With the recently released titleOnce Upon A Jester, Dutch indie studio Bonte Avond is attempting to translate the highs and lows of live performance into the video game medium. The game’s launch announcement at theNintendo Indie World Showcaseon Jun 10, 2025, presents players the opportunity to undertake a bold, hilarious fantasy heist by becoming world-class theater performers.
Once Upon A Jesterfollows best friends Jester and Sok as they plot a scheme to steal a massive diamond hidden within the walls of the royal castle. To enter the castle, they decide the best course of action is to join a local theater troupe and perform so well that they are invited to the Royal Theatrical Spectacle. The player is then tasked with controlling Jester as he improvises a variety of stories to entertain the masses. As in real theater, everything that can go wrong almost certainly will, and theindie developersought to capture this authentic perspective.
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Once Upon A Jester’s Indie World Trailer is a Strong Showcase
Much of the art and dialogue style of Bonte Avond’s previous gameEverybody Wham Whamis being carried over toOnce Upon A Jester. From a gameplay standpoint, there are two primary mechanics during theater performances. The firstinvolves quick-time eventsthat the player can succeed or fail to decide the direction of the story. The second is a set of branching choices that determine the genre and direction taken by the improvised story. Outside the theater, players can also interact with a variety of NPCs and explore the kingdom.
Once Upon A Jesteris an excellent example of how games can guide players to be creative. While many might never have the confidence or desire to take an improv class,Once Upon A Jestershows players how to think about improvising in a controlled environment. The selection of choices and even failures during quick-time events can all serve as opportunities for player expression. While nothing can capture the one-to-one realities ofperforming theater and improvisingin front of an audience,Once Upon A Jesterseems to give players the next best thing, offering room to experiment and fail without live stakes.
What Makes Once Upon A Jester’s Development Unique
The people behind Bonte Avond are an unconventional development team. As the team details in its Indie World showcase, the fourlead developers are actually musiciansby trade. The goal withOnce Upon A Jesterwas to create a game that captures the unpredictable fun of performing and getting creative with friends. As a result, the game’s dialogue is mostly just the developers and their friends improvising, with mechanics that allow the player to make similarly off-the-cuff choices.
By its very nature, theindie games scene always involves smallor solo development teams, and the increasingly common trend of developers who are pivoting to games from another medium shows how video game creation is becoming significantly more accessible. The potential of digital games has always been present, but development tools like Twine, GameMaker, and the rise of visual scripting have made creating even complex experiences an attainable goal for anyone.
Once Upon A Jester’s release is representative of an exciting multi-medium trend that benefits players and developers alike.We Are OFKis another recent exampleof the ways that indie developers are creating experiences which extend beyond just games. While only Bonte Avond’s third major release, the studio seems to have found a winning formula with a fusion of charming storytelling and playfully creative game design that should helpOnce Upon A Jestershine.
Once Upon A Jesteris available now on PC and Switch.
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