Ratings and Reviews by ChanceOfFire

Through the woods is more like a traditional choice based IF game, with just the basics as far as visuals go, and plenty of choices, all with negative consequences. I mean, I think I tried every choice, but I don't think there are any good endings here.

Still, I liked that the writer was able to fit a good number of choices into a 500 word jam. You might want to play with this to see how it goes. If anyone finds a good ending in this game, do us all a favor and let us know.

Compared to the other games I have tried in this universe, this one seems much more linear. As far as I can tell, there's just one button you press, which brings you down the different stops, with commentary and writing I won't spoil here, until you reach the end and the credits show.

That said, the art is still pretty nice and the writing does have the usual charm of the other games in the series. There appears to be some RNG, so each playthrough will be different, but I couldn't find any other choices besides going down the railroad. All in all, still good for a light read.

One part of this games did remind me of the SpongeBob episode, Life of Crime. Won't spoil anything, but let's just say that it's good to be honest.

It's a simple puzzle, where you board a subway train, and need to figure out where to get off. The subway animations are pretty nice, and the game does drop a few hints as to where you should get off. It shouldn't take long to complete, but it was pretty fun.

Well... it ain't easy, being a mouse. In this game, a mouse recounts the many events in his life before he goes with... whatever a mouse calls the grim reaper.

It was actually an interesting read. The writing has a melancholy tone to it, and really got me thinking about those experiences a mouse might face. Experiences like getting abandoned by a parent, being caught by a human, falling in love with a mate and so on. You get a choice of cards to pick to see each experience (it's a bit hard to handle those cards on mobile screen) and to unlock all the content, multiple replays will be needed. Some of those experiences offer choices which provide a bit of extra story interactivity. The black and white color scheme for the background art and the font also help with conveying the vibe.

I recommend taking a look, drawing those cards and looking back before it's time to go well... where a mouse goes at the end of days.

Hahahah... Looks like I've found my first hidden gem in the Neo Twiny Jam. Will this be the last? Hopefully not.

As far as production values go, cat friends is probably somewhere at the bottom. Photographic images and simplistic drawings. Yet, the whole product actually feels adorable and endearing as a result, as you follow the misadventures of two badly-drawn but very sweet cats looking for food. The writing is short and simple, but very entertaining.

I'll definitely recommend taking a look.

This is pretty interesting. A blackjack game written in parser. Well, I did a review for Grand Casino of Fortune a while back, so this isn’t exactly the first time I’m trying out a gambling game IF. Still, it was good for a bit of entertainment.

I’m not really good at blackjack, and I think I lost much more than I won. (I’m not sure how the code looks like behind the scenes, but I’m also pretty crappy at gambling.) The UNDO command doesn’t work here, just in case you were getting ideas. I’m not sure if winning a certain amount of money will trigger something, but I wasn’t quite good enough to find out. I lost plenty though. Still, it was entertaining for a bit.

This is it, the very end. The third entry is shorter but wider, presenting five options depicting the despairing and doomed ways your story ends. Multiple ways to leave the world in bitter defeat.

You could probably try out all the endings, to see the different ways it ends. As always, the art is great. I did like the pictures for each path.

The next entry in Compendium presents another tale of dark fantasy. Again, you get two stories, both highlighting a sense of despair and decline. One story actually has another choice within it, although, given the word count, again, it also ends quickly.

Again, the art was good and fit the vibe. I can still picture that dagger in the art, and in the scene.

The first entry in Compendium presents a short tale with evocative writing. A scene of upcoming destruction and a plea for mercy. There are two paths in this short title,but given the word limit, either one ends before you know it.

The art was good, and helped with the mystical fantasy vibe.

I first played Choice of the Vampire a long time ago, and was astounded by the sheer quantity of content on offer. With a large selection of character creation options, plenty of branching, and plenty of little secrets for players trying venture off the beaten path, it was an outstanding game for its time, and an experience which has still aged well.

Compared with its other early "Choice of" counterparts (Dragon, Broadsides, Romance, Zombies) it had much more in the way of stats, branching and overall content. The prose was much more heavy however, which makes it a little less suited to casual readers than the other games. Still, the writing here is solid and really conveys the historical setting.

In this game, you get to pick your background, your strong stats as well as language proficiency and literacy. I think this was a good touch, building the experience from a gameplay and storytelling perspective. It is certainly worth it to try out different character builds and see how things could turn out.

The game has two main branches for the first part, each packed with little nuggets of extras if you try to venture out. I was often finding new content on replays, and the work here is certainly impressive.

One thing I didn't quite like were the random stats. I would have preferred more control over my character build. Not to mention, this game can be pretty hard in terms of stat checks, even after some updates which have reduced the difficulty.

I bought this game and Fall of Memphis a long time ago. Still, I'll probably not be writing a review for the latter as the story and prose was much more heavy, and I had a harder time keeping up. Still, Choice of the Vampire was a great game for its time, and remains one today.