To Be Or Not To Be is a 'chooseable-path' version of Hamlet

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To Be Or Not To BE

To Be Or Not To Be was a choose-your-own-adventure 'chooseable-path' version of Hamlet that was either a) great or b) intolerable, depending on a) your enjoyment of Ryan North's particular brand of linguistic playfulness and b) your level of deference to "the Bard".

The book has now been turned into a game. The same considerations apply.

"William Shakespeare’s Hamlet has finally been restored to its original second-person non-linear branching narrative format. Now it’s up to YOU to decide what happens next. Play as Hamlet and revenge your father’s death. Play as Ophelia and make scientific discoveries. Play as King Hamlet, Sr. and die on the first page!"

The game features art from all kinds of famous web-comic people, including Anthony Clark, Ethan Nicolle and the amazing Kate Beaton. I backed the book during its Kickstarter days, and was pleased with the result. It's a fun and funny adventure that shows just the right amount of disrespect for Shakespeare's source text.

To Be Or Not To Be is available now on Steam and Humble.

Phil Savage
Phil Savage
Editor-in-Chief

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.