Touch Type Tale makes a key change to the RTS formula

Pumpernickel Studio’s Touch Type Tale is an upcoming RTS that let’s you build a village and command an army to protect it. While it’s on par with what we expect from the genre, this title takes a twist with its typing mechanic. Instead of clicking, Touch Type Tale tasks you with typing words and letters in order to perform different functions in-game. I had the chance to run through a few levels and was intrigued by the extra dynamic it added to gameplay.

The levels I played in Touch Type Tale asked me to complete specific objectives, such as defeating invading bandits or claiming locations. In order to do so, I needed to enlist some fighters. I used a plot of land to open up a recruitment building for swordsmen, passively adding to my ranks as I spent my gold to create an army. To ensure I didn’t run out of gold, I spent time in the mines collecting resources and planting crops to sell.

All of these actions required me to type various words on my keyboard. While RTS games are typically click-intensive, Touch Type Tale is type-intensive. To open my plot of land and turn it into a recruitment building, I typed “Brain.” When I needed to head to the mines, I typed “First.” The word required to execute a command doesn’t have any relation to that command, and new words are refreshed every time a command is executed.

When bandits attacked my base, I sent my swordsmen and archers to dispatch them. With the way the village is laid out, I had to choose which roads to send my soldiers down, hoping to cut them off before they could reach important locations. The game rewards you with a 25 percent attack bonus for flanking enemies, which happens when you attack from more than one angle at once. I found myself dividing my forces to get the strategic upper hand on invading bandits.

After each level, Touch Type Tale tells you what your words-per-minute and typing accuracy were during than run. A lot of the interactions, like fighting off bandits and collecting gold as you speed through the mine, require you to type quickly in order to be efficient. Some players might passively improve their typing speed and accuracy the more they play this game.

Touch Type Tale is cooking up a fun twist to the RTS formula, ditching the endless mouse clicks in favor of typing words. Perhaps my bias as a writer is showing, but it seems like its heading in a promising direction. Touch Type Tale is available now in open beta on the Epic Games Store.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_