The fairy tale stories of Hans Christian Andersen would seem to be ideal for adventure games, but thanks to upstart developer Guppyworks, it's the writer himself who gets a starring role in the upcoming HCA - The Ugly Prince Duckling.

The new third-person adventure, set in Copenhagen of approximately 1820, casts players in the role of a 14-year old H.C. Andersen. Although inspired by Andersen's works, the developers claim the game is "primarily based on HCA's own life story in his pursuit of fame and success as an artist."

Players will need to save a princess who has been enchanted by an evil troll. Meanwhile, the troll is disguised as the sinister Mr. Schwartz, and is slowly spreading darkness and disease across the land. For Hans, "the only way to save the day is to find the Tinderbox and bring light back to the streets and keep the princess alive."

Features of HCA - The Ugly Prince Duckling include:

An immersive H.C. Andersen style adventure
Packed with puzzles, action and socializing gameplay
More than 60 different real-time rendered characters
Copenhagen of the Golden Age as game world of high visual quality
Proprietary character behavior AI

The "socializing gameplay" relates to the many characters you'll encounter throughout the game, as "success is at the mercy of having social status and earning the friendship or respect of the High Society."

If the game's stunning early screenshots are any indication, HCA - The Ugly Prince Duckling will certainly be an adventure to keep an eye on in the coming year.