Ratings and Reviews by ChanceOfFire

As AI is a very controversial topic, I will decline to leave a star rating for AI dungeon. Much has been said about how AI could destroy jobs and undermine human labor. I agree that these are legitimate issues which need discussion. I don't have the solutions. In any case, starting here, I will stick to approaching this as a reviewer evaluating a product.

AI dungeon has been revised with different models over the years. When I first tried it, Dragon and Griffin were pretty crappy, while GPT-3 was at least somewhat competent. With the release of later models like Mythomax, Mistral, and so on, I will admit that it has gotten better, although it's still not good for creating a lengthy story.

AI dungeon does require a bit of 'effort' to use, in the sense that you will have to type out the starting paragraphs if you do not want to use a preset beginning, and if you want to guide the story or modify existing outputs, you'll need to type out the sentences in full. For folks who are just used to tapping on choices, some effort is needed here to make the story work for you.

AI Dungeon is better at writing scenes than coming up with long plots, as it merely examines the chunk of text before it, depending on context lengths, and comes up with what it thinks is a statistically appropriate follow up passage. If you want to play around with scenes, AI Dungeon will work for that, and can be quite good at that. However, it's pretty useless for telling long stories, unless you don't mind a long story which goes in some random direction without a care. Due to the nature of AI, plotting is still something it can't do, although anything is possible in future with this rapidly changing technology.

Personally, I prefer it to Novel AI.

It's good for a bit of free entertainment, and the free models can be used to trial the software before deciding if paying for a premium subscription is your thing. Personally, I got bored with it in a month or so, but I might come back if something new comes up.

We've seen IF games in Google Forms, and now we have something in Google Slides. Looks like I'll need to get to that excel-macro IF I've always been daydreaming about.

At it's core, this is largely a VN with a small amount of choice and branching. Some of the choice links didn't seem to work, as one booted me back to the first slide, but it could be an issue with my browser and not the game itself. You play as a someone stepping into a Japanese convenience store and running into all manner of eccentric encounters. There is also a stat bar, introduced partway through your misadventures inside, but it's largely a storytelling mechanic and not a gameplay one.

It's good for a short read, and the art is nice, but I really enjoyed the creativity of seeing someone using yet another unusual platform to create an IF game.

A short VN where you play as someone in a not quite happy relationship. Despite appearances the two of you put up for others, things are revealed to be tense when the power couple happens to be alone.

I haven't played every game in the Dialogue Jam, and might not have time to actually do so, but this game definitely has the highest production values I have seen in the jam so far, with detailed and beautiful art, fittingly melancholy music and character sprites. There are also a substantial number of choices in the game, with multiple endings depending on your pick.

The writing is solid, just well... on the sad side. Still, it's a good read as you explore this broken relationship as well as the mixture of art and sound that suitably accompanies it.

After playing through a couple of choice-based twine games in the jam, with different takes on the execution, Moments Like This does things a lot more differently.

It's a simple game, but with a good bit of charm. After some conversation, you pick different objects in the room, with the two characters discussing how it relates to them. The sound fits the tone of the game and the art's simplicity also helps to convey the game's endearing vibe. The writing is rough in some places, but that's the only complaint I have.

It's not your traditional choice-based IF, but I think it certainly meets the definition.

Playing this horror game kept me at the edge of my seat. Line by line, the dialogue starts off fairly innocently in the first scene but quickly starts ramping up on the next. It rapidly grows in intensity as you find out more about a certain other character with a mysterious condition, and experience a story which raises strong questions about perspective and morality.

There are two sets of fonts, and one does a good job of introducing the nature of another character. I did get mixed up with who was talking at times, but it wasn't a big issue.

Still, be warned, this can be a difficult read if you're not used to horror, especially as the story really ramps up later with potential violence and terror. The story and suspense was something which kept me tapping the screen, trying to see what comes next, but reader discretion is still advised.

Short and simple, you have a final conversation moments before what seems to be the end. Usually, in zombie IF games I've played, my job is to fight the zombies. Here, I'm enjoying a few final words with a partner before the our likely demise at their rotted hands.

The conversation branches for a bit during the game, where you can explore a range of responses from accepting your fate, asking the usual range of contemplative questions one asks when doom is around the corner, or deciding that you can still fight. Nevertheless, as far as I can tell, the game converges on the same point regardless of your choices, where you can say one final word before the ending screen comes. As for what happens later, that's probably up to your imagination.

It's a short read, and you can play around with the different options which take you to the end of the game. There's also an undo button for your convenience.

Dream No More does a good job of creating the game's atmosphere with a strong selection of art and music to accompany the writing.

In this game, a dream architect talks to you about the different types of dreams, ways they have been created and used to manipulate people for a fictional organization and how these dreams possibly affect people. The choice of audio and visual elements to accompany this really helps to convey the vibe.

This is close to being a fully linear game, with mostly one-choice options, although you get to choose one of two choices at the end. Still, the draw of the game largely comes from the atmosphere and vibes.

It’s a simple game, but it was definitely entertaining, and made me laugh at times.

You’re the leader of a trio of comically incompetent criminals, and will have to guide their efforts in robbing a bank, while engaging in less serious banter in between breaking in and dealing with security. The entire game takes place through a group chat where you guide their efforts. Of course, these robbers have a knack for screwing things up in the worst way possible, but it’s definitely entertaining to read.

Whatever chat platform they used doesn’t seem to have an ‘edit’ feature, so there are plenty of times where someone will misspell a word and correct it with a second reply and an asterix. There are also some instances of uncorrected spelling errors, but this game takes place over a group chat, so it earns itself an unlimited pardon for any typos. (Since real life group chats have plenty of that.)

Despite countless instances of criminal incompetence, my group was able to successfully complete the heist. The ending comes fast and quick when it comes, but I was thoroughly entertained.

There is a good bit of content here, and it’s definitely worth it for an entertaining read.

All Cats are Babies appears to be a kinetic VN. You do not make any choices, not even fake ones, from the start to the end, and basically read a conversation between two people in a system which sorts cats, and the fate of one cat which could be bound for something terrible.

The dialogue is fairly interesting, with cute references to the things pet cats do, some talk on AI and its impact on work, as well as the ideals of standing up for something. On the VN side of things, there’s some simple art and music which fits the vibe. Still, it’s also quite basic as far as VN features go, with just simple backgrounds for each scene, and on the audio side, what I think is just one music track for the entire game.

It’s a simple linear VN project which provides a short and good read.

It's straightforward. A conversation between someone and a monster, with the option of playing both perspectives, one after the other. As you play through the content, it seems that more options get unlocked.

There is an undo button, but it's not really needed as the option to return to an earlier point to try another option always appears once you finish a playthrough.

It is a pretty short experience which you can probably finish in a few minutes, even if you're planning to explore every nook and cranny. Still, as far as the jam requirements go, long playtime isn't one of them, so I won't be judging the game based on that. The writing scares you a little, makes you think a little, and provides entertainment for the short time you play. I can grant four stars based on that.