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'One Piercing Note' is Amazon's attempt to get people to play games with Alexa

Amazon Alexa, the smart home assistant that empowers children to easily purchase expensive dollhouses and cookies, is now home to a brand new game in the 15-year-old RuneScape franchise.

The game, RuneScape Quests: One Piercing Note, is an audio game “based on a classic quest” from the full game according to a press release distributed on Wednesday. The announcement said it’s the first Alexa game based on a “prestige” PC game brand.

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RuneScape Quests: One Piercing Note is a captivating interactive murder mystery audio adventure game, produced in partnership by Amazon and the RuneScape game team at Jagex Games Studio,” the press release said. The game is available now from the “Skills” section of the Alexa app for Amazon Echo, Echo Dot and other Alexa-enabled devices in the US and UK.

With voice acting, music and other audio cues, One Piercing Note casts players as the voice of an adventurer in RuneScape and tasks them with solving a demonic murder mystery at the Abbey of St Elspeth using nothing but voice commands. It’s not the first audio game for Alexa, though it’s probably the most high-profile one released so far.

“The potential for voice-based experiences is endless, and RuneScape for Alexa demonstrates what’s possible in immersive gameplay,” Amazon Alexa Director Rob Pulciani said in the press release. “We’ve seen a great response to the voice-enabled games available on Alexa so far, and Jagex is taking it to a new level — bringing a flagship title to the Alexa service for the first time, and creating a new, fun and immersive way to experience a game that’s already loved by millions of fans across the world.”

RuneScape is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) first launched in 2001 and still going strong to this day. More info on RuneScape Quests: One Piercing Note is available at runescape.com.

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Michael Rougeau
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Mike Rougeau is a journalist and writer who lives in Los Angeles with his girlfriend and two dogs. He specializes in video…
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