Get ready to write more AMAZING stories inspired by some real-life heroes including Maya Angelou, in the newly updated Xavier Riddle game ‘Story Creator’ now on pbskids.org.
Story Creator lets players create their own stories using an interactive mad-libs style of play that pulls inspiration from the series historical heroes and their mantras, and of course, with a little help from Xavier and crew!
In the brand new update, featuring writer and poet Maya Angelou, kids are encouraged to spread kindness and use their words for good by writing a poem based on Yadina’s beloved turtle toy, Dr Zoom.
Story Creator was developed by our 9 Story Interactive team in partnership with PBS KIDS and Relish Interactive. The game is based on the animated adventure-comedy Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum, inspired by Brad Meltzer and Chris Eliopoulos’ best-selling kids book series, Ordinary People Change the World. The show follows the adventures of Xavier, Yadina, and Brad, as they travel back in time to meet famous heroes of the past and learn how to be their own heroes of the present! Story Creator features many of the same real-life heroes that appear throughout the series.
To get the inside scoop on Story Creator, we spoke with 9 Story’s Vice President of Interactive, Alex Breen! Read on below to learn all about how this amazing game came to life.
Can you tell us more about the Story Creator game, and how it fits into the wider Xavier Riddle world?
The game is set in the library featured in the show, where players can choose from different books featuring historical writing heroes we’ve already visited in the series. We use each hero’s mantra and themes from their respective episode as a springboard for kids to craft a variety of branching stories, of course, with a little help from Xavier, Brad and Yadina!
How did the creative process begin for the Xavier Riddle Story Creator game?
After a hugely successful launch of the Xavier Riddle series, website and our Hero Maker and Hidden Heroes games, we knew we wanted to showcase the many amazing writing heroes and SEL curriculum from the series in a really entertaining and open-ended way. It’s always a mad dash with the first two games for a new PBS KIDS series as we’re developing them simultaneously with production of the show leading up to the premiere. So with this game – in particular while navigating the onset of the pandemic and all working remotely – we were able to step back with our developer (Relish) and PBS KIDS Digital and build something really special and unique that would allow kids to still be inspired, smile and feel heroic at home in a very scary and uncertain time.
What do you hope kids will take away from this game when playing it?
This game features some inspiring hero storylines to explore! Kids can let their imaginations run wild like Charles Dickens, tell a spooky tale like Mary Shelley, make believe some ah-mazing things like the Bronte Sisters, create a bold adventure like Nellie Bly, and learn the importance of sharing stories like Zora Neale Hurston. With each story choice made, kids get to see their fun animated creation, leading to each story’s own satisfying ending and meaningful connection to a historical hero from the show.
Can you tell us more about the new Maya Angelou feature, how did you approach this?
When the opportunity arose to update the game, our team couldn’t wait to spotlight the incredible writer and poet, Maya Angelou! Unlike the other levels where kids create stories, players get to fashion unique poems that rhyme, while also using their words for good. And who better to make a poem about with Yadina, than the one, the only… Dr. Zoom! Building on Dr. Zoom’s appearances in the series, I was able to script a branching poem that is not only true to the turtletastic turtle we all know and love, but expands on the lore with each poem kids create. From there, we had an absolute blast working with the Relish and PBS KIDS teams with the visuals, sound effects and animations to really capture the spontaneous heart, humor, and creativity of the show!
Xavier Riddle Story Creator is a story telling adventure you don’t want to miss!
Go to PBSKIDS.org or visit the PBS KIDS app to play.
And watch Xavier Riddle now airing on PBS KIDS in the US and TVOKids and Knowledge Kids in Canada.