Reviews by Jo the Plunderer

I'm giving this one a thumbs up even though I don't think I could play it again for personal reasons, but it's just objectively a really well done game, and I quite enjoyed playing most of it and finished it in about a day. Enough other people have already detailed its strengths (branching, interesting choices, simple but effective stats) that I'm not going to spend too much time there and instead talk about the one thing that prevents me from wanting to replay it: theme.

This probably won't bother most players but I found it a little disturbing how the robots were treated in the game. I guess I'm just very pro-human and it's long been a pet peeve of mine when stories make it sound like machines can ever come close to the value and complexity of a human life. While I can get over that for stories in other mediums, it felt a little extra disturbing for a story written in the second person, where I'm the one encouraged to, for example, go on dates with a hunk of metal that I myself designed, maybe even get married to it.

Earlier on in the game, I thought the choices would have enough nuance that I could avoid some of this content. This is true to a degree: at the start of the game, I was given the ability to take a firm stance in saying that my robot was not human, that it could never match human intelligence, and that it was in fact an "it" and not a "he" or a "she". These kinds of choices are sprinkled throughout but I still felt a bit railroaded into accidentally creating a sentient being with emotions and free will and even the desire to procreate, which just felt off to me, especially with how I was attempting to roleplay a pro-human kind of MC. I found my ending to be honestly disturbing as a result and it kept me from wanting to replay the game, because I don't want to feel guilted about how I treat my robot.

Again, this is more of a personal pet peeve, though I do think that the game missed out on an opportunity to ask some bigger questions about the nature of humanity and whether or not a robot can really be considered some kind of valuable life and, if so, what that says about humans (e.g., maybe if robots are valuable despite being nothing but machines, does that mean maybe no human is truly valuable because we're all machines?). The game sort of tries to ask these kinds of questions, but I guess I just wanted a bit more. This game was written years before the current deluge of AI content but there are so many obvious paralells and these themes are increasingly relevant to think about,

Probably a decent book club book if those exist for IFs though.

Perhaps my expectations were a little too high for this one. Everyone is always hyping about the CDLC games and the author is such a wellspring of helpful information and a pillar of the IF community, so I thought I'd have more of a reaction than just...meh.

But I can see why it does so well for CoG fans, as it nails the CoG style. It's certainly polished and has decent gameplay, with a wide range of goals and personality customization for the MC (though I found the stat checks a little too pervasive and punishing for a supposedly cozy game). Had I liked the game more, I could see it being highly replayable. It's also a good examplar of CoG's commitment to diversity and particularly LGBT inclusivity. Players can choose from three different genders for the MC and romance options and the game is filled with gay couples and non-binary characters, including an option to join in a polyamorous relationship, all in a world that's deliberately crafted to be basically gender neutral so that there's no drama over anyone's gender or orientation.

It's basically a queer, cozy, non-magical Hogwarts story, but without anything close to the level of characterization and enchanting worldbuilding that Harry Potter is famous for. In general I found the world, characters, and romances to be flat and uninspiring.

The thing is, there are just way too many characters with way too many options. I saw someone else say there are 10 romance options (I lost count myself), and each (or at least most) can be three different genders. That's 30 different possible variations, not to mention the other non-romanceable characters we can curry favor with.

There is no possible way to do each of these romance paths justice in a game of this length. Frankly I'm not convinced any of the romance paths feel fleshed out and real but certainly not the ones I toyed with (I flirted with Freddie, dated Hartmann, then married some aristocrat from a competing school and I just finished the game a few hours ago and already forgot his name because I cared so little about him in the end).

Not every game needs good romance, but in a genre that's kinda all about character interactions, I really expected better character development and to care about at least one of them before finishing.

While Arcadie: Second-Born focused on your unexpected rise to power, Arcadie: Cold Lands follows an MC who is now monarch of the Kingdom of Arcadie and forced to start making decisions that will affect not just the citizens of Arcadie but all the surrounding kingdoms, all while continuing a romance from the previous game (or starting a new one). Thousands of lives are at stake: will you pursue war or peace?

On the surface, the series has made some improvements since Second-Born. The author moved to a more visual novel style format, with light background music and images, and the MC is far more powerful in this game and has far more agency. But with no stats, lower stakes, and no clear overarching plotline, it’s just not as strong a game as the first. A lot of fans are still really enjoying it, and I personally hope it does well enough for us to see a Game 3, but I get that some players are pretty frustrated with some of the changes.

If you liked the first game but aren't sure if you'll like this one, I've done a more detailed review for free on Substack. https://jotheplunderer.substack.com/p/arcadie-cold-lands-a-review

A lot of people love this game, like really really love it, so I'm not going to tell anyone not to play it (especially since you can play it for free), but it just wasn't my cup of tea. It's right in the game description that this is a philosophical romance, but neither the philosophical nor romantic elements really hit home for me personally, and it's not the most exciting game apart from that. I did enjoy the setting (you're a tour guide on the moon), the quiet vibe, and some of the meta game-within-a-game elements nonetheless.

Much of the game is just you talking to the NPCs (the developers of the video game your MC is playing through) about big topics: life, death, art, motivation, game development, and so on. The characters are engaging enough to talk to, but I found that many of these conversations just didn't work for me in this format. The topics themselves are important ones, but for me they are big enough questions that I've already wrestled with most of them before and had much better experiences talking about them IRL than with some NPCs. It felt like I was often just repeating the same sentiment three choices in a row instead of having a real back and forth conversation.

Based on how other people talk about this game, I think maybe it's the sort of game that'll really hit home if you're in the right kind of mindset for it. If you're interested in these topics, but maybe haven't already formed your opinion on them, you might get more out of the themes than I did.

Romance was okay but maybe a bit forced/rushed. You only really spend a few days with these people, so I found it hard to believe the connection was as strong as the game suggested.

Not bad overall, might even warrant a replay down the road, but I'm not feeling that motivated just now.

I'm giving it four stars just because the meta, game within a game elements were quite intriguing, even if there's not much else to the game. A really interesting use of code where each replay is just a bit different from the last (well, your first three plays in the game at least will all have a bit of different text and some new options to reflect that you have played this game before, with your MC getting a bit of deja vu and whatnot). You absolutely have to replay it to get the full experience, probably a few times, though I only made it 2.5 times before I just code dived to sate the rest of my curiosity.

Which is when I realised...there's really not much else to it. Like even the big mystery at the end (you might want to Google) just...didn't feel worth solving.

I guess I just expected to be rewarded more for replays, like have a chance to actually find out something meaningful about the game or do something that mattered, but I'm really not seeing anything substantial on either front. It's possible I'm missing something though.

In the end, my initial intrigue morphed into a feeling of emptiness. The game is as meaningless of the life of the MC. Despite its introspective, philosophical kind of writing style, it really doesn't seem to say or do much. At least not for me.

Worth a couple plays if you like seeing people do cool things with code. Just be warned that you won't get a ton in terms of character development or a satisfying narrative; these things aren't at all the point of the game.

Took me a while to get into this one and if I'm being honest I would've given up if I wasn't just stubborn about finishing these things, but I'm glad I did. Perhaps my favorite thing about this game is how you start as a teenager and grow old together with the characters. The bond my MC had with Tesla was something so beautiful and sweet, deepened over decades of working together, and I don't think I've ever had such strong feelings at the end of an IF.

I felt like the whole point of this game was to ask big ethical questions but I personally did not find these particular big ethical questions altogether compelling, and I didn't leave the game with any real food for thought. I mostly was just frustrated that I didn't get to take a more nuanced approach to the tech in the game. My MC opposed the tech on philosophical grounds, and yet to do this I had to side with a really rotten, shady "philanthropist" type. Like why couldn't I oppose both the tech AND this rotten, greedy woman? My ending just felt really off because of the way the game sort of pushed me in one direction based on my MC's hard stance against the tech.

Just felt like if you're going to make a story based on asking ethical questions, you really ought to give us more options to explore said questions.

Not a bad game, but forgettable for me personally.

Play as a private detective suddenly forced to take over your mentor’s business when he suddenly goes missing. Solve crime, find your mentor, duel a rampaging wizard, and make your mark on Seattle all in a few days’ work.

While this game isn’t in my usual genre, I was immediately drawn in by the noir vibes, my grim but honorable private detective MC, and the 1920s setting. Prohibition era Seattle, with its fog and rain and speakeasies and social and political tensions, was an excellent backdrop to a story revolving around lies and corruption and institutional hypocrisy. Dialogue is snappy, the prose has a nice rhythm to it, and even the stats screen has personality. But the game doesn’t commit enough to the setting or to the overall narrative. It follows too many mini plotlines at the expense of character development and a strong central narrative; supernatural elements felt undeveloped and sometimes out of place; and blatant historical deviations distracted from the otherwise compelling setting. My overall verdict: it’s fun enough, but ultimately falls flat, though I think it will be quite enjoyable for players who appreciate the noir genre, enjoy a bit of quirk in their stories, and don’t mind a modern coating to historical settings. I do a more in-depth review on my Substack https://jotheplunderer.substack.com/p/cogs-latest-noir-wizard-game-has

This game certainly has a vibe. It’s lightly humorous throughout and has quite a bit of personality and some interesting woldbuilding potential. It’s creative, spunky, and in some places, quite funny. Unfortunately, its lack of focus make it hard to really settle into the world or enjoy the characters or plot. The game is just too short for the amount of infodumping, the number of characters, and the variety of different missions you’re given. It feels frenzied and a bit all over the place.

I do a more in-depth take on my Substack https://jotheplunderer.substack.com/p/posthuman-guardians-vs-psion-by-evan

You can tell Dawn of Heroes was written by someone who really loves superheroes, enjoys the medium, and isn’t afraid to try new things. There’s a vibrancy to the story and characters that sets it apart from many other titles. Unfortunately the game also lacks technical polish. Pacing issues, plot inconsistencies, unclear game mechanics, and pervasive typos hinder the game from reaching its full potential. I don’t feel good giving the game more than two stars because of these issues, but I do think that for the right audience it will remain a fun read. You may be the right audience if: you love superheroes, like fully customizing your character, want plenty of interesting romance options, and can have some patience with said technical issues.

I do a more in-depth review on my Substack https://open.substack.com/pub/jotheplunderer/p/dawn-of-heroes-by-c-claymore-review?r=8225x5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true