Kuato Studios have announced the release of Marvel Hero Tales, an educational storytelling app designed to promote literacy for children (ages 7-11). Each story is themed around famous Marvel characters (much like a comic book), and it will be the user's job to flesh out the narrative by choosing from a selection of words. Essentially, players can create their own personal superhero story while also improving their vocabulary development.
So far there are only two selectable characters in this app, Ms. Marvel and Spiderman, though more characters are planned for the future. Ms. Marvel is the only hero that you can play for free, and you can only play through her first issue (plus a quick forced-tutorial). Any subsequent chapters for Ms. Marvel or Spiderman will cost you, but unlike most games, you'll have to pay a $1.99 monthly subscription fee for access.
Like many educational apps, Marvel Hero Tales blurs the line of game and app, so the majority of content will behave like a game where you navigate your character through their surroundings to access key points that allow you to jump into word games. In each game you'll mainly select from a choice of three words to assemble them in an order that makes sense with the phrase displayed at the top of the screen, then once the round is over, you'll have to prove you understood the meaning of those words by dragging and dropping them onto their synonyms. These words are then collected to be used by the player to co-author their own story.
For a launch title, I can't say there is a lot of content to explore in Marvel Hero Tales, especially if you don't want to pay a monthly subscription fee for what is basically a simple word game. I can see how the Marvel theme would appeal to children, so I'm sure some readers may find the cost worthwhile. At the very least the art is pleasant, and the stories can be entertaining, which works out well for an app themed around Marvel comic books.
PRESS RELEASE
KUATO STUDIOS LAUNCHES STORYTELLING APP MARVEL HERO TALES
Following the success of Disney Story Realms, Kuato Studios’ new Marvel-themed mobile app teaches children that language is the ultimate superpower
LONDON - June 12, 2019 - Kuato Studios, an award-winning developer and publisher of narrative focused mobile apps, announced the launch of Marvel Hero Tales, an educational storytelling app available to download now.
Marvel Hero Tales offers a way to experience Marvel stories while helping to develop the language and reading skills of 7-11 year olds. Based on the world renowned Marvel Comics, the app will feature familiar Super Heroes like Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel who will help players improve their vocabulary and expressive language by creating their own comic books.
Kuato Studios has worked closely with the Centre For Applied Language Studies at the University of Portland Oregon, as well as teachers and schools in the UK, to develop specific vocabulary content for the app which is based on the Corpus of Contemporary American English and mapped to US and UK literacy grade standards. Over time, players will progress through a rich, graded vocabulary set to help them become better readers and storytellers.
The app’s unique learning experience will encourage children to be the superheroes of their own stories by letting them personalize their own experience through the use of N.A.S (Narrative Action System). The app will follow characters as they “level up” by completing activities such as word collection and comprehension of words. These words are then used by the player to co-author their own story by building sentences that transform into their very own comic book panel, with their choice of words directly affecting the outcome of the mission and stylized look. Finally, the user will be presented with their very own co-authored book that can be read and shared with friends or family, but above all cherished as a token of one’s own success and achievements throughout the journey.
Marvel Hero Tales’ unique story-driven format aims to make learning fun and efficient. With the reinforcement of earned words throughout the storyline it aims to help build comprehension and retention at the same time. The interactive activities position superhero characters as role models to reinforce reading as a good source of information by allowing users to find clues and other important information in newspapers, secret files and on websites. The storylines are adapted to the player’s age, with shorter and simpler language used for younger audiences, and more complex ones applied to the older demographic. As players progress within the app, their achievements are celebrated throughout, earning them badges for their success.
Mark Horneff, CEO of Kuato Studios, said “This is the most personal project I've ever been involved with, not just because of my love of the Marvel Universe, but also because as a child with undiagnosed dyslexia, school, and particularly reading, was incredibly challenging for me. I remember one day when I was 8, my Mum picked me up from school and gave me a copy of Spider-Man - my very first introduction to Marvel. From that moment on I was hooked; I read it cover to cover every day. Those adventures fed not only my imagination, but my confidence as a storyteller and my passion for reading. My hope is that Marvel Hero Tales will inspire a new generation of Marvel readers and storytellers, and in some small way, allow that 8-year-old to repay some of the debt I owe to Peter Parker.”
Kuato Studios plans to add regular updated content to both characters and storylines. Please see the full media kit here.
Marvel Hero Tales is available for download on iOS and Android devices now. Please visit www.marvelherotales.com.
Kuato Studios is also the developer of the ‘TalesMaker Engine’ - an innovative and unique technology platform that takes real-time gameplay experiences and transforms them into stories. To date, players have created more than three million stories, asked 2.7 million questions and customised 270,000 Tales.
Kuato Studios has established partnerships with brands such as ITV Studios Global Entertainment (Thunderbirds, Robozuna), Hachette (The Famous Five), Moose Toys (Shopkins Happy Places), and DreamWorks Animation (Noddy Toyland Detective). The studio’s games have reached the number one spot in more than 580 app store charts worldwide. The studio is also in the process of developing a patent-pending VR innovation allowing parents and children to experience VR safely together.
