The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 hits Steam Early Access with a new gameplay trailer

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Released to English audiences in 2011, The Book of Unwritten Tales was a wonderful point-and-click fantasy adventure about a gnome named Wilbur Weathervane, who unexpectedly finds himself at the center of a struggle for the fate of the entire world. It was lighthearted, silly, and laugh-out-loud funny in places, and a big hit with adventure fans, as evidenced by the success of the sequel on Kickstarter. The first chapter of that sequel went live today on Steam Early Access, along with a lengthy new gameplay trailer that very nicely explains what the game is all about.

The first chapter of the Early Access release of The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 is about 95 percent complete, according to King Art Creative Director Jan Theysen. "A couple parts are missing, like for example the orchestral soundtrack, as all the recordings will take place at once, and some of the additional, optional side quests," he said in a statement. But there's still a lot of work left to be done, and "feedback from the community is especially important to us at this stage," he added.

There will be five chapters in total, each released on Early Access in intervals of four to six weeks. Kickstarter backers at the $25 tier or higher will get access to each new chapter as it comes out, as will anyone who purchases the Early Access version. The full release of The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 is currently expected to be ready in January 2015.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.