Ratings and Reviews by NMCannon
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Eye-opening game on how vampires suck!, September 6, 2023This game LIT up my brain! I've played many Choice of Games and Vampire: the Masquerade titles, and my brain will dwell on VtM: Out for Blood for a long time coming. Out for Blood feels like a mellow Hunter: the Reckoning game. The writing style is simple and matter of fact, giving the player a sense of their eyes opening to a clear view of the real insidious nature of vampires. There's no rush of power, no satisfaction of a new Discipline learned; no glamour to hide how much vampires can suck. The small town setting, Jericho Heights, wasn't a perfect place before her, but a certain ancilla's pervasive corruption made life way worse, like rot creeping into already scarred tree roots. The characters and narrative framing constantly encourage striking these vampires down. Any option to become non-human must be very late game, I think. Choice of Games announced that they're going to release more World of Darkness titles, and I hope Dattilo writes a HtR one.
Hunter was the general vibe, and the nitty gritty the storytelling and coding techniques impressed me too. On the coding side, I was in awe how Dattilo made it possible for the player to input pronouns. VERY cool! On the storytelling end, Out for Blood showed me a character type I've never encountered before: a wheelchair user who is also an outdoorsman. Adam navigates a forest and shoots a vampire from his chair. It was really exciting to see. I wonder if romancing Adam changes his decisions and feelings about his chair.
Though Out for Blood has a big word count and the vast machine of code does stutter under its own weight, the game felt short--something new was always drawing my attention, begging to be investigated, prodded, and flirted with. The romances are the standard light fare for a Choice of Games title and well woven into the other plotlines. Another reviewer said the sex scenes set their eyebrows on fire, but the scenes like one step above fade to black. In movie terms, maybe rated R in USA and PG-13 for Europe? My PC's love scenes were more romantic and sensual.
Overall, what an astonishing, fun game, and an unique entry in the CoG/VtM universe. I want to play Out for Blood again and again and again.
Wodehousian delight!, August 6, 2021I've played Tally Ho! several times and each time is a Wodehousian delight. Go forth, serve tea, and be merry!
Bold storytelling, August 6, 2021With stellar writing, bold storytelling, and nail-biting stakes, this is, hands down, one of the best Vampire: the Masquerade games. If you love Bloodlines, you'll love Night Road.
Reading equivalent of being burrito-ed in the comfiest blanket, May 4, 2021Related reviews: sweet romance, choicescript, choice of games, heart's choice, summer romance, parenting sim, werewolves, fantasy, urban fantasy
A side-effect of writing a werewolf romance novel is one becomes addicted to the concept and craves more. Zahabi's Never Date Werewolves scratched that itch well and good. Contrary to the title, I can and will date all the werewolves.
The player character in Never Date Werewolves is a single mother with a "litter" of six children. There are three possible love interests: your next-door neighbor (he/him cishet), your children's summer school teacher (gender variable), or your boss in the dress shop (she/her cis queer). Romance is the easiest part of the game, however, because children's school projects, choosing & preparing an alpha for the pack's first hunt, and getting to work on time are much harder to balance.
Never Date Werewolves was at its weakest when it strayed from the happy, low-stakes path suggested in the blurb. A dark undercurrent of the game is an ongoing prejudice against werewolves in the world. Think homophobia or racism today, where werewolves are "naturally" violent predators. A tertiary thread of the game is navigating discrimination, and one of the love interests is against werewolf rights. It was a bit bizarre, in a game otherwise about completing art projects and enjoying spaghetti bologna ice cream, to be given the option to wish your children weren't werewolves, ban the inner Beast of a character, and condemn werewolves as shameful blights on society. The real-world parallels were uncomfortably easy to connect. At least you can also tell the bigots to buzz off.
Overall, however, the game was like the reading equivalent of being burrito-ed in comfiest blanket after a hot shower and a cup of hot chocolate. The kiddos were adorable and distinct, and the adorbz was well-balanced by the real struggles of being a parent. The descriptions of Lyon, France were gorgeous. It was refreshing to read a story where Masquerade was already broken. I've played three times now (once for beta; twice for free with adverts), and each time has been a sweet joy. Alix all the way!
If you're in the mood for a sweet summer romance with a wolfish twist, check out Never Date Werewolves!
Fantastical and vivid!, May 4, 2021Related reviews: lesbian, historical, 5 stars, choicescript, choice of games, heart's choice
After enjoying Never Date Werewolves, I decided to play other titles in the Heart's Choice app, and Melissa Scott's A Player's Heart caught my eye because lesbians.
In this world a step in the past away from ours, Tristendesande is a pulsing, cultural powerhouse of art, and the theaters are the gems in that crown. The player character has dreamed of the Opera, an all-women performance company, all her life. When she arrives, you choose a specialty: do you want to be a deva (play woman roles), a dragon (play male roles), or an artifex (a theater technician). I was surprised and pleased when, after meeting various characters and getting your bearings at the Opera, there was a time skip. Seven years later, the player character is in the prime of her skill, and the story gets down to the real business of balancing art's ability to challenge the hegemony and the practical necessity of not getting shut down by said hegemony.
Each and every love interest dazzled me. There's the big, butch Myrr, with her steadfast loyalty, purity of feeling, and quiet, devastating artifex art. The femme deva Celeine and the player character exchange glittering banter and have a homoerotic sword duel (which left me quite flustered!!!!). Lady Jasquillyn Isalis defies aristocratic convention to put stars in your eyes, with beauty, social savvy, and graceful wit. Since I stayed with the Opera, I saw little of the androgynous Mervelles, but her daring nature, political passion, and sensual dance impressed me all the same.
Perhaps because of the length of this game, it felt like there really was enough time to get to know each of the love interests individually before deciding who to date. In other titles, I feel rushed, like there's a sense that if I fail to flirt immediately, I will not have any hope of arriving at a HEA with them. Not here. Scott took her time describing each character and filling in the world. The imagery of the theater is especially fantastical and vivid. I don't know much about theater myself, but my partner does, and I feel comfortable saying she will be impressed when she comes around to playing.
If I had one quibble, it would be that there didn't seem a realistic way to not be political. Perhaps that's intentional: burying one's head in the sand is a surefire way to get screwed by the hegemony. However, the story was framed like there was a way to be neutral and survive. I'm curious to play again and see what happens if my character is very political or aggressively oblivious.
A Player's Heart is an engaging, addictive read. I found myself eagerly awaiting for the two hour cool off period to end. If you're a fan of historical lesbian romances, definitely download Heart's Choice and click play!
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