Lone Wolf – The Kai Series

This year has been quite a milestone for the Czech gamebook microcosm. The Mytago publishing house has pulled off a heroic feat that gamers have been waiting for for years. And that feat is none other than the release of the new, sixteenth installment in the legendary Lone Wolf series, fittingly titled Vashnův odkaz.

Thanks to this, many players have returned to the entire series, revisiting it from the first book out of pure nostalgia. It has been 30 years since the original AFSF release, and many of us have suffered the unfortunate fate of losing a few of the early volumes. Fortunately, the aforementioned publisher has arranged a complete reissue, which is also packed with bonus stories. But before I compare the old and new editions, focusing on the first part of the story – the Kai series, it is time to ask a tricky question: what made Lone Wolf a cult classic among gamebooks that has sold nearly 10 million copies worldwide?

The first thing that comes to mind is the sophistication of the story itself. Joe Dever takes us into the fantasy world of Magnamund, where a classic dual concept of good versus evil is applied. Naturally, our hero stands on the side of good, as his home monastery is attacked by the Darklords, who seek revenge for an ancient battle in which they were defeated. Lone Wolf is the sole survivor of this attack, and his goal is to prevent the Darklords from winning the war that has just begun.

Joe Dever crafts this world to perfection, with monsters, individual kingdoms, various combat orders, and more detailed down to the smallest nuance. That is why the author is often called the "Tolkien of gamebooks." It is important to mention that the series is unique in its structure, as the individual books form a sort of ongoing serial. While you can play them as standalones, it is best to start from the first book for the full experience and to understand the story.

The second thing that makes the experience unique is watching the main character evolve. This is enhanced by special abilities that the character gains after completing each book. With every volume, Lone Wolf grows stronger, and the same goes for his skills. So, while at the beginning of the story you might be happy just moving a pebble with your mind, in later books you are capable of inflicting unbearable pain on your opponent with a mere thought. In any case, the more adventures you complete, the better your chances of successfully finishing the entire saga.

The game system is also unique. You do not need dice at all; everything depends on random numbers from a random number table. Just stick your pencil into a spot, and it is decided. The combat system is also unique and was ahead of its time. It is based on the difference in combat skill between the main character and the opponent, with damage to your endurance determined by the difference in the combat table. Again, you just stick your pencil into the random number table. With a large difference, you can kill an opponent instantly (but the same can happen to you). Plus, even with a large difference in combat skills, an opponent can still hit you, so you do not have to worry about combat becoming repetitive.

In terms of gameplay, however, you can find yourself in situations where a single element of chance suddenly ends the Lone Wolf's adventure. And that is quite frustrating in the later books. Especially if you are playing the so-called hard version – where you have to start over from the first book after you die.

As for a summary of the first series of stories called the Kai series, one might ask how it compares in quality to the following series. While reading, it is clear that the author is still developing as he writes. Personally, I must say that I prefer the next series, the Magnakai cycle, which feels "fresher" to me. The storytelling has better pacing, and the story itself is more engaging.

The individual books in the first series also vary in story quality and difficulty. Every Lone Wolf reader has their favorites in the Kai series; for me, the second book Fire on the Water clearly leads (despite the factual error with the spear, which makes it impossible to finish the gamebook without cheating), followed closely by the final book of the cycle, The Dungeons of Torgar, mainly due to the exotic desert environment and crawling through city sewers.

Conversely, I consider the middle books Caverns of Kalte and The Chasm of Doom to be weaker. But as mentioned above, to each their own. In terms of difficulty, I would consider the second book the most "hardcore," as it features many random deaths. On the other hand, the first book is a warm-up adventure with lower difficulty. Of course, the more experience and skills you gain, the easier it is to finish the series. Plus, if you get the mythical sword Sommerswerd in the second book, you become almost invincible in combat.

Finally, many might wonder if it is worth buying the new Mytago editions if you already own the original ones. My answer is a resounding yes – the new editions are definitely worth getting because they contain bonus stories. The first book is expanded by 200 entries describing the battle for the Kai Monastery, and the other books include bonus adventures that do not revolve around Lone Wolf, but around other characters we meet in the main story.

As for the illustrations and main covers, I must say I am absolutely thrilled with the new work by Alberto Dal Lago (cover) and Richard Longmore (illustrations). The original illustrations by the house artist Gary Chalk feel childish to me, sometimes even cheap. But I have also encountered opinions that it just isn't the same without the old illustrations. What I couldn't get used to is the reissue in a smaller book format, where, besides the small font, the map design suffered the most. Overall, however, I must say that I reach for the new reissues rather than the original books.

The Kai series is therefore an eternal cult classic; while later series may surpass it, the legendary status of the initial books cannot be denied. Not only did they influence other gamebook creators (like the excellent Gabriel Knox series by Jirka Mikulík here in the Czech Republic), but they also gained a lot of loyal fans. Everyone wants to be the last Kai Lord, Lone Wolf, fighting against the Darklords with their unique abilities.

author: Ondřej Kovář