active Brain Games<\/strong> series, a line built around reading, investigation, and puzzle-solving rather than reflexes.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no display to stare at, no controller to master, and no familiar scramble for a charging cable five minutes before the adventure gets interesting. Instead, the game asks players to turn pages, examine objects, interpret clues, and make progress through a physical world laid out on paper and cardboard.<\/p>\n

\n Journey to the Emerald City main artwork
Journey to the Emerald City main artwork<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Video Game Without the Video<\/h2>\n

That central idea sounds simple, but it has a particular charm. The Oliver Twins describe Journey to the Emerald City<\/a><\/strong> as \u201ca video game with the video removed,\u201d which is a neat way of explaining the project\u2019s unusual balance.<\/p>\n

The structure is intended to feel familiar to anyone who grew up with classic adventures. Players will follow a route through a story, encounter puzzles, uncover hints, and use special items to push past obstacles. The difference is that everything happens through a beautifully illustrated interactive book and a collection of physical tools.<\/p>\n

The book acts as the main guide through the adventure. It establishes the route, introduces the story, and tells players when to use different pieces from the box. The supporting items aren\u2019t decorative extras tossed in to make the package feel heavier. They are part of the progression system, meaning the player\u2019s physical actions should matter as much as the decisions made while reading.<\/p>\n

That approach brings back a small but important pleasure that modern games often smooth away: physically keeping track of things. A card is not just an icon in an inventory menu. A cipher disc is not an abstract button prompt. You hold it, rotate it, compare it with the information in the book, and hope you\u2019ve noticed the detail that matters.<\/p>\n

What Comes Inside the Box<\/h2>\n

The planned set includes a surprisingly broad collection of adventure tools:<\/p>\n