Reviews by ChanceOfFire

Another cutesy VN entry. You wake up, and fumble through your morning routine while preparing for your next appointment. The writing is sweet even if the story is the short and simple type, and there is plenty of nice art and music to go along with it.

As far as interactivity goes, you have a list of activities you can pick to perform in any order, with the occasional choice to go along with it. Replay value is light, as I think you'll need to do every activity to proceed, but one playthrough was already entertaining enough.

Note: There is quite a bit of coarse language in the game, despite the previously mentioned cute vibes.

Note 2: Self-control is important. Do not add too much butter when baking.

With strong writing, an interesting setting and plenty of content, Apex Patrol is another strong entry in the HG line. This title is one of the oldest games in the library (I remember when it was $1 on the iphone app store) but still remains a great game even by today's standards.

The writing is strong, providing interesting descriptions of the sci-fi world and raising the suspense and thrill during missions. Unfortunately, like Tin Star, the prose can get very heavy at times, but this isn't something I'll take a star off for.

There is also a pretty solid stat system where you decide your ship's upgrades and so on. The stat screen is a bit messy to look at, being all text, but again, this wasn't too big of an issue.

I did pretty well on my first run, completing most missions successfully and defeating the main villain right at the end. In sum, this was definitely a fun adventure, and one worth taking a look at.

Silent Gear is a mixed bag. There were some parts which I think were good. The missions, skill checks and ability to select loadouts. This part was pretty fun. Failure is possible in missions, but the game thankfully has a checkpoint system to prevent lost progress.

That said, the writing is very rough, and while the story is fairly interesting at first, it later goes off the rails, and the ending just felt unsatisfying. I'm also wondering if the final parts were rushed, since it's heavy on choiceless pages of text without the usual action gameplay.

There are a couple of minigames, some of which are optional time-wasters and the rest being combat sequences. These are mostly ok, although the combat minigame feels very luck dependent.

The first few missions provide a solid gameplay experience, with the ability to make tense choices and item decisions. That said, the story starts breaking apart towards the end, and the writing is another issue. Still, it's a free title, so you might want to give it a try if it appears to be your thing.

Imagine you’re playing a choicescript game as well… some elite spy. While walking around your spy headquarters, you find a computer terminal and use it. You have the option to look up different email messages on the terminal, shown as choice options. Now imagine if you took out that inbox surfing segment and turned it into a full blown choicescript game. That’s one way I’d describe this game in terms of design.

The Spy and the Labyrinth is not your usual choicescript title. In this game, the story is largely told through a series of documents. There are choices, but all these are simply choices of which document you’d read next. Things will tense up towards the end, but the ending itself feels very abrupt.

I’m really not sure how I should be rating this. I’m all for trying new ideas, but this is one idea which just didn’t fly for me. Reading a story told through a bunch of documents just wasn’t fun, and a game where every choice is to select the next document you read isn’t my idea of a fun choice. The game is certainly more well written and competently coded than many shovelware HG titles, but this is one of those titles which (I suspect) will satisfy its intended audience but leave everyone else scratching their heads.

Honestly, the first few pages will give you a good idea of what you can expect for the rest of the game. You can always give the first few parts a go and decide if that’s your thing.

I'm still giving this a four star rating, but of the four books by the writer, I think this is the one I liked the least. IFDB should allow users to award 3.5 stars or something.

Mage Elite takes place in a setting which blends fantasy and sci-fi elements. The main enemy is established pretty early in the game. As with other titles by the writer, this has some management elements, including a turn based system where you decide what activities you'll undertake for the day. There are also a couple of optional minigames, although those didn't appeal to me as much. (One minigame from the Grand Casino of Fortune makes a return.)

Stats use an opposed system (which I dislike), although I was still able to clear most checks. The writing and lore are both solid, although the plot gets messy at times. There are also some cool maps, but the little details are harder to see on an iphone screen.

I still liked this game, just not as much as the other short titles by the writer. If you'd like to try a sci-fi game, this is perhaps still worth a look.

A short quest to find treasure in a forbidden city, with an array of riddles standing between you and your final goal.

Well, you'll get two types of challenges here. Some are riddles, which can range from easy to fiendish. Others are dice rolls or coin flips. Still, how this works is that the game allows you to input a dice roll number or coin flip outcome of your choice. That said, don't rush to type a six on that dice roll just yet. Bigger numbers don't always mean success, so you might as well leave it to chance. The stat screen has a dice roll and coin flip function if you need it, but using it is optional.

It took me a couple of tries to beat this, and the lack of a save system or checkpoints means that you'll have to start over if you hit a bad end. Still, this was pretty fun.

The writing was fairly good, even if the game was short in terms of a single playthrough.

Hints for the last two puzzles: (Spoiler - click to show)If that last riddle is giving you trouble, think of something with nine lives. Remember, *knowledge* is important.

I played The Race a long time ago, finishing the game in third place. (Somewhere between a good and bad ending.) Recently, I decided to try picking it up again for another round, and ended up in third place again. Interestingly, I was still able to remember the solutions to some of those puzzles all those years ago.

The writing (minus some annoying fourth wall breaking) is fairly solid, and goes for a more minimalistic style, rather than the wordy approach which is more common for choicescript games today. You pick a partner, and have to complete a set of stages with sufficient speed to avoid getting eliminated at each round. The puzzles here can get challenging, and randomly tapping and picking options isn’t going to get you to a win state. You will need to think about how you will complete the puzzles, and the threat of failure is real in some areas. Not to mention, the game can be pretty cruel to players who try to explore at times. (Spoiler - click to show)Getting robbed :(

It’s good for a playthrough or two, to try to see how well you can do. Folks who like puzzles in choicegames could try this out. You could probably beat the game in less than an hour, but it’s still a pretty solid experience if you want the challenge.

There is apparently a hidden subplot in the game, but I’m not sure how to reach it.

Note: This review is based on the choicescript release.

The Ascot gives you two choices, yes and no. Well… there’s always a third choice, but I’ll leave it to you to find out what it does.

The story is largely linear if it doesn’t lead you to a game over or retry. There isn’t much of a plot, although the final boss and the method to defeat it was somewhat amusing. To get to the best end, you will need to select the correct yes and no options to bring you there. Still, even with failed attempts and all, this shouldn’t take more than fifteen minutes or so to complete.

I’m not sure how this felt as a parser game, but as a choice game, it feels limiting. You’d probably want to take out the final boss for some laughs and try to resist the Call To Adventure for more laughs, but otherwise, that’s all I can say.

Note: I am writing this review from memory. It has been a while since I played this game. As of this writing, I do not know if there is anywhere online to play this game, as dashingdon no longer exists.

Working in a cafe in Paris, you discover the Urge, which seems to make people romantically drawn to you. Much of the plot is around getting to know the different ROs who are drawn to you, and finding out more about them. While it is mostly a lighthearted romance game, some parts can be dark and violent, so be warned. Rather interestingly, the story later reveals that the urge is connected to a very controversial romantic practice. (Spoiler - click to show) Love Locks.

If I recall correctly, I romanced the assistant working at the cafe. There was plenty of romance, including a romantic trip to another country, and a fairly explicit romance scene at one part. The game also goes through various famous locations in Paris, another touch I liked.

As a romance game, there aren't really any stats here, but you will need to keep track of your relationships with various ROs. In addition, there are also plenty of customization options for your character, basically name, gender and physical attributes. Hey, it's a romance game.

This game was originally submitted to Hosted Games. I am unsure what happened, but HG ultimately did not publish the game. The author released it on dashingdon for free, but did not migrate the title with the recent closure of dashingdon, so it no longer appears to be playable unless someone had saved a copy.

A powerful space empire threatens your existence. You can choose to resist them, building your defenses and deciding how you wish to direct wartime efforts.

After the introductory chapters, most of the game is spent deciding how you will allocate resources in preparation for battle, and whether you’d like to focus on something at the expense of something else. The actual war has much less choice, and the game instead largely narrates to you how the battles go based on decisions made. Still, I managed to obtain a victorious ending on my first attempt, although it certainly wasn’t without cost. That said, I did make a few decisions which I felt would increase my chances of winning, at the cost of something else to my empire, but I’m not sure if the ending acknowledges the latter in some way.

There were a few star maps, which were nice to look at, but it was hard to make out the little details on my iPhone screen.

The game is short, but the writing is largely solid, with a heavy focus on prep and management.

Usually, I would recommend a long and linear approach to writing a choicescript game. Caves and Dinosaurs flat out goes against this recommendation, opting for a game with over 70 endings on a roughly 100k word count. Of course, this means that each playthrough will be short, and maximum value will come from plenty of additional playthroughs.

The writing is pretty entertaining, even if not exceptional, as you roll your character class (there’s some really nice art here) and head out for your mission. You have the option to chance things by rolling the dice and deciding your choice, or use a certain stat to choose something for you. It’s possible to meet a bad end in this game, depending on how the dice and choices work for you, but the game simply allows you to try again.

It’s absolutely not your traditional choice game. Still, it was somewhat fun to play just by rolling the dice and seeing what a short new playthrough will bring. If you’ve a short bit of time you need to pass, you could do worse than trying out a playthrough a few times for more bite-sized entertainment.

I was deciding between three and four stars. That said, I have a weakness for the character art, so this gets four.

A group of factions are experiencing raids, and perhaps one faction is responsible for this. Your task here is to investigate. The premise is fairly interesting, although the execution doesn’t quite match it. The writing, while technically acceptable for the most part, also has plenty of roughness to it.

Investigating each faction simply means completing a puzzle which does not appear strongly related to investigative work. These puzzles aren’t difficult and I got everything right on my first try. Still, difficulty isn’t the problem, just that these puzzles feel like a crude stand in for an actual investigation which ties to the plot.

Once you are done, you get to join a debate on who was behind the raids. The game, as a whole, doesn’t take too long, and I had no interest in another round. That said, I’m still awarding three stars as I think this free title still isn’t egregiously bad to warrant less.

Paranoia is an improvement over What Happened Last Night, I guess.

The story is decent, I suppose. You start off with a day to day management system, where you need to collect a certain number of items to advance to the final mission. You have some medication which you can either choose to take or not. (There's actually an interesting gameplay mechanic behind that.) Some parts of it were funny, even if it was probably my childish side laughing.

Once you reach the final mission, you'll get the first checkpoint seen in HG history, where if you fail, you are allowed to retry the final mission rather than the entire game. I suppose I could give bonus points for that. Still, once you finish, you'll probably not want to play this again.

Wanna know what happened last night? To save you the trouble: (Spoiler - click to show) Some guy was unhappy about being made fun of for being short by some attractive woman at his club, so he killed her and made you the fall guy.

The game is full of dead ends which lead to an instant game over. There is a good bit of branching and multiple endings, although a lot of it feels silly. (I admit some of it was funny to my childish side.) Gameplay wise, there is a good bit of additional content for folks who want to do multiple replays, with multiple endings, although I'm not sure that it's worth your time to try finding them.

This was one of the first choicescript games released under the HG label. At that time, it was 'good' when folks were starved for choicescript games. Now, perhaps not.

You're dead, and have a new job to haunt stuff. Work hard, and you'll make it to the top.

The premise is pretty interesting, and the writing is definitely solid. Still, this game sets aside the usual choicescript format, opting for a statless system with plenty of branching paths, instead of the usual long and linear approach with stat checks. Without any stats, most choices matter, as these choices will determine where down the many branching paths you'll head.

The game's length is pretty variable. If you mess up (I mean, don't quite follow orders for) the earlier missions, it could end quickly, although you might still feel satisfied with the outcome. Otherwise, if you try to do your job well, you'll get more and more options until you reach the top, now with another ending.

I think the author is a very good writer, even if not writing the popular stuff in HG town. This title is free to win, so I'd recommend having a look.

Imprisoned was probably one of the better HG titles in the early CoG days, although standards weren't high at that time.

You're thrown into a cell for... something. There is a substantial character creation process as you are put through the early scenes. While you are in your cell, the game is pretty much like a stat management RPG, where you will have to raise certain stats, manage others, and think about how you will escape.

I managed to escape by raising a stat (Spoiler - click to show)(push ups, then bending the bars). Still, navigating the dungeon is tricky and some of the descriptions aren't too well written, which just makes it more confusing at times. My escape attempt eventually met with an inglorious end... but eh, I tried.

The writing is acceptable at a technical level, although I saw some typos. The game's tone is a bit juvenile at times, but I suppose you could treat this as a not-so-serious fantasy story. It's a pretty flawed title today, but might perhaps still be worth a look.

I don't wish to be too harsh on HG titles released during the early days. After all, games were free and expectations were low at that time. Still, it is hard for me to praise this title.

The writing is rough. The game is broken up into rooms with a lot of parser-like puzzles, but it was hard to figure out what to do simply by reading the descriptions. There is a hint menu for folks who are stuck, but the menu isn't very well-designed and will need a lot of clicking. There is a picture of each room in the game, which looks like some diagram I'd scrawl on my engineering notes back in college, but it just looks awful for an actual game release.

I managed to complete the game once and meet the final person, but failed his 'final' test. Still, at that point, I had no further interest in a replay.

Mobile Armored Marine is another title released in the very early CoG days. It was pretty long by the standards of that era. During the early days, there was some feedback over certain storyline and choice decisions the game had, although the author politely listened to feedback and made some changes to the content, which is a plus.

The game has a very lively writing style with plenty of humor. I also found the stat system simple but elegant, with a small set of skills you can build up at the start of the game, depending on choices made. Later, you can test these skills on the battlefield, with a health bar stat for your armor which you will need to keep over zero.

In terms of military tactics or story, the game is probably a bit lacking, but the author did address some issues in the early days. Perhaps it would be better to let the walking tank conduct recon and soak up the damage first before sending the fodder in. Still, I think the entertaining and confident writing style does make up for it.

It's not very long, but it remains free and fun to play.

Zebulon was written for a contest/event a long time ago. I think the theme was 'friends' or something. Anyway, here, we have two bickering friends with wildly different personalities to appease.

Compared to many of the older choicescript games, and even today, I think the writing is pretty good, with a strong dose of humor without overly-lengthy prose. Most of the options will have you choosing to make either one or the other of your companions happy. The game is often explicit about who you'll make happy and who you'll piss off, although there seems to be few, if any options to make both happy with the same choice.

You are given a mission to complete an objective within a certain time frame. Speed is critical, as with balancing your expenses, and managing the two people along for the ride. Still, it is a fun read, even if a short one.

Zebulon was released during stone-age CoG, and was probably one of the stronger HG titles at that time. But even now, I think it's still an interesting read, even if the choicescipt arena has come a long way since.

In addition to playing the game, I had line-edited it in full and therefore have a good sense of the content. Still, I would certainly not have spent so much time on edits if I had the benefit of hindsight. (which I didn't)

Anyway, I did sort of go through the game during the line-editing process, and probably saw more than a player actually would.

Last Dream is very linear in design, like a linear array dotted with fake choices. Branching is minimal at best. That said, a lot of these choices affect a certain variable, and to win the game, you would have to accumulate enough points in this variable to avoid a bad end.

The writing was well... not good in the non-native sense, which was possibly why Hosted Games wanted a native speaker to review the writing before accepting it. I actually liked the story there, and Midori was a character I would have liked to romance, but sadly, she wasn't an RO, although there are romances in the game. I am unable to comment on similarities to FFX as I have never played it, for what it's worth.

Ultimately, this game was pulled from HG after being approved for publication. I don't know the exact reason for this, no official reason was publicly given, and the discussion thread was locked for futher comment. It has since been released for free. On another note, the original submission had AI content, but HG had permitted the author to replace it before approving it for publication. That said, the replacement (which was approved for publication) had AI content as well. The AI status of the current free release is unknown to me.

Full Disclosure: I was a beta reader for this game and provided feedback. I had also informed the author during the beta phase that any AI generated content would not be accepted by HG. That said, this game was apparently submitted with AI content anyway despite this reminder. HG initially approved it for publishing and released it, but later withdrew it from sale after some reports of AI content. Unknown to many, Halls of Sorcery wasn't the first game with AI content which was submitted to HG.

From this point, I will try to review the content of this game without getting further into AI matters unless I feel it is relevant.

As someone who had beta read this game and also purchased/played the full release before it was pulled, I can give some opinions. The writing was slightly rough in some places but still easy to follow. The game is short, but branches quite significantly, and also provides plenty of cool secrets for players willing to venture from the beaten track. Otherwise, in terms of a single playthrough, it is short, being largely a training session, a single mission and then a final confrontation with the big bad.

There was a pretty easy to use stat system, although with the game's length, there were also not too many chances to test stats. Still, to get the best ending with everyone alive, you would have to obtain a certain critical item.

The game had a lot of (AI generated) images during development, which I personally liked (don't kill me please) before I spotted some signs of AI generation and went on to inform the writer of AI matters. There were some character portraits in the final release which I also liked, although I don't know if these were AI generated and to what extent.

Anyway, I am just writing my thoughts as someone who had played the game and noticed the AI content after a bit. I am personally trying to maintain a no AI content policy when it comes to my own games.

Like Interactive Bonbons, Grand Casino of Fortune presents you a bunch of minigames. While Interactive Bonbons had plenty of technical skill on display, this game is a little more low-key in this department, offering a couple of gambling minigames with less razzle dazzle. Still, there are a number of interestingly designed minigames here, along with RPG elements such as characters you can speak to to unlock certain bonuses (if Lady Luck happens to smile on you), as well as multiple levels of progression.

The first floor is easy enough to pass with patience and mindless tapping. Subsequent floors present games which will require some brainpower to complete. Still, I gave up at the fourth (penultimate) floor as the minigame there was just way too hard for me. (You need to win the minigame three times in a row to pass). The ending is interesting, but may or may not be worth the pulled hairs to reach it. (I just opened up the code.)

I liked a couple of things here, such the various floors, the ability to borrow cash and the other folks you could speak to for lore or bonuses in between the gambling games. That said, you’ll need better luck than me if you want to complete this legitimately, and going by the number of omnibus ratings, not many folks made it past the fourth floor. Still, it’s something enjoyable you can play around with.

Another ancient Hosted Games release, long before the choicescript game formula started to take shape. In this short story, you play as a fixed character (i.e. name and gender are set), and take a walk through daily life, while being offered a series of binary options to do the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ thing. It starts out with pretty mundane everyday scenarios, but the action heats up towards the end with a crime scene.

Still, this is largely a linear romp, whether you pick the good or bad things. The writing, told in first person, is technically sound, but also not particularly engaging. At 7k words, well below the current minimum requirement for a Hosted Game, you could probably complete a few playthroughs in ten minutes. It’s good for a short bit of free entertainment, but that’s all I would recommend it for.

Note: This review is based on the Hosted Games release. It may or may not be the same as the IFcomp release.

Sons of the Cherry begins with a few character creation type questions, although it does not appear to have much impact on the game. This is largely a linear tale, requiring you to join forces with the guy who saves you at the last minute and then sends you on a mission.

You’ll mostly see two choice options here. Some give you the opportunity to resist the Call to Adventure and walk off the linear road. But if that happens, you will be taken to a penalty chapter filled with dead ends, some of which bring you to the rating screen abruptly. It’s possible to survive and explore for a bit in this penalty chapter if you avoid certain options, but it’s ultimately an ending in itself. Otherwise, you can dutifully walk along the linear road paved before you, and finish the game.

The writing is strong and atmospheric, but this game could have been a better linear novel than game. It’s nice for a short read, although it’s not quite a choicegame.

This game was the first title to be released on Hosted Games. (well... not really since even the hosted titles were released under the Choice of Games label at the time.) I still remember the author telling Dan and co. on that old Google group forum about the complete and ready-to-submit game. Anyways, well over a decade later, here we are.

Still, it's hard to recommend this game even as a free product. Completing this game requires you to exhaust every lead in the first section, then answer all questions correctly in the next section. If you fail the second section, you get to try again. However, the final section is where the game gets Nintendo Hard. Get one choice wrong, the killer is allowed to go free, and it's game over. Unfortunately, there wasn't a save system at that time, so say hello to another tedious round of play if you want to try again. (Wait, hold on. It's 2025 and we still don't have a save system, besides using third-party tools.)

The writing is technically sound, but could use some more color. The text alternates between prose and script. The whole murder method of (Spoiler - click to show)shoving glass shards down someone's throat with gloves on would require some serious ninja fighting skills to perform. Also, if you accuse the wrong person, the police officer is happy to go along with your decision, but if you accuse the right person, the police officer will defend him and try to set him free unless you can complete a gauntlet of choices with perfect accuracy. (Otherwise, prepare to do the entire thing again.)

That said, the writer completed this game in high-school, and was the first person to submit a game to HG. I think these are still pretty cool achievements, and it definitely takes a lot of courage to be the one to take the first step. For that, I'm giving a higher rating than I normally would.

A choicescript tutorial in twine? How about a twine tutorial in choicescript?

This interactive tutorial is pretty straightforward, being just a website/webpage-like guide to choicescript functionality, commands, useful links and so on. I liked the explanation about branching and indents, as that was something my really young self struggled with when learning choicescript for the first time.

Still, I don't think it offers anything you couldn't learn from the website and wiki, and the searchable nature of the wiki probably makes it a better resource once you have passed the initial stages of learning choicescript. Don't get me wrong, this is a well-written and useful resource, just not a strictly necessary one. It is worth taking a look, but you'll also be fine with just the website and wiki, as well as the CoG forums.

Marine Raider is one of the earliest titles under the Hosted Games label. At 43k words, it was substantially longer than a good number of games at the time, although it is pretty short by today's standards. Playtime is quick, and you could probably get through this in ten minutes or so, depending on your choices and reading speed.

You play as a junior officer and platoon commander, leading a small force of marines. With the enemy having the advantage in numbers, skill and stealth will be key to balancing the odds.

The writing is a bit rough compared to later titles by the author. Still, this one is fun. There are no stats in this game, but you will need need to manage decisions carefully, reading the prose and trying to work out the benefits and potential costs of digging in to fight, charging in or beating a hasty retreat. There are plenty of ways it can work out, from pulling out once you have secured some intel to staying behind and trying to fight as much of the enemy as you can. As far as a single playthrough goes, the game is short, but does have a good bit of content if you are willing to come back and try other options.

It is perhaps outclassed today by really long and heavy titles in the HG library, but is still good for some fun.

School isn't going great. Your rival screws you up with his powerful connections and influence. Your professor gives you a failing grade. Getting expelled is right around the corner.

That said, you create a time machine and travel back to the age of the dinosaurs. With this earth-shattering discovery at your disposal, you might just be able to turn things around.

There isn't much in terms of plot as you navigate the dinoscape and work out your relationships with your friend and rival. Mostly, it's a collection of encounters with different types of dinosaurs, along with a couple of danger scenes to get the blood pumping. There is a stat system, along with different things to collect (samples, film, trophies, etc). Presumably, some of these collection options are connected to your stats, but the impact wasn't very apparent.

Not to mention, collecting these things didn't seem to be of much use, as the professor later threw all my findings out, pretty much declared me a fraud, and expelled me anyway. I mean, I brought a ton of souvenirs back from the prehistoric era, including a real living dinosaur. Are you seriously telling me you're not interested?

Frankly, if someone showed up today from a trip to the age of dinosaurs, complete with souvenirs, photographs and a living dinosaur, they would have been an international sensation on the spot. Yet, the entire ending just feels so ridiculously underwhelming. Granted, the rest of the world treated those discoveries with somewhat more interest than that very dense professor, but it still left me scratching my head.

Dinosaur fans may enjoy the romp through the land of the T-Rex. Still, the way it ended felt unsatisfying.

Daria: A Kingdom Simulator is an utterly strange beast. While there are some pretty successful choicescript games out there which include a good dose of management elements, this is a full-blown hardcore management game built in choicescript. Story, plot and character elements are minimal, and most major NPCs are pretty much just additional management assets. I do think having an overarching plot and characters with more story and dialogue could have made the overall product much better.

I was really struggling to decide how many stars I would give to this game. I'm aware four may be a controversial choice. Still, there is a certain therapeutic and enjoyable feeling (I'm serious) to setting up all the pieces together and watching the different numbers go up. This actually kept me entertained for quite a bit. As a choicescript writer myself, I'm also impressed with how durable and well-constructed the system is, even if over-complicated. (I'm aware that the initial release shipped with plenty of bugs, and a lot of people lost progress multiple times as HG tried to patch the game. Still, in the interest of reviewing the current product, I won't penalize the game for this here.)

That said, the game has its flaws. There is no save system in choicescript, and an unlucky early enemy encounter can wipe out painstakingly-earned progress instantly. Navigating the pages and reading the menus can feel excruciating on mobile platforms, but less so on a desktop screen. While it can be fun to unlock things and watch numbers go up, the later parts of the game can get very grindy, especially as you face enemy armies with absurdly high levels of strength (basically meaning even more grinding on your end to match them.)

Somehow, I feel this would have been more enjoyable in a game engine which is well... built for turn-based management. While there is a certain joy in watching numbers and structures going up, I really think choicescript isn't the best place for this. Make no mistake, there are certainly hardcore choicescript management nuts out there who will enjoy this, but I'm not one of them.

The game does a good job for its intended audience, and that's the basis of my star rating. Still, a game like this probably won't appeal to anyone outside that club.

I first played this game a long time ago (the complete version, not the Introcomp entry). I remember it being pretty mediocre back then. Now, I've decided to head back and give it another whirl.

The game adopts a humorous and snarky tone, but it really doesn't match the zombie apocalypse setting at all. There is some heavy fourth wall breaking, depending on your choices, but it didn't feel particularly witty or clever. The plot is straightforward in design as you move from one place to another, but filled with headscratchers, which I'll detail later on.

While there aren't any ROs, the game flips the gender of the companion NPCs depending on your own gender. The characters don't have much in the way of personality, and this just makes them feel even more shallow. Some of them will also do extremely obnoxious things in game, in case you needed more reasons to dislike them.

There are also a couple of things which didn't make sense, which I will talk about below.

(Spoiler - click to show) At one part, you can borrow/steal an abandoned car, but later, the game says that you have a shovel in the back because you were too lazy to take it out a while back. Huh? It's not my car.

At another point, a doctor with a stone-cold personality tells you to leave someone behind in an unsympathetic manner. This doesn't sound like something a medical professional would do so callously, even if the situation was dire.

At the shopping mall, you can spend a few hours on an electronic sim to build your shooting skills. I can buy that the mall runs on diesel generators, but it's a bit of a stretch that they'll let you waste precious power on playing videogames, even if you're trying to build your stats.

When you reach the island, you can't use your gun to break into the abandoned house. You can't retrieve anything from the boat to help you either. Does a ferry/yacht not at least have a length of rope?

Also, can't you simply remain on the boat? If you picked the yacht or ferry, it should be comfortable enough for you to survive in the water for some time, and the zombies wouldn't be able to reach you unless they can swim. You can also forage for food or water on land when the zombies aren't around in full force.

One of the endings says that the zombie plague got 'medically contained'. Huh?? What does that mean? The zombies multiply through physical contact. What does it mean to 'medically contain' them? Seeing that human civilization appears to be in shambles, who did this? A group of aliens watching from space? This part is so brief that I doubt much thought was put into it either.

Choice of Zombies came out at a time when decent choicescript games were few. But today, this just isn't it.

You face an unusual apocalypse. One which will put you to sleep forever as soon as you fall asleep. You can either give in to this mysterious condition, or fight it by staying awake for as long as you can.

It took me a bit of time to figure out how to 'survive' to the next day and after without falling asleep forever on the first day. Still, even once you figure out the steps, you get the dark sense that you are only keeping the inevitable at bay for a short time. The writing and conversations with the other characters also help to convey the hopelessness of the situation, and perhaps a certain sense of acceptance and tranquility they might find within. If you find yourself in the position where you are the sole survivor, the situation also takes its toll on you. If you can survive well over ten days, the choices all around you work to show that the inevitable is right around the corner.

I don't think there is a way to win this, and I think that's the point. That said, there is apparently a secret ending for the game, but I don't have the energy to try unlocking it at this point.

It starts off pretty entertainingly. You attend a series of interviews (not just the job interview kind) and get to pick from one of four responses ranging from professional to cringe. The writing was really entertaining, and I was seriously flirting with the idea of giving five stars at that time. The section on a romantic date left a silly grin on my face for some time.

Meanwhile, I was wondering about the lizard on the cover art. However, the answer came soon.

I'm not sure what I should say about the story's ending. I don't know if it's just so brilliant that my small brain can't comprehend it, or if it was just a dumb idea. (Spoiler - click to show)It turns out that the whole thing was just a reptile dreaming about human life, then a play about that reptile dreaming about human life, then a reptile dreaming about that play about the reptile which was... aaargh. Ok, I think that's all the layers. It was just multiple levels of the 'just a dream' trope, and I'm not sure if there's some brilliance somewhere I'm missing.

That said, the earlier parts were still very entertaining to read. I'm giving four stars for that. Now, I need some time to unscramble my brain.

Echoes is an anthology of three games in one. I didn’t do the Labyrinth one as it didn’t appeal to me that much. Treasure of the Deep is also a fairly short and very linear tale, such that it’s more of a story than a game. It was a fun read, but not really an interactive one.

Still, the one I did enjoy was Sticks and Stones, a humorous multi-part adventure where you travel around a dungeon, solving puzzles and collecting items, while trying to reach the next part of the game. Navigating the dungeon was tricky at first, but I managed to handle this by visualizing a grid in my mind. There are a good number of interesting puzzles there, and finding the different items to proceed also didn’t feel overly challenging, even though I went around in circles a few times. There is also a pretty basic but fun combat system, and the game allows you to retry whenever you lose a fight.

The writing is entertaining and there was good art to accompany the writing, such as the backgrounds for the linear Treasure of the Deep story. Overall, I’d say the full product is pretty solid, although I tried just two thirds of it.

Chronicles of the Moorwakker has plenty of content which will keep you occupied for some time.

Your task here is to investigate the death of your mother, on a journey that takes you through fantasy medieval Germany. As a twine game, it felt really well-designed with that open-ended adventure vibe, as you decide which way you will travel and the things you can do in each location. There are some sections which will require you to go through different rooms to hunt down the various items you need to unlock stuff and proceed, including the section right before the final boss. It added to the feel, but it can get tedious at times.

I failed the starting battle twice, with my opponent suviving with one health point on both occasions. (Something must really hate me.) Afterwards, I decided to do this true story mode, and skip all the battles. A lot of work must have went into scripting the battle system, and I liked all the little details, just that I felt that it required a lot of clicking. You are allowed to retry or skip battles (I can't remember which difficulty I picked) so the game is still pretty forgiving there.

Once you finish, you can restart the game entirely, or at a chapter of your choice.

The art and sound, along with the gray color scheme, also fit the game pretty well. That said, the art is at least partially AI generated, with some human modifications.

With solid writing and an interesting story which keeps the tension going, Canvas Keepsakes provided a pretty entertaining experience. As an artist, struggling to pay the rent, you have the strange power to travel in your own paintings and retrieve things from them. Of course, things quickly go awry as you meet a buyer who seems secretly out to mess you up, and your paintings come out to mess with you.

I liked the cat companion in particular. Pixel is pretty adorable, plays a strong role in the story and also provides some entertaining commentary.

One thing I didn't like was that the game didn't really introduce the story elements very well. For that, I recommend reading the blurb before you start, as the game does not explain quite a number of story elements otherwise.

As for one thing I really liked, the use of visuals and sound to convey scenes. Shaking and glowing letters, background color changes and sounds all work in tandem to add oomph to the different scenes. Special effects are one thing this game does very well.

It was a good bit of entertainment.

I first played Heroes Rise well over a decade ago, when Choice of Games was first inviting authors to write for their professional label. Heroes Rise received quite a lot of criticism for its railroaded design back when it was first released. A long time later, I’m taking another look at this bit of CoG history.

As has been said before, the story is quite railroaded. Speaking of which, this railroad does forcefully take you to a couple of sections where you get brutally defeated before crawling over to your next challenge. The plot also feels very convoluted, with twists and revelations thrown at you in a chaotic fashion.

There is also a RO whom I simply didn’t like. That said, the game gives you plenty of choices to say no, then disregards them all anyway. (why??) After making clear (multiple times) that I was (sincerely) not interested in her, she planted a kiss on me anyway and the game went on to suggest that we had a thing going on. Honestly, I love having romance in games, but this didn’t feel good at all.

The writing is fairly solid, with plenty of action-packed scenes in the middle of the madness and chaos. It’s fun, but could have benefitted from a more organized plot. Additionally, the game also touches on some hot issues like nuclear arms and real-life geopolitical matters, but these were handled so lightly and fleetingly that I think the game would have been better without them.

On my latest playthrough, my performance was about average. Despite the linearity, the game does build up a numerical score for you over your playthrough, and hands you your report card at the end. Still, this magic number still felt detached from the various experiences I had over the course of the story. I could have played again to try to obtain a better score, but simply didn’t feel like it.

Heroes Rise was probably solid at a time where there were few good choicescript games. Nevertheless, I feel that this hasn’t aged well.

Heart of Battle had a really slow start, as you learn more about the oppressive situation you find yourself trapped in, and get to know the fellow gladiators and other people around you. There is also a slight bit of romantic scenes in the earlier chapters, which felt tastefully done.

Still, the story and plot picks up really quickly, as you start discovering avenues to freedom and a better life, through peaceful or forceful means, and get to decide how you really feel about your gladiator life and how much you want to help the people in the same predicament. For the middle and the end of the story, my interest picked up and I felt more invested in the tale.

The romance, to my surprise, was another very strong point. All of the ROs were interesting, playing various roles in the story, and I was actually struggling to the very end to decide who I would pick. Ultimately, I went with the healer, but it was a difficult choice, and that's a compliment.

The choice of a gladiatorial setting seemed unusual at first for a romance game, but I later felt that it made the romances feel stronger. In a world filled with struggle, relationships feel much more valuable. Also, some of the ROs also allow for the exploration of power dynamics in this setting, another part which I liked.

That said, there is plenty of violence as well as harsh situations in this game. For folks looking for romance stories in the more gentle settings you'd see in a typical HC game, reader discretion is strongly advised.

The plot and writing felt a bit weak at some points, but I really liked this game as a whole. As a romance title in a less usual setting, this is one I can recommend.

As someone who has struggled with a lot of negative emotions, I suppose I could relate to the player in multiple ways.

You walk around the house, looking for ways to occupy yourself (mostly by cleaning some parts which really need it) and getting a wave of negative feelings every now and then, which you will need to make a decision on how to handle. There are also plenty of restaurant menus within the house, showing how even food can relate to difficult or heavy memories. That said, I would not recommend this to people facing similar situations (and the game also carries a similar warning at the start).

The music and sound is minimal, but they are well-chosen and help to convey the theme. The art is also similarly minimalistic at some parts, but I think it also does convey the lens in which one views things under darker circumstances.

I felt that this was a pretty thought-provoking entry. That said, do heed the content warning on the front page.

I probably would have given this game three or four stars. However, I am declining to leave a star rating as I’m not sure how I should really score this game. This isn’t the first RPG maker game I’m reviewing on IFDB, but I’m personally very conflicted as to how much of an IF game this is.

I did one playthrough. Going by the game’s screenshots, there are probably other paths or bits of content I’ve missed. You play as a crook, impersonating a legitimate businessperson, coming to an island to steal some sea eggs. On the way; you visit different parts of the island, sometimes having to figure out what to say or do to get an inconvenient person out of the way. Once you reach the end, the game gives you three choices as to how to proceed. Still, from what I can tell, the game ends about as soon as you’ve made that choice.

The art is simple, but does have that old-school charming feel to it.

It was a fairly entertaining short game, but it feels much more RPG than IF. I’m not sure if that’s something which should affect the final rating, so I’m not leaving one for now.

Recently, I have seen a few IF games include mentions about AI, automation and how it could possibly lead to mass unemployment. Well, now we have once which puts this topic front and center (more or less, I suppose). You need money for... (the game gives you some options here)... and there are pretty much no jobs left for you to take to earn that money, due to the AI and employment crisis. Well, maybe except one. Being a medical test subject.

This game is pretty short, although there is a slight bit of branching where you can choose to back out halfway, screw the big corp with an illicit deal and so on. It's somewhat thought provoking, particularly in the context of a world where you need money and are running out of ways to earn it.

It was a fairly good read, and certainly gets one thinking.

The writing is solid, in a game which takes you in a dream featuring various environments, where you have to work your way to solve a puzzle to get through each stage.

Still, much of the puzzle largely involves visiting different areas, obtaining a certain key item to unlock another area, and so on, until you unlock the final task in a key area and move on to the next stage. Brute forcing your way through the puzzles by selecting as many options as you can could also get you through most of the story. Still, a few of the sections require you to think and read the text clearly to get through, so some challenge is there. It's not overly difficult or complicated, however, which is a plus for me.

You will also have to repeatedly wake up to feed a fire, or it's game over, but it still felt more like tedium to pad out the gameplay rather than an interesting part of the puzzle.

It's a short and fun bit of entertainment, and the undo option also means you can't really lose, since it's possible to rewind back to an earlier stage of the game. It's good for a bit of entertainment.

Tin Star was the first choicescript game to cross one million words, and was the only member of the million plus club for quite some time. That said, quantity isn't the only thing the game has going for it. With solid writing which conveys the western setting and a wide range of encounters from the massive wordcount, you'll find yourself immersed in the game for quite a while.

There is an extensive stat system, with plenty of opportunities to raise and test those stats. The game's structure is broken up into a set of stat-changing activities you can perform, before a chapter mission picks up. The missions are interesting and really provide a sense of adventure, as you work to discover the enemy and uncover their plot. Furthermore, there is also a good bit of branching here, with hidden content and branches for players willing to try something different.

Still, the prose tends to be heavy and ramble at times. There is no doubt plenty of content here, but sometimes, it's hard not to feel that the wordcount was partially the result of over-long prose. Nevertheless, I'm not taking off a star for this, as there is certainly still an extra large dose of quality content here.

There is also an interesting cast of characters, along with romances. There is quite a bit of variety in the characters you can romance. Won't spoil anything, but there are also two other unexpected characters you can marry as well.

When it comes to the ending, the game also leaves on a strong note, with plenty of detail of what happened to different folks and places, as well as a recounting of your own achievements. This is another part that allows the end to feel satisfying.

Overall, this is a solid game which provides as much in quality as it does in quantity. It's a solid recommendation if you want a long adventure in the choicescript world.

Temple of Endless Night might not be the biggest name in the choicescript universe, but it is easily one of my favorite fantasy choicescript games. With a unique and well-developed setting in ancient Egypt, along with a stat and character customization system which fleshes out the lore even more, there is plenty of interesting reading here.

The plot is initially straightforward, although it thickens eventually, as you join a caravan on a task to retrieve an item from a mysterious temple. Much of the entire plot comprises your journey to the temple, and the temple itself. Still, there is plenty of branching, different endings and replay value here, as well as major secrets for players willing to venture off the beaten path. I enjoyed most of the romances as well, with solid character writing and romance scenes.

The game itself isn't too difficult. Still, there are some difficult stat checks in the game, so careful character building may be important. The game also provides an optional item to give you an easier experience at the earlier parts.

Temple of Endless Night does the setting well, and presents a unique approach from the usual knights-and-castles fantasy fare. It is a game I have played and replayed multiple times, and one which I think is worth a look.

Gameplay-wise, The Twelve Trials follows a really tried-and-true stat based formula. You pick a few skills you are good at before you embark on your quest. On the way, you make choices and face stat challenges. Completing these challenges successfully awards you a skill bonus of your choice, helping you for the next round as the requirements go up. It's functional, but no more.

Still, what I really liked about the game are the writing and characters. The game depicts a host of interesting and charming encounters against a backdrop of greek mythology, and I really liked the story and setting. The cast here is also pretty interesting, and I liked most of the characters. Sadly, while there is romance in the game, as far as I can tell, it's just a short scene somewhere in the middle. It is a shame, because with so many characters being this good, romance was one of the first things on my mind.

Once your reach the ending part of the game, you are asked what you think the meaning behind your entire quest was. I got this right on the first try, and it wasn't too difficult to guess the answer. Still, the journey was as fun as the destination.

This game gets a solid recommendation from me. That said, if you're looking for romance, lower your expectations a little.

As with other titles from the author, Life of a Mercenary comes with plenty of gameplay and management elements, but with a good dose of story as well.

You play as the leader of a mercenary company, and are tasked with finding contracts and making money while keeping your forces and stronghold in shape by buying various upgrades. When it comes to making management games in the choicescript engine, it is easy to wind up with a clunky or overcomplicated interface. Still, the management system feels easy to manage here, with different decisions laid out for you without the feeling of navigating through a dozen menu pages.

You start out with smaller missions like providing security or beating up thugs, before moving up the ladder and gaining access to bigger and better contracts and missions. In addition to earning money for upgrades, you can also gain experience to improve your character's stats. The first part of the game appears to be timed, which is annoying if you want to clear all the content there before moving on. Still, there are plenty of adventures within to keep you entertained, along with a sense of progression.

Stock images appear to have been used in the game for illustrations. They aren't too consistent in terms of style, but I didn't mind it too much. Also note that some pictures might be slightly nsfw, but there's nothing explicit within.

Also, there is also a fairly interesting cast of characters who serve as fellow mercenaries, along with romances. I preferred the romances in the Great Tournament, but what is here works for me as well.

It's a strong title, and a good example of an open-ended choicescript game with management elements done right.

The Great Tournament 2 continues from where the first game left off. You had the choice of four ROs in the first game, and the sequel offers a unique starting chapter for each RO (along with ending the first game single.) It also partially takes into account the final decision you made in the first game, although it has much less of an impact of the game, and the game also appears to disregard some combinations of choices.

The overall story is largely linear as you take charge of your small fief, before eventually being pulled into a larger plot which brings you into working with another major kingdom, solving their problems by diplomacy, force or some combination of each. Like other games by the writer, there are plenty of gameplay elements here, including city management, troop organization, battles and so on. Most of these gameplay systems feel engaging, and while it's a bit more complex than Swamp Castle or the first Great Tournament, it doesn't feel overly clunky or complicated.

Still, the battles here are a huge pain in the ass, and I was strongly considering giving three stars because of this alone. There are plenty of battles where you have to fight massive enemy armies which large numbers of troops. Sounds fun? Well, you'll be tapping the next button zillions of times just to get through the mountain of meat. Recruitment is another pain as well, as you will have to train some units one at a time, rather than being able to specify a bulk amount to purchase.

The Great Tournament 2 has an engaging story, strong gameplay elements (minus the awful tedium mentioned before) and plenty of content and branching. I do think it's a really good game and a worthy sequel to the first title. Still, be prepared to slog through some of the battles.

You work for a luxury brothel. No, not as a courtesan, but a swordswoman, providing combat services for the Belle-de-Nuit. That said, you do get to work as a courtesan for the brothel at some points, but this is entirely optional and consensual, and the game is upfront about it when it happens.

Belle-de-Nuit is female-locked, although both male and female ROs are available in this HC title. I actually liked all the romanceable characters, and there are also some really sweet scenes of love and intimacy in the game. Interestingly, the game hands most of these scenes to you at the earlier chapters, while turning down the faucet for the middle and later portions. (Most romance games I've played usually do it the other way round, unless they're handing the heavy stuff to you every step of the way.)

Still, I think the plotting and writing are some of the negatives I see here. Your task is to secure a very wealthy patron for the Belle-de-Nuit. (Spoiler - click to show) I romanced the guy working for said patron, and enjoyed it. However, the game does not appear to have much of a plot even with this overarching goal. Most of the time, I felt like I was going through scenes which were interesting individually but didn't have much coherence as a larger whole. It was hard to get the sense that I was progressing well towards bringing this wealthy patron in. The writer also tended to ramble a bit in Never Date Werewolves, and I'm seeing the same problem in this title as well.

If you're just here for romances, I can recommend this game, quite strongly in fact. However, I feel the story just isn't as good.

Full Disclosure: I am a credited beta tester for this game.

Compared to Zoo-pocalypse, Message in a Melody is more like your traditional Hosted Games title, with a fairly substantial word count (150k), character creation, stats and romances. Still, the Sci-fi genre isn't exactly popular with the Hosted Games crowd, and Message in a Melody is more the 'academic' type of Sci-fi game rather than the 'adventure' type. I'm guessing this is one of the reasons it hasn't done well with that crowd. Still, if this type of sci-fi is the one for you, I do think Message in a Melody could be a pretty strong title.

First, let's talk about this game's signature feature - the ability to unlock music. Well, how this works is that at different points in the game, you can unlock songs, which are essentially links to MVs on external sites like youtube. Unfortunately, I feel that this idea was much better on paper than in the actual game. Due to issues with clicking hyperlinks in game, these links are provided as full URLs which you can copy/paste on the mobile version. Also, even if you're playing on wifi or with unlimited cellular data, moving to another website from the omnibus to hear the music just feels really clunky on mobile platforms. Even on desktop platforms, it also feels immersion breaking to jump to a youtube page just to hear the music. I appreciate the attempt at innovation, but this felt like a huge miss.

The setting and story is pretty well written, and while some writers tend to ramble, I felt that the amount of prose used here was just right. There are also optional modes for full stat transparency, which is a big plus in my book. You play as a member of a race of aliens, out to destroy the human race, until something musical just seems to change your mind. You also have the option to romance some other alien characters in the game, but none of the ROs really stood out, and this didn't feel like a big part of the game anyway.

Given the choice of genre and style, this game was never likely to be a hit with the HG crowd. The external music link system also felt a lot like an experiment which went very wrong. Still, if the more academic type of Sci-fi is your thing, there can be a lot to like here.

I've played quite a number of VNs for the dialogue jam. A good number of them had pretty high production values for the event, and Lady Anneliese Dies could be another of them. There is plenty of delightfully fitting music and art here (most of it appears to be free assets, such as pixabay), but the overall product feels pretty high quality, with the mysterious and otherworldy vibes.

A powerful heiress (whom you play as) dies under mysterious circumstances. Using some mystical powers, she travels back in time to figure out who or what killed her.

There are three main suspects, along with a few other possible options like a stranger or a self-inflicted death. The game puts you through a couple of scenes as you move back in time to see what happened and figure out who the murderer is. Still, I was unable to solve this one, and it seems (I might be wrong) that the developers wanted this to be somewhat ambigious so that people could discuss possible theories. Anyway, I'm pretty bad at solving mysteries, so there's probably little I can bring to the table. Still, it was an enjoyable read, even though I'm scratching my head now.

Having to download this game versus just playing it in my browser felt like a lot of work at first. (I'm lazy.) Still, I think it was worth it at the end.

Pretending to be the bear lover of a yandere type character, you discover his curse and decide to go on a romantic outing. There is plenty of funny banter here, partly of the scathing variety, and reading this was entertaining. There is also plenty of great art and sound to accompany this, as well as to convey the cute vibe. It's really good romantic comedy to start out with.

Still, the game has multiple endings, depending on the choices you made. You might get a short and easy ending, or you may find yourself plunging into a darker place. All in all, I felt this was a pretty entertaining and good game as a whole.

Perhaps I'll also check out the main story this game is based on...

Waiting for the Death Wind is the second game I've played in the Dialogue Jam which features very high production values for the event. With excellent art and sound, which fits the theme of the game, you will really feel immersed in the story. There is also voice acting, which is another huge addition, although I have much more mixed feelings about it.

The story is strong, the final words of a dying warrior with his Goddess. You get a few choices too. Nevertheless, this game is also on the very short side, and ends before you know it. Still, the content you do get is excellent in terms of the writing and the atmosphere produced all around by the visuals and sound.

Gentle and charming. You step into a teahouse, make your order and sit with one of four folks for a conversation. I only played three times, and only managed to unlock two of the folks you can talk to. It seems that the game makes this choice for you, and I'm not sure if it's random or based on some choices made before.

One interesting touch is that you can order certain dishes, and the subsequent scene will show the dishes you had ordered. Still, there was one occasion where I tried to order everything (and had to pay by credit since I lacked the cash on hand), but only some dishes appeared to show up.

You get to have an interesting conversation, talking about different topics depending on who you get. You get a few choices, and the game ends when the convo does.

It's short, with nice writing and art, good for an easy playthrough to pass the time.

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.

Lone Signal is a good example of how to get a lot done with a few words. You play as a probe, venturing through the depths of space and encountering different civilizations, with their story told through meetings or transmissions. It's simple, but each story feels deep and really gets you thinking.

The game's biggest flaw is that it's largely linear in design (the game acknowledges this at the end). Still, I think the writing is good enough to justify a look.

There is also some simple but nice art in the game, with a star map to the left which shows your progress. The course of the game is laid out on the star map and is pretty predictable, but the game does throw a few surprise encounters at you every now and then.

I would recommend taking a look.

You're taking a long roadtrip on the outback. Sadly, nothing seems to go right as bad luck, vehicle problems and nature throw all sorts of challenges at you.

This is a short but fairly entertaining twine game, where you make decisions on how best to navigate the difficulties you face out in the wilds on your roadtrip, away from food, water and wifi. You get some choices every now and then, and bad ends are possible. Still, this game has a back button, so nothing stops you from rewinding to an earlier point to change your course.

There are some interesting pictures which add some color to the game. I think these are photographic images with a filter applied to make them look like color prints. It's a nice touch. There is also some music as well, which was mildly entertaining, although I think it detracted from the mood of the game at times.

It's free on itch and a good way to pass a bit of time.

A Pirate’s Pleasure presents solid writing and well written romance, set during a time where the Golden Age of Piracy is showing signs of coming to an end. You play the game as the female captain of your own pirate crew, boarding ships and seizing the loot while enjoying pirate pleasures in pirate havens with your (hard earned?) money.

Still, much of the game’s main mission takes place on dry land, where you wander an unknown place with a mysterious (in a bad way) item, trying to figure out what to do. That portion of the game gives you plenty of time to figure out your relationships with the various love interests while everyone works out how to get out of the tormented situation they have found themselves in. This item doesn’t feel very well-explained by the game as a whole, and the whole plot resolution where you return the item to where it should be also feels very contrived as you just seem to know where exactly you should go, right down to the very building and inside location. It just left me scratching my head when all was said and done.

Still, the romance elements are well done, even if each RO just seems really drawn to you by default. There are plenty of romantic moments and flirting even if this title doesn’t have anything explicit, and I liked it a a lot. I ended the game romancing the Governor and getting a pardon, moving on from a life of piracy. The game does give you the option to be a ruthless or honorable pirate (in the earlier missions, at least, since you’re not much of a pirate for the main mission), and also dangles the opportunity to officially move on from the life of piracy during the game. There are plenty of options to be good and evil, and decide your relationships with various characters, another part which I liked.

If you’re strictly here for a romance book, with a female lock and male RO lock, this game gets my recommendation. While the writing is generally good, plot and story are the game’s weak spots, and not something I’d recommend in the same way.

Choice of Kung Fu is a pretty enjoyable game, with strong writing, featuring plenty of adventure and a sense of progression. It provides a good amount of content for the word count.

There was plenty I was able to do, despite failing an initial three-part test in the game. I managed to set up my own school to train in the combat arts, avert a conflict, meet the Dragon Sage and romance a lovable fox spirit. Overall, there was plenty to like here. Despite my initial failures, I was able to overcome most of the game's challenges. Additionally, another part I liked was that you always had the option to display magnanimity and honor towards your enemies.

Still, some things grated on my nerves. I'm no professor of Chinese linguistics and culture, but I did notice that some names seemed to combine pinyin and wade-giles romanization systems, such as Bao Ho, a character, and Kuei Xian, a city. I would recommend using pinyin in general for a story like this. What I wouldn't recommend is using both together without consistency.

In another part of the game, the player can note that eight is a lucky number, nine is a symbol of longevity but eighteen is supposedly neither lucky nor unlucky. For that, check the wikipedia article on the number 18 and scroll down to the part on chinese tradition. (Although the number 18 could also have a certain negative interpretation.)

That said, I liked this one. It's definitely good for an easy and substantial read.

Charming and endearing choicescript stories are pretty hard to come by, and don’t always get the vibe right. Nevertheless, Demon Mark creates this fairytale feel pretty well, in a setting said to be inspired by Russian folklore.

The plot isn’t entirely a new concept. A family member has been abducted by the big bad, and we’re off to rescue them. On the way, we meet the nobility and royalty to possibly obtain some help, fight various mythological creatures and eventually take down the villain and rescue our family member. But what I really enjoyed was how the game had managed to weave the charming fairytale feel into the story, starting from the player’s childhood days and continuing into the main story. That said, with scenes of violence and horror, this isn’t entirely a game for children.

On my playthrough, I managed to beat most stat checks and complete the game successfully, while being careful to avoid using the demon mark if possible. I got a pretty good ending, and as a causal player, I suppose the difficulty was just right.

I don’t think there is any romance in the game, although I didn’t quite mind, and it might have detracted from the plot to save your family member, in any case.

On a negative note, the game does have a good number of ‘how are you feeling?’ choices, but a lot of these seem to be pure fake choices and felt meaningless. There were also times where the game presented skill checks, and I was struggling to figure out which choice was supposed to correspond with which skill.

Overall, minus a few complaints, I liked the writing and the charm of the story in this fairytale setting.

I have mixed feelings about this one. It’s a very interesting concept, where you play as someone gifted with psychic powers, with the ability to take control of other humans with a touch. However, when your own body is taken from you, you find yourself caught up in a larger plot as you try to recover it, with plenty of opportunities to jump to another person and take control of their body.

The writing is good and the game also asks some thought-provoking questions about motivations and morals every now and then. However, the story’s pacing is fast and tends to jump from one point to another quickly. I found myself losing track of the story at several points.

The stat system is another strange beast. I picked the skills I wanted to specialize in early on, but I saw very very few choices which appeared to be skill checks. Maybe there were more… but in that case, the signaling could have been clearer. Also, halfway through, I found all my stats reduced to minimum levels. I’m not sure if this was a glitch, a penalty for some bad choices made, or a storyline thing, but when I finally did find some choice which I thought was a skill check and returned to check the stat screen, I found all my skills at minimum levels, basically meaning my character was now useless.

There is a character whom I romanced in the game. She was fairly interesting, and I had a mixed relationship with her. That said, I got her (Spoiler - click to show)killed at the end due to a miscalculation, and wasn’t quite in the mood to replay the game again to see if things could have turned out differently.

I don't think this game is bad, just that it probably wasn’t the one for me. That said, I think the pacing and plot points could have been more forgiving.

Werewolves exist alongside other humans. Also, they have certain demands in terms of rights and laws. Still, all is not well with that group. Some folks see werewolves as a threat which requires a tighter leash.

You begin this tale as a junior staffer for a congressman or congresswoman, but get a quick promotion when something unfortunate happens to your boss. (A higher-ranking staffer, not the congressman or congresswoman.) Once that happens, it is up to you to tackle mountains of paperwork, phone calls, late nights and stress, all to bring the campaign to an electoral victory.

There are four candidates you can choose to work for, two republican and two democrat. I ultimately picked one by trying to translate their description to gameplay stats, and trying to guess which would work best with my character build. Speaking of which, unlike other CoG games, this title keeps your gender ambiguous rather than allowing you to specify it up front. Personally, it wasn't something I minded.

There is a simple but pretty interesting management minigame, where you decide to how you will allocate campaign funds towards different endeavors. Interestingly, I removed the pollster to save money halfway down the line, and stopped receiving reports on predicted results. (You'd think I couldn't find at least one news website which does that for free.) I did run dangerously low on funds twice without being a huge spender, so the challenge is there.

You'll need to tackle the issue of werewolf related legislation, along with a ton of other bread and butter issues like the economy and unemployment. Annoyingly, especially at the start of the game, people will ask/ambush you about different positions your candidate has, but you can only give them a solid yes/no or a solid brush off. Some way to say 'I'll need to discuss this with my team' or 'I'm not sure yet' should have been available even if it might not have pleased the other side fully.

There is some romance in the game. Still, I did betray the trust of that RO (I was trying to do the right thing for someone else, and the game suggested I could be discreet about it), but I got caught anyway and sent our relationship to the bottom of the sea. But eh... that's life, I guess.

The ending was somewhat unsatisfying. After a personally horrifying incident which put my character out of commission towards the end, my congressperson still won the election by a wafer-thin margin. However, there is little detail on what happens later, whether people got the jobs they were promised, how said congressperson made things better/worse and so on. There were a few loose ends such as decisions on certain bills and a personal secret of the congressperson which were also seemingly unresolved. I did not speak to the congressperson later, so I'm not sure if they followed up with me or helped me secure future opportunities. (C'mon, I helped you win this. Shouldn't I at least get a B+ on my report card?)

It's an interesting story with an interesting concept, just that I wasn't quite satisfied with some parts of it. The writing is good, and also conveys some really harsh realities of the job. But if you're into politics, go ahead and give this a try.

Another mission to destroy an evil wizard who wants to destroy the world.

Your task here is to head to a temple in a lost city and retrieve five Dragon artefacts before the bad guy is able to do so. In the world of Fighting Fantasy, this means another semi linear adventure where you need to pick up all five key items or lose the game at the very end.

Unlike other FF gamebooks, there is a simple magic system here. You get to choose from a small number of spells you can master, and can cast them during the game at the cost of a small amount of stamina. Magic helps in some areas, although there is one spell which doesn't appear to be used anywhere.

Finding all five Dragon items can be a challenge, and the one true path does require you to go down a route which takes away a huge chunk of your money and beats you up in various ways. When you reach the temple, there is also an interesting adversary which can kill you if you trigger a certain number of events. Some enemies here also have high stats, so be prepared to roll the dice hard.

As with Caverns of the Snow Witch, you do not learn much about some of your adversaries here. (Spoiler - click to show)There is Malbordus, whom you fight at the very end. There is also the High Priestess of the temple, who is supposedly a secondary antagonist of sorts, but all you do is chase her until she vanishes somewhere. Still, the setting, with the middle eastern vibe, is pretty interesting.

There are some interesting ideas here and there, and I remember having a bit of fun with this one. Still, there are other titles which stood out to me more.

An evil undead prince threatens the town of Silverton unless the Mayor agrees to his demands. You are tasked to slay the undead fiend. But first, your adventures take you to the infamous Port Blacksand.

Port Blacksand is full of criminals ready to screw you over at every corner. On the other hand, you do get choices to break into houses and rob people in the game as well, so I guess the player fits in just nicely. Some encounters didn't make much logical sense, but that's a Fighting Fantasy gamebook for you. (Spoiler - click to show)Like two old ladies dressed as kids fighting with each other and asking for toys.

Anyway, as this is a Fighting Fantasy gamebook, your job here is to figure out the right path and find a set of key items, or meet a game over at the end. You'll need a total of five things here, and on top of that, you will need to make an entirely random decision near the end, of which choosing wrongly will also cause you to lose the game. You'll either need a lot of replays or a lot of luck. Honestly, this game didn't interest me as much, and I pretty much made my way to the finish line by pretending that I had the right items and made the right choices, since I just wasn't in the mood for legit replays.

This was one of the later titles I tried as a kid, and I didn't really like it as much. A decent gamebook, but there are others I liked more.

On another note, a certain nasty character who gets a mention in Deathtrap Dungeon shows up here.

Bloodbones is tough to rate. Compared to your average Fighting Fantasy gamebook, Bloodbones is well written with creatively made gameplay elements, as opposed to the more linear Livingstone style. Some parts of the game allow you to explore different areas in a more sandbox style as opposed to walking down the slightly branching road. I would say Green brings plenty of interesting ideas to the table.

Nevertheless, this game is also fiendishly difficult, with plenty of dead ends, checkpoints which will happily annihilate you if you failed to find the one key item and enemies with very high stats, some impossible to avoid. You'll probably want to cheat on dice rolls here since the game stacks the deck against you anyway, and is one gamebook I have never completed legitimately due to the difficulty.

Otherwise, the game is well written, with free exploration elements we really ought to see in more gamebooks. The plot is a somewhat basic revenge plot, but I loved the pirate and tropical setting. Just be prepared for the fiendish challenge. (And anyone who wants to cheat in this game should feel free to do so.)

The dwarves of Stonebridge have lost their magical Warhammer, and it's up to you to retrieve it.

The forest setting is not the most unique one, but it provides a fairly entertaining environment for this gamebook. As with other Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, you will need to collect some key items (in this case two) to win. The objectives are laid out pretty clearly from the start. Additionally, you start with some gold and can purchase magical items at the start of the game to help you on the adventure, and some do come in useful.

This gamebook is surprisingly forgiving, as far as enemy difficulty goes. One really noteworthy part is that if you fail to find the key items at the end of the game, you are given the option to continue (restart) with (presumably) all your items and stats intact, as long as you beat a few dice rolls at the end. This simply means returning to section 1 and starting all over again, and will mean continuity issues down the line, as you have the same encounters, fight the same enemies and find the same items all over again. Still, enjoy this while you can, for other later gamebooks aren't anywhere as forgiving.

The plot and setting is solid even if not spectacular, and it's less harsh on players than other entries. It was a solid read for my much younger self, and could still get something of a recommendation from me today.

Caverns of the Snow Witch feels like a bunch of smaller adventures roughly put together to form a larger whole. Don't quote me on this, I might be wrong, but I think this was orginally a smaller adventure which got expanded somehow.

Your job is initially to take out some unknown creature, but you eventually get sidetracked and find yourself on a mission to fight the Snow Witch. Even by Fighting Fantasy standards, the Snow Witch is one of the most underdeveloped villians in the gamebook series, with your first encounter with her being short and quick if you survive, and your second encounter being a short luck based game you must win to beat her. (Spoiler - click to show)You get a pair of companions as well in the process. Afterwards, you escape her lair and find yourself on yet another mission to save your life. The events do not feel like a fully formed and solid plotline.

The icy setting makes for a fairly good change of pace from the usual fantasy settings, but I think this game could have been better with a plot fully around the Snow Witch as an adversary. As far as difficulty goes, there are some tough enemies, but also with ways to avoid them. As with most other Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, you will need to find the one true path by finding the 'right' items to secure a victory.

It was one of the first few gamebooks I played, but also one of the weaker ones in my opinion. It was a fair bit of fun, but I think there are better titles in the series out there.

...and we're back to Deathtrap Dungeon. Everyone's favorite Baron Sukumvit has returned with another dungeon and a much larger cash prize. But this time, there's a catch. You're not entering as a willing volunteer. Instead, his evil brother has captured you (along with a large bunch of unlucky fools) and is putting you through an arena challenge to find the best of the bunch. Someone who will beat the new dungeon and humiliate his brother. It was pretty good to see that there is some extra story over just simply signing up for the second challenge, and the ending also presents another twist.

Your first stage is to survive the gladiatorial games and rise to the top of pile, over a mountain of dead bodies. This is quite challenging and death is possible. Furthermore, the dungeon itself also pits you against a lot of enemies with pretty high stats, some which can't be avoided. (That sound was me surreptitiously flipping the dice to a six when rolling my stats.) There are also no provisions in the game, so high personal stats are even more of a must here.

I prefer Deathtrap Dungeon to this one, although it's also pretty good, with an interesting selection of encounters and challenges in the dungeon. You will need to collect certain key items and find the one true path, and this will only be revealed to you as the story goes along. The true path, again, also has you (Spoiler - click to show)running into every other unlucky contestant, who are on average less nice than the ones in the first book. It requires you to find every single one of the key items with zero margin for error. Sukumvit was really tough when designing this one.

It's an entertaining read, but finding the true path can be challenging and will still require you to deal with a gauntlet of high stat enemies. Of course, you could simply pretend that number on your dice was a six, but you didn't hear that from me.

Island of the Lizard King was one of the first gamebooks I beat on my first attempt. Looking back, it's not hard to see why. Unlike most other books in the series, you will only need one of two items to defeat the final boss (but finding both helps more) and one of said items is impossible to miss.

The premise made my head spin, with some mad ruler using an island (run by Lizard people) as a prison colony, before realizing that his plan is falling apart as he has way too many criminals in his domain, and that it would be cheaper to put the lawful people on Fire Island. Anyway, he abandons the prison colony, and the lizard people, now out of a job, run the island as a slave colony and start abducting more people for the slave labor.

I liked the setting a lot. Set on a tropical island, with dinosaurs, primitive warriors, as well as all manner of mutant plants and beasts from the Lizard King's experiments, there is much to like here. It's a breath of fresh air and pretty interesting.

There are a couple of difficult enemies, although some can be avoided with luck or the right items. The final boss is tough, but again, the fight can be made easier if you had managed to stumble on the right things.

It's an uncharacteristically easy book in the Fighting Fantasy series, but also a good bit of fun.

I had complained about the premise of the Warlock of Firetop Mountain in another review (and I'd do the same for a few other of Ian Livingstone's gamebooks.) Still, this one is solid.

Baron Sukumvit has built a fantasy obstacle course and is offering a reward for anyone who emerges successfully. While there are no cameras and televisions to entertain the hordes of people which visit Fang for the grand occasion every year, I guess the mystique is more than enough to entertain medieval folk.

Along with yourself, a few other contestants are also vying for the chance to win. Along the way, you can work with them or fight them, although the game doesn't really give you many options in that regard. (Spoiler - click to show)Interestingly, the true path has you running into every other contestant and seeing their untimely demise.

It's an entertaining adventure, with interesting encounters. There is only one true path to beat this game, and the specifics only revealed to you while walking through the dungeon. I remember playing several times to find the one true path and had plenty of fun with the encounters. This one is definitely great for the nostalgia.

Now for another piece of my ancient childhood. The Citadel of Chaos largely improves upon The Warlock of Firetop Mountain in terms of premise and plot. A evil sorcerer plans to destroy the good folk of the nearby town, so it's up to you to stop him. It's not the best premise in the world, but it's definitely a drastic improvement over the first book.

There are plenty of interesting encounters in the citadel, and also visits to various rooms as you snoop around and try to find your way to the evil sorcerer. As with other books in the series, there is only one true path to victory, which you will only find through luck or trial and error. There are two must-have items you will need to reach the sorcerer, but once you encounter him, there are plenty of options to fight, such that a character with poor stats might still prevail. Still, it can be pretty unforgiving, with plenty of bad-ends in the battle if you are not careful.

In addition to the combat system, there is also a magic system which allows you to pre-select some spells to bring with you on the adventure. I strongly prefer the magic system in the Sorcery series, but this one is functional.

It is a solid adventure in the series. Again, it's true value to me lies in the nostalgia, but it was still a pretty good read for another piece of Fighting Fantasy history.

Long, long ago, when I was a kid, a family member gave me their used copy of the very first Fighting Fantasy gamebook. This marked my very first foray into Interactive Fiction. (I have another interesting story of how I played my first parser game, but that's a tale for another time.) Anyways... to the review.

The first gamebook serves as a foundation for the Fighting Fantasy system which other gamebooks in the series are built on. It's a simple but elegant system which provides a solid gameplay experience with a book, pencil and a pair of dice. This is the true prize this book offers: a fantastically simple system which gives it its place in history.

Now, for the bad. The premise is dumb. A powerful warlock with a massive treasure chest is minding his own business in his mountain home. As the 'hero' of the story, your job is to head in, kill him and take the treasure for yourself. Other Fighting Fantasy gamebooks have improved on this, but sometimes not by much.

The game is largely a mishmash of random dungeon style encounters, which do not quite build a coherent story about the warlock's residence. Enemies in the game are fairly forgiving in terms of skill checks (but this does not carry over to later books at all.) There are a few powerful enemies (stat-wise) in the game, but most of these (including the final boss) usually have alternate ways to beat them, so starting with low stats isn't strictly a killer.

This book is notable for being the one which started it all... but by itself, it's not a great entry in the series. Still, I read it again for the nostalgia, if nothing else.

After pitching your glorious idea for a movie to a studio which (of course) goes on to reject it, you walk out with as much pride as you can muster and decide to make your own. By that, the game means making your own studio, hiring your own staff and doing everything from the ground up.

The starting sequence is pretty interesting, where you get a chance to customize many aspects of your movie, like genre and so on. As far as I can tell, these decisions are cosmetic, but still fun. As with a regular CoG game, you get to specify your strong stats as well as customize your name and gender.

My playthrough went pretty well. I threw points into screenplay and producing, and worked to play to those strengths. Just as things seem to be running smoothly, the game does throw a couple of scary and infuriating disasters at you, including a very damaging incident at your studio, a near bankruptcy, and criminal investigation and so on. You’ll end up feeling low for some time before the movie finally crawls and splutters to the finish line. Still, it ended on a strong note, perhaps really showing the real ups and downs of the business. After feeling down about the suffering I dragged myself through to reach the premiere, the positive reviews started rolling in and I happily collected my award.

The characters aren’t very deep here. Romance doesn’t seem to be a big part of the game, and I didn’t put in a lot of effort into romancing any characters as they didn’t appeal to me much. Eventually, I romanced my assistant, which felt more like a consolation prize for missing the other ROs.

The writing and storyline is strong, and I enjoyed this game quite a bit. I wish more went into the characters, but overall, I could still give this a recommendation.

First things first, how did I get here? I noticed IFDB had a 'pornographic' tag, was curious, found out that a senior intfiction member had a game under that tag, was even more curious, and the rest is history.

I will start by saying that the writing is genuinely hilarious, with plenty of seriously funny parts which poke fun at the wonderful world of sex and dating on a spring break trip. The music and the limited graphics do a good job of matching the overall vibe of the game as well.

The game is pretty short and seems to be somewhat linear even as it seemingly presents a lot of branching at the start. Still, the writing is funny enough to keep one entertained even as the game funnels you to the game's romance interest. After a couple of (sexy or otherwise) misadventures, you find yourself in a long conversation with her, where you can get to know her more, all while slowly but surely getting the intensity up. I messed up a good number of attempts, but even the bad endings kept me laughing (in a good way).

There is some character customization, in that you can make choices for the appearance of your character and that of your romance interest (which comes with more sexual references than you can think of). As far as I can tell, it has no major impact on the game, but it still adds to the entertainment.

If you want a short but entertaining AIF, this game has it right here.

Hanon is clearly a much cooler guy than I thought he was.

In Choice of the Deathless, you follow the path of a newly minted law student, fresh from college with academic credentials (and student loans!) and ready to start work at the bottom of the corporate ladder, while working on your steady rise to the top.

In this setting, your employer is a demonic law firm, giving you all sorts of assignments to arrange infernal contracts and make deals with the demonic and undead world. It is actually very cleverly done, showing all sorts of amusing and insightful parallels between the corporate world and themes of the occult. It shows some of the usual real life challenges, such as renting an overpriced apartment in the big city to be close to the office and deciding how much of your student loans to pay with that surprisingly huge salary you're starting out with. Your goal is (hopefully) to ride from a lowly associate to partner, while making plenty of demonic deals to climb to that goal. Who knew the infernal universe was so similar to the corporate one?

On my latest playthrough, I dumped everything into Charm and Craft. I think I was able to beat most of the skill checks, but still ended the game being (Spoiler - click to show)turned into a skeleton. I think there is a way to avoid this ending, but I haven't found it yet, and I'm not sure if I want to do another replay for it.

The romance is ok, although I was only mildly interested in the character I finally picked to romance. I think the other non-romance aspects of the game were better done.

In short, this is a pretty solid and interesting game, and also feels pretty long for the number of words.

I was a little skeptical of this game during the opening chapter. Thinking that I would be wading into another run-of-the mill story, expectations started off low. You mess up your current heist, make a messy getaway and set your sights on the next score, while recruiting the usual selection of specialists first. I was pretty sure I’d seen this before.

Still, the rest of the story is engaging, presenting twists and turns and keeping you on your toes. It gives you a constant sense that danger is around the corner, and keeps you weighing your next move carefully, figuring out which skill gets you through or whether you should take the low risk, low reward approach. The writing is actually quite engaging here, and it kept me focused on every twist and turn.

The stat screen and stat system could use some work. It would have been good to have a dossier of NPCs and their respective strengths. Some of the skills also aren’t very well-named, leading me to lose track of what they actually do halfway down the story. More descriptions could have helped.

The romance in the game is solid for what it is. Romance isn’t a major part of the game, but my chosen RO was likable and there were a fair number of encounters to build a relationship and get to know them more.

It took me two attempts to complete the heist successfully and escape. Failure is possible here, so careful decision making is necessary to get to the good endings.

Overall, this is a pretty fun and solid title, even if a little on the short side.

I don't claim to have played every game in the Heart's Choice library, but I've played a fair number of games, and this magical school story is, in my opinion, the weakest of all that I've played. There are plenty of romantic options, bits of romance and spicy scenes here. So what's wrong?

In Freshman Magic, you've earned a spot in the prestigious Briarthorn University on a scholarship. Your objective is to get through school while doing well enough to keep your scholarship. There is also a secondary plotline where you investigate some disappearances. And of course, this is a HC game, so finding romance also places highly on your priority list.

The writing has a tendency to ramble on about all manner of inconsequential things without ever getting close to the point. There are plenty of words and winding passages of text, but the game still succeeds in telling you little about the setting and characters. The main plot is a pretty generic slice of life tale where you make decisions about studying, slacking and hanging out. This part is just functional. However, the second plotline to investigate student disappearances felt really half-assed. There are few scenes covering this plotline, and the game pretty much seems to forget all about the disappearances a moment after it occurs.

I got a pretty good ending in my game, where I kept my scholarship, went for further study, romanced my chosen RO and beat up the villain causing the disappearances. Yet, it was hard to feel satisfied. I was just glad it was over when I finally reached the end, and the second plotline was so underdeveloped with so little buildup that I felt nothing even as I pummeled said villain with successful skill checks.

The romance aspects are better, but just by a little. The characters are mildly interesting, and if you're here for erotica, the game certainly has that in large quantities. However, the spicy scenes could have been more meaningful and enjoyable if backed by stronger characters and writing.

This game checks most of the boxes of a HC game. However, the poor execution all around makes it hard to recommend. Unless you really want the erotica and wouldn't mind wading through the sewage for it, there are better titles in the HC library to get your romance fix.

As with Undercover Agent, I’d describe this game as solid and functional, but nothing spectacular.

Ratings War takes place in a cyberpunk setting, although this has little impact on the plot and story. Apart from your own upgrades and tech, we see very little impact of cybernetics on other characters, and the setting doesn’t seem much different from Los Angeles in 2015. As far as I can tell, it’s largely an excuse to give your character some fancy powers for the sake of the plot.

After a few painful scenes where your character is literally and metaphorically beaten up (including getting canned from your old job), another news company offers you a job, some fancy tech and another chance to prove yourself. This takes you through a few investigative segments where you talk with a few witnesses, before you slowly enter the belly of the beast, where the plot thickens and another round of beatings (literal and metaphorical) await. Minus a few parts which didn’t add up or felt contrived, the entire crime ring plot is fairly interesting, with a good number of twists and turns.

I ended the game by trying to pick some option between telling the truth and selling my soul to the villain, and ended up with a moderately good ending. While the some of the final scenes felt a bit messy, I still left satisfied.

The romance interest in the game was something which I surprisingly enjoyed. She was a fairly likable character, even if not an extremely deep one, and this was one part which I actually liked.

Overall, it’s a solid entry, just not a particularly exceptional one. If you like investigative journalism stories, this might be your thing. But if you’re here because of the cyberpunk tag, you should probably look elsewhere.

Life of a mobster is an interesting beast. Unlike many choicescript games which let you pick your strong and weak skills, before putting you through a gauntlet of skill checks where you pick those you dumped points in, here, you pick a few skills, and are put through skill checks where you try to raise them. Beating a check raises said skill, and as the story progresses, these checks get harder, so constantly beating checks and raising your skills is a must. Other games by the writer also use a similar system. It’s still a pretty fun system, and a good break from the ‘usual’ way of doing things.

Despite the genre, this game is no GTA. The story and writing is actually quite lighthearted, in contrast to the sometimes violent and brutal crimes you get to perform. The skill system makes for a pretty linear story structure, although there are a good bit of choices here which can change how the storyline plays out. Despite the linearity, there is still a sense of choices having an impact, as you get to decide which characters live or die, and so on.

Most for the characters are fairly interesting, and there is also a fairly solid selection of RO characters.

There are also options to buy personal equipment, homes and so on, which adds another RPG element to the game.

There are multiple endings in the game, each of which puts you through a gauntlet of skill checks (or storyline decisions) to determine whether you get to achieve optimal results for said ending. All in all, this is a pretty interesting romp, with a good bit of choices and consequences.

ITFO is not your typical fantasy medieval tale. It’s a game which explores the difficult realities of the medieval world, as well as the brutality of war. The game touches upon some really dark issues, such as the deeper psychological consequences of the harshness of the setting on the player character’s mind.

All in all, the writing here is strong, going into deep detail on the medieval world around you and its impact on the people who live within. Playing this game really allowed me to feel the grim reality of the setting. There are also some battles in the game which do a good job of conveying the nature of warfare which take place in the setting, and which allow you to strategize and determine the best way to win.

It’s set in a largely patriarchal society, although you get to play as male or female, with the game detailing the differences in your formative experiences and how it eventually brings you to the current point in the story. There are some romance options, and while romance isn’t a very big part of the game, I enjoyed it and liked the characters.

The game is largely linear, although there is some branching at critical points in the story, including a very important one when you reach the end, where you can decide to play along with your given role, or seize power for yourself. Still, it’s more of a linear tale than a branching sandbox.

The story and writing here is definitely one of the strongest I’ve seen, and I actually enjoyed this quite a bit. Even if you’re not a fan of the genre, I recommend taking a look.

It’s a pretty straightforward short game, but with an interesting premise. In this aero steampunk world (we really ought to have more games like this), we play as an undercover cop of sorts, working with the outlaws, trying to remain undercover and feeding regular reports to our handlers.

The stat system here is pretty standard. You pick your strong and weak stats, and decide how best to deploy them during the game. There is also a basic shopping and inventory system. I was able to buy most of the items available, and I think they mighhttt have helped?

Apart from a few relatively fast paced missions, much of the game is spent choosing binary options to bring you closer to the pirate leader or maintain your mission as an undercover cop. Speaking of which, there are a lot of two choice options in this game. It’s not a hard and fast rule, but I believe CoG does encourage writers to aim for at least three choices. The game doesn’t really suffer for that, but the ‘at least three choices’ rule could have made things more interesting. The plot and writing in these sections also feels somewhat barebones, although there is a bit more excitement when the bigger missions are in play.

You have a (what else?) choice at the end where you decide whether you’re going to reveal your true colors and arrest your former comrades, or decide that being among the pirates has truly made you one of them. I chose to stick with my original mission to blow up the pirates from within, although I think I botched a choice at the end and got a pretty bad ending. All in all, it was a solid bit of entertainment for a short game, although the experience felt really compressed. I think a longer word count could have helped this title here.

The superhero genre isn’t really my thing, yet for some reason, I decided to try out this short superhero story.

I was definitely surprised, and impressed. The writing is the game’s definite strong point, with plenty of color and character. Scenes carry a good mix of humor and action, and it was definitely entertaining to read.

The story is also pretty solid, even if largely standard for the superhero genre, as you work your way to take out the big bad, while dealing with a bunch of lesser villains along the way. There is your love interest, your sidekick and plenty of the usual tropes. Still the strong writing is able to carry all these elements here and make them interesting to read.

The stat system is pretty standard, except that here, you have a consumable stat, juice, which you can use whenever your regular stats aren’t up to the task. Juice was handy in saving me a few times when I was confronted with some skill checks I would likely have failed, so I did like the system. I managed to beat most of the checks in the game, and used juice to save the day whenever my stats weren’t up to the task.

At 50k words, a long play time is certainly one thing this game can’t offer. Nevertheless, it was a very fun game for what it was, despite the short length.

I first played Choice of the Petal Throne when it was first entered into Introcomp. It did fairly well there, winning third place. I did enjoy what little there was, since there was a severe shortage of good choicescript games at that time.

Now, I’ve returned to revisit the game. Unfortunately, those experiences haven’t aged well. The worldbuilding feels very heavy, and it’s not very well explained to the reader in general. I found myself losing track of the setting pretty quickly. The plot and characters, on the other hand, have little in the way of depth and also end up being uninteresting in their own way.

There is one romance interest which started out fairly interesting, but started to feel flat as the story went on. I ended the game by asking for marriage, but it also felt pretty forgettable.

The game feels fairly long for the wordcount. Unfortunately, the problems lie elsewhere.

I have little knowledge of the Tekumel setting, and if that describes you as well, you might be hard-pressed to enjoy this game. The writing is solid for the most part, but it’s nothing which can save the weak plotting and characters.

All World Pro Wrestling leaves little to the imagination when it comes to the sexual content. The story, from the beginning to end, is filled with plenty of not-so-subtle sexual innuendos, BDSM concepts and the plentiful nudity and sexual content on display. It pulls no punches when it comes to spice level. Perhaps Extra-hot might be an understatement.

Generally speaking, the story and writing is solid. It’s well-written while not being hard to follow. There are a lot of characters to choose from, and they are mostly interesting, although some could use a little more depth. The stat design is also solid, and I liked the way the game is upfront about stat changes. The avalanche of sexual content from the beginning to end MIGHT be off putting to some folks, but YMMV.

There are some interesting characters, but the cast might have been too big. Less characters might have allowed for the story to focus more on each of them. Anyway, I picked someone I liked, and managed to complete the romance at the end.

If you’re ok with the spice level, this is a pretty good entry in Heart’s Choice.

I’m generally a free spirit when it comes to romance… but come to think of it, a female gender-flipped version of this game would be really really hot.

The premise is interesting. Your task here is to don your invisibility cloak and harvest the tongues of the dying, tongues which contain their memories. The story presents some interesting choices and conflicts throughout. However, this game also has substantial weaknesses.

The writing can get long-winded, and there are plenty of infodumps throughout which serve to expand on the game’s lore, but do so in a heavy-handed manner. There were choices to express interest in some characters, but I don’t know if there were actual elements of romances as I couldn’t find them.

The ending is sudden and really makes you go WHATT? Things were starting to tense up, and I was expecting to see more action. Instead, an ending screen just shows up out of nowhere.

There is a genuinely interesting concept and idea here, just that the execution is a miss.

Events and parties in 20s London! You play as a novelist, enjoying the glamorous lifestyle and going on misadventures with a bunch of friends. Meanwhile, a gossip column is publishing dirt on your friends, and happens to know some things which should have been a secret. It is up to you to figure out who's leaking the juicy stuff to the infamous rag.

Honestly, if you read the way the game description is worded, you could probably figure out who the culprit is. (Probably not intentional on the writer's part.) That said, I actually liked said character the most, and went on to romance them from the start, while role-playing a loyal and blinded-by-love character. There wasn't any kind of intimacy that I saw, although I'm not too sure if other ROs have more intimacy on their routes. Still, the romance and character interactions are strong enough.

The story and writing is solid, even if the plot could use more excitement. The stat system didn't work for me. There is a large selection of stats in play, but some felt like they had a lot of overlap with the other, in terms of meaning. There were many choices in the game where I was struggling to figure out which stat was tested, or if something was even tested at all, and ultimately just picked at random. A more focused system with more distinct stats could have worked better here.

Minor note, headers in the stat screen are sometimes much closer to the bar above than below.

It's a solid game in the writing and romance department. I didn't see any intimacy, not even at a mild level (maybe it's in another route), but that's a non-issue as the romance elements are solid.

This was a surprisingly strong entry. The prose paints a beautiful picture of France, as well as the mystery and intrigue within your life as a spy. There are interesting characters. The plot packs mystery and surprises. Also, it’s pretty good as a romance game, with a good number of romantic scenes, as well as little bits of affection here and there.

I romanced Charlotte on my first playthrough and didn’t leave disappointed. She was probably the most well written character in the game, although the others are also fairly good. The romantic elements with her are also good, and the game elegantly weaves together your business and romantic relationship with her.

Stat wise, the game is pretty straightforward. I dumped everything in Duelist and Chaleureuse, although I overwhelmingly relied on duelist, and I don’t think I was ever in a situation where I couldn’t beat any of the offered checks. There is a pretty annoying bug however, where the game repeatedly awards me the achievement for having a high skill level in these stats after every chapter.

The prose is good, but it also might be a bit heavy for casual readers. I noticed a very small number of typos during my playthrough, but nothing major.

The font for the chapter headings fits the setting, but it’s pretty hard to read. Additionally, they look somewhat awkward in the stat screen as the headers are physically closer to the bars above.

Either way, minus a few minor flaws, this is a solid entry, both on the story and romance front.

Undercover Agent contains pretty much everything you’d expect from the genre. It does not do anything outside the box, and is as standard as can be.

As far as plot and writing goes, you’re an agent for a government agency tasked with taking down a mysterious weapon. With the usual infiltration and espionage missions, there is little originality here. The spy genre isn’t really my thing, and with little here I haven’t seen before, it was hard to stay engaged. The writing is ok and pretty easy to follow, which is a plus, but a small one.

The stats (I believe) use fairmath, so reaching the higher levels can be tricky. I dumped everything into combat and IT, and ran into a few areas where I didn’t have the right skills to beat the available checks.

Like many other CoG (and some HC) games I’ve played, the romance is pretty throwaway here too. That said, I did like this one better than a lot of the others. There’s some flirting and affection, and the ROs role in the plot makes them better suited (in my opinion) to be an interesting RO.

Ultimately, this spy game doesn’t do anything wrong, but it doesn’t do anything right either. It’s up to you to decide if that’s your thing.

Despite the low word count, this game actually feels pretty long for something well under 100k words. This western title is no match for the 1.4 million word Tin Star in terms of the quantity of content, but still manages to punch above its weight.

It’s a strong story with a good mix of investigative work and action. I mostly dumped my stats into sweet talking and shooting, while leaning more towards sweet talking, and I think it worked out fine. There is a health system, but I’ve always ignored paying a visit to the doctor, and still managed to make it to the end (although I had to check the stat screen to notice that every part of me was hurting). There are a good number of choices on dealing with different groups and taking different actions.

Romances feel underdeveloped though, and that’s me being generous. I had some mild (me being generous again) romantic encounters with a few characters, but it didn’t amount to much. The stat screen listed some characters as my sweethearts, but it felt pretty meaningless.

Overall, I think the title is still pretty solid, even if it’s on the short side.

Like Treasure Seekers of Lady Luck, we find ourselves back on a pirate ship. In terms of plot, this is a little shorter, with only one major mission. After an… unorthodox recruitment process, you join up with a group of pirates who want something from a group of aliens. Of course, you could attempt to side with them or stick with the pirates.

There is a fairly straightforward stat based system over here. However, a good part of the game’s challenges comes from math questions and logic puzzles. At one point, I even got a couple of data analyst interview type questions, where I’m shown some patterned shapes, and need to pick the next one which belongs in the formation. Most of these questions are multiple choice and weren’t too difficult for me (save one which I just guessed at random because the question wasn’t very well written). However, something so logic-based just didn’t fit the vibe of the game. While there’s no excessive violence here, I started the game as a thuggish character doing rough stuff, and it feels more than weird that I’m now answering math and logic questions from some random aliens to please them. I don’t mind having these kind of questions in general, but the game uses them very heavily and it just feels inconsistent with the game’s tone.

The plot is pretty short and straightforward, with a fair bit of choices around a peaceful or violent approach. There is also a mildly interesting RO whom I romanced. However, there is little to explore in this setting as much of the plot is focused around a single mission with the aliens. There are also some choices around getting to know the crew, but it’s hard to make this meaningful with such a short plot. Writing is ok for the most part. I don’t think I saw any issues.

Honestly, I feel that this game could have benefitted from a longer plot, maybe with two or three connected missions to explore the world. There are some good parts here, such as the stat system and the relationships with the crew. However, it’s tough to make this work on a shorter plot. As for the puzzles, that’s one thing we could have less of. Multiple choice math questions get tedious after a while.

It’s a pretty engaging premise. Finding fame and fortune on the all-women opera, and finding love as a female character, romancing other women. Unfortunately, there are considerable problems with the execution which prevent the good ideas from getting off the ground.

The setting is interesting and the prose is evocative, conveying the atmosphere and the elegance of the Opera world and the city. There is plenty of romance and flirting, and the sexual content is mostly tasteful and well done, offered in good doses throughout the story without feeling excessive. The writing and descriptions can be a little heavy for causal readers, but I was largely able to follow it.

However, this game has its weaknesses as well. A lot of the characters and ROs just do not feel very deep in terms of personality. Apart from their well… physical attributes… which the game is happy to tell you about, a lot of the female characters don’t feel very distinct in terms of personality, and I eventually picked the lady with the nicest sounding name, because what else? The romance is fairly well executed and quite easy, with flirty encounters with each potential RO before you decide whether you want to say yes. The game also acknowledges your previous relationships (potential or decided) which is another nice touch. However, it was often hard to see how the current romance candidate differed from the previous one, personality-wise.

In terms of the story, there are quite a few interesting encounters, ranging from an escape from the cops to dealing with a difficult Ambassador. However, the plot does not thread these scenes together well, so it often feels like I’m jumping from one place to another without knowing why.

I liked the idea behind this, but the weak plotting and character writing really hold the game back. The romance elements are good, but these really needed to be paired with stronger character personalities to work. But, if you’re just looking for some light erotica and romance, you’ll find it here.

I pretty much stumbled upon this one by accident on IFDB.

It's incomplete, and likely forever cancelled. Still, it's extremely cute, with fairy tale JRPG vibes. It's short and pretty much ends when things are about to get exciting, but I still had some fun with this.

As with Jazz Age, I wanted to give this game four stars. However, I’m (sadly) giving it three for the same reason.

You’ve just gotten a new job as a nanny at Brimstone Manor. The story is actually very interesting and engaging here. I enjoyed getting to know more about the family, making friends with the toddler and the family dog (both of which carry their own dark secrets) and getting to learn of the battle between angels and demons. This is really good stuff, and I liked it.

However, the problem comes again from a lack of romance. I picked my RO very early in the game, and confidently picked all choices bringing me closer to him. However, while there are a very small number of steamy scenes (not strictly sex scenes), there seems to be little in the way of romance here. The ending chapter also has a choice where I choose to stay with my RO, but otherwise gives weak indication that there is a romantic relationship going on. Again, it wouldn’t be a big deal under the CoG label, but it just feels self-defeating under the Heart’s Choice label.

Thus, I’ll give the same recommendation that I have given for Jazz Age. If you want a good story, come here. If you want romance, you might not find it here. But… you’re playing a Heart’s Choice game for the romance, right?

Back again with another itch game from the Interactive Bonbons writer.

This one is pretty simple gameplay-wise, but with the same technical wizardry from the last two games. Again, there is an interesting use of styles, custom layouts, sounds, emojis and so on. Interestingly, the shotgun uses a train emoji.

It's pretty simple. Here, you walk around a 2x2 room, scrounging, resting and eating while waiting for the zombies to show up. Once that happens, you can attack them.

It's a survival game with gameplay broken up into different waves. You'll simply have to beat the current wave of zombies to reach the next level. It's not a very deep game, but it's pretty good as a short proof of concept and also feels more polished than the farming sim.

But after playing two other games from this writer, it's perhaps harder to wow me with all that tech savvy now.

While snooping around itch, I found out that the Interactive Bonbons writer actually has a few choicescript games up there. Well, I’m off to take a look.

As with Interactive Bonbons, there is plenty of tech savvy here. This game was written in choicescript, but the use of custom styles, sounds, emojis and the overall display really shows how a choicescript game can look creative and great. Seriously… I might want to get my hands on whatever custom styles.css file this game used.

Unfortunately, the gameplay is just a grind. Day by day, I’m picking up feed from the barn, walking to my livestock and feeding them. If I forget to feed them, they fall sick and require medicine to get them back in health. Then, after feeding them, I butcher them one at a time, so that they can feed me instead.

After some time, the animals decided to spice up the party by breaking their own stalls, requiring me to spend time fixing them. Navigating the barn in choicescript is also pretty tricky, and a map could have helped.

I ended my playthrough stuck in an infinite loop, where I was unable to leave a stall. (All other options were disabled, and the ‘leave’ option returned me to the same screen.) Buutt… I got to enjoy the technical creativity on display so I guess that’s something. :)

Earth is a penal colony, where all sorts of aliens, or mythological creatures to us humans, are sent to serve their prison sentences. Honestly, with all that advanced technology, whatever alien government out there would be better served finding a barren planet out there to transform into a prison. Maybe with actual prison facilities, life support systems, or whatever.

You're a parole officer for these alien-monsters, making decisions on whether these monsters had been on their best behavior and deserve to go, or whether they need to spend more time in the slammer. Honestly, with tons of delicious humans right around the corner in this 'prison', it seems like a recipe for trouble. Life in a penal colony is probably pretty boring after all. I would be surprised if they weren't thinking of ways to handle the monotony.

To nobody's surprise, some of these monstrous folks are out there causing trouble on Earth, so it's up to you to deal with them.

Minus the absurd premise, the story and writing is pretty entertaining. There was one decently interesting RO who works with you on missions.

I messed up a ton of checks during the game, and got my clearance decreased until it became negative. Still, I managed to beat all the checks for the final battle, turning my fortunes around and ending the game as a top agent.

It's a fun adventure if you're able to get over the premise. Seriously, what makes you think these alien-monster-prisoners won't be tempted to cause trouble?

Dawnfall is pretty tough to rate. It features an interesting setting and somewhat strong writing. The ending scene explores some interesting themes of loyalty, betrayal and sacrifice.

However, the prose is as heavy as a tank, with a lot in the way of length and detail. There is plenty of lore, special terms and worldbuilding which the game wants to convey to you. But in this regard, the game basically throws you into the deep end from the start and keeps you submerged there for the entire story. I was pretty much running the CPU in my brain on overclock mode throughout the game, just to digest the thick and heavy prose as well as the content within. For casual readers or someone who wants an easy read, I can’t recommend this.

There are a couple of stats in the game. I was mostly sigils, sigils, sigils everytime I saw a stat check, and as far as I can tell, it seems to have worked.

Romances are a tricky thing. You can romance everyone, and there’s even an achievement for it. I got it on my first try simply by picking the romantic options whenever they came up. There is also a final romance scene where you have the option to talk with anyone (and everyone?) for a final romance scene, but I decided to stick with one person at that point. Some characters are in polygamous relationships and will insist on it if you try to suggest otherwise, but at least they’re upfront about it. (For the record, I’m not strictly opposed to poly relationships, just that it’s not my thing.)

Romance scenes appear to be mild for the most part. I always picked the “romance and sex” options, but didn’t see anything very explicit.

It’s a good title, but it feels really impenetrable to casual readers. As a romance game, I’d rate it as okay. The strength of the game comes from the worldbuilding, setting and storytelling. But you’ll probably need brains of steel for that part.

To the City of the Clouds is quite interesting and well written. The archeology genre is not very common, and you'll probably need to be a grad student or professor to get some of the writing and the jokes, but this was generally an easy and enjoyable read.

However, the game's main problem is the rocket-boosted pacing. The game darts from scene to scene, spending little time on each before jumping onto the next. When you finally reach the fabled City of the Clouds, you'll only be spending a few scenes there before you're out.

The game does branch quite a bit, especially given the low wordcount, which might give you an idea of how quickly everything needs to run.

There were also some questions on gender and romantic preferences in the starting chapters, but I don't think I saw much of romance in this game.

If you're the grad student type, or if archeology is your thing, you might enjoy this.

Before this review, the lowest rating I gave to any game on this website was three stars.

You play as a ‘Headcrusher’ for a powerful crime lord, tasked with sending messages through some particularly unspeakable means. My guess is that it takes place in 1950s New Orleans, going by the initial setting description and the fact that this game calls itself a noir thriller. However, some references to Disney’s imagineers and Donkey Kong broke the immersion. Unfortunately, the problems were just getting started.

The plot makes no sense and seemingly jumps from one point to another without coherence. At one point, your character can encounter robot animals and become some kind of sci-fi cyborg. Nothing in this game indicates that it’s supposed to be a parody of some sort, so all I can do is go “whaaaattt????”

There is also plenty of blood and gore in this game, but much of it felt like the game trying too hard to be dark and gritty. Minus everything I’ve said above, the prose is okay, but nothing which can salvage the many issues I see.

I managed to get a pretty good ending in the game, where I defeated the bad guy and saved the love interest. Yet, it was hard to feel satisfied.

With genuinely snarky and humorous writing, this game is a pretty entertaining read.

Without spoiling too much, you’re working as a real estate agent for your unreasonable and tyrannical boss. One day, she sets a challenge to deal with ‘overstaffing’ issues. You are given an awkward property to add to your portfolio, and you’ll have to try to make as much as you can from it. Fail to meet the cut, and you get the sack.

Most of the game is centered around making money off your property. It starts off pretty innocently as you struggle helplessly to rent the house to all manner of problematic tenants, before finding out some… supernatural… means to bring in the bacon with your haunted house.

Unfortunately, at its core, this is largely a simplified business sim, where you make decisions to maximize the money the house makes for you. There is little in the way of exploring relationships with other characters, save a rival whom you try to screw with on a few occasions. You do make a few slice of life type decisions here and there, but otherwise, the game is largely centered around the main goal of driving up that dollar number. It’s not strictly a bad thing, but I felt there was more that the game could’ve explored.

It’s a solid short story, and probably recommended for an easy and funny read.

The game felt promising initially. The prose, writing and setting carried a lot of charm and cuteness. I liked the premise and felt that this could be a pretty good kids game.

However, much of your search for the elusive mermaids takes place over a series of scenes which do not feel very well connected. I got a pretty negative ending in this game which also felt sudden and confusing. I think this game has multiple endings, but I didn’t feel like returning for another round.

You can romance your patron in this game. I managed to accomplish my romance, but it felt really forgettable.

I liked the genuinely sweet and charming vibes in the game. However, the story and plot didn’t quite do it for me.

Joining a crew of space pirates and working together on missions to steal treasure. The premise works, but the execution has no shortage of problems.

Starting with the minor issues, there are unexplained pronoun changes in the game, sometimes on the same page. There is an inventory system, but it’s heavily underused. I bought almost everything in the shop on the first time I had access to it, but found limited opportunities to use those items. Character relationships are measured with opposing stats. (why??)

Most of the missions are ‘room puzzles’ where the game allows you to walk between different rooms, solving puzzles to move on to the next stage. Sometimes, you’ll need to unlock something in one room to unlock the other. This can be tough to pull off in the choicescript engine, and it’s actually quite well done here. Unfortunately, that’s the biggest praise I can offer.

At the ending battle, I chose to openly betray a certain group of people. Yet, in the ending mission, they were treating me as a hero, without much explanation as to why they had decided to forgive and forget. Another character was working to rescue someone who had been imprisoned, yet does not follow up on this after successfully defeating the imprisoned character’s jailor. The ending just didn’t make sense and felt rushed.

It’s not a bad game. Maybe it’s worth your time for a small bit of entertainment. But it could use some work.

My first playthrough didn’t exactly go smoothly. I failed to romance the character I liked (I did carelessly mess up a few choices there) and my special project with my kids didn’t go all too well. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the playthrough and left with a good impression.

You are a single mother, caring for six children with werewolf powers while trying to manage your day job. You’ll also meet a few interesting characters, go on dates with them and perhaps win the game of romance. This is largely a slice of life game, although there are plenty of interesting events to keep the story going.

The prose can feel kind of rambling at times, although it’s mostly well written. The ROs also have fairly interesting personalities, and I ultimately went with the schoolteacher.

It’s a short but solid title, with a good dose of romance and parenting.

The Fleet is probably somewhere between Interactive Fiction and a choicescript battle simulator, but not a game which fits either category completely.

Most decisions in the game are centered around battle decisions or management decisions in preparation for said battles. The story and plot is very barebones, most characters do not receive much development and there is little done in exploring the setting and the different races/factions you're allied with or fighting against.

There are a few interesting choices around dealing with rebellions, betrayal and politics, but these are a small minority. Most of your choices will be around combat strategies or combat resource allocation. As far as I can tell, the stat system appears fairly deep and the combat system gives you plenty of options. Still, I was (seemingly) able to beat these battle checks most of the time, so I'm not sure how the game's difficulty really works.

If you want a choicescript game which is heavy on battles and battle management, this is it. However, I do think it could have benefitted from more exploration of the setting and the different factions in the game.

The story starts out with you trapped in a videogame universe, trying to figure out what just happened. For the first part, you travel through several videogame worlds, meeting some other characters seemingly in the same predicament while being treated to various videogame references and jokes. It's an interesting start, although there is one very annoying spaceship puzzle which gave me a lot of frustration on my first run (it took me three attempts to beat it, on a blind playthrough) and alone really deterred me from multiple playthroughs.

There are two romance interests in the game. Be warned, there is no happily ever after here. Trying to keep things spoiler free, the game splits into two separate paths depending on your selection, with one RO path having much more content than the other. Here, the game explores some really thought provoking themes of AI, reality, existence and so on. I felt it was really well done, although folks after a happy ending would likely disagree.

There is plenty of branching at the second half of the game, and the writer released a full flowchart. However, if you want to see most of it, this necessitates playing through the earlier chapters all over again and doing that annoying spaceship puzzle all over again. Having checkpoints or a save system (seriously) would have made exploring more endings a less daunting proposition. For me, I played the game twice (one with each RO) and was too lazy to go back for more.

It's definitely a unique game in terms of genre and structure, and one that really gets you thinking. I liked it a lot, but it's definitely not for everyone.

And please give me the option to skip that spaceship puzzle on second playthroughs! (I know the game gives you an option to skip it, but I only got it after failing the puzzle twice.)

It's a pretty quick but enjoyable romantic short story, where you enjoy a few romantic activities with your partner before concluding it with a moment of passion.

Character creation is pretty detailed, especially for a game of this length. The writing is sweet and evocative, although a little more on the descriptive side. Overall, I enjoyed reading about the romantic activities, and would say this is good for a quick read.

Science nerd puns and jokes galore! You’re a brain in a jar, working for a dubious corporation as a brain for hire. Clients need your help, and as a brain, you’ll have to do some of the thinking for them. Of course, spending the rest of your existence being a brain-slave is not on your plans. In the meantime, you’re plotting to escape and save the other brains.

The story and plot isn’t too difficult to follow, although it won’t win much interest among the fans of fantasy and superheroes which make up a large portion of the choicescript fanbase. The pacing gets a little quick at times, but otherwise, I enjoyed it.

The stat system is a headache, however. Like Choice of the Dragon, it uses an opposed stat system. However, it was hard to guess what choice affected what stat (if any) most of the time, and I wound up with a pretty balanced (read: useless) character in the stat department. Some of the stat checks at the end are also pretty tough.

There’s some branching and multiple endings. If you like science humor, you’ll probably enjoy the writing here. It was a fun read for me, largely of the science variety.

In Divine Ascension, you play as a powerful deity, working to spread your faith and gain greater power for yourself. Unfortunately, this world isn't quite fully at your disposal. There are also other deities around, whom you can choose to form alliances with or destroy over the course of the story.

There is a stat based management system here. It works like a currency, where you gain a certain amount of it, and can spend it on a stat check when the need arises. It would be good if the game could describe what some of these stats meant in story terms, but you'll work it out along the way.

There are multiple options and paths in the final battle, and the game will also give you some hints as to your chances and the easier and harder options. I managed to get a fairly good ending on my first attempt, siding with some deities and annihilating others.

Games which allows you to play as a deity are still pretty rare in the Hosted Games space. All in all, it's a short and fun game, with fun stat management elements and decision making.

Under different circumstances, I would’ve given this game four stars. However, there is one major problem which led me to give its current rating.

You play as a fresh-faced new arrival in Prohibition Era New York, hoping to find fame and fortune on Broadway. However, the road to stardom is a perilous one as you try to scrape a living in the city while hoping for your lucky break.

The setting and writing is actually pretty good, and I enjoyed the story quite a lot. However, there is one major flaw with this game.

Romances feel secondary in this game. In a Heart’s Choice release, that does feel self-defeating. There are two romance options, but there just seems to be little in the way of romance with these characters, and interactions in the game make them feel more like business associates for the most part. There is a fairly intense sex scene in the story, but with the lack of romantic buildup, it feels like it was merely there to check a box.

If you’re here to read a good story, Jazz Age provides one. But if you’re here for romance, which I presume you are if you’re looking at the Heart’s Choice label, this might not be it.

This is a surprisingly cute and entertaining game. Likely inspired by spore, you start from a microorganism in a rock pool which gradually goes through various stages of evolution, building a civilization and going on to rule the galaxy. Most decisions are reminiscent of the game, from choosing evolutionary paths to deciding whether you want to befriend other species or eat them. The writing is also humorous and conveys the feeling of the 2008 game well. If you’ve played Spore, this is certainly an interesting choicescript adaptation to try out.

I have a terrible weakness for fur babies, so this game gets five stars. Especially after the onslaught of cute cat pictures.

Anyways, you play as an aspiring cat breeder, and can choose from different breeds to raise. This involves meeting with an interesting cast of characters with their own backstories, and cats. There is a slight bit of resource management here, where you can decide what sort of goodies you can buy to spoil your cats with. There is also some discussion on disability, which I also felt added to the game’s depth. I think there’s an optional romance as well, but I wasn’t able to trigger it on my playthrough.

Gameplay is pretty straightforward and fun, and the story is engaging. I largely splurged on the most expensive things for my first playthrough and landed in the negative for a while, but managed to pay back my debt and then some by the end of the game.

It was short, but a good bit of fun. It seems that the game managed to find my weak spot.

An apocalypse (of an unspecified nature) takes place, and you decide that it’s best to take refuge in a Zoo. I’m not sure I buy the game’s reasoning, but let’s keep going anyway.

Much of the game consists of making decisions to maintain this zoo and manage the animal inhabitants within. You may also get a companion to join you, for better or worse when it comes to the zoo. There is some level of branching, as well as a final battle of sorts where you can reach a bad end.

Unfortunately, it’s just hard to have an engaging story and gameplay with this sort of setup. The writing is good, and it is interesting to think about choices regarding the different types of animals within, as well as to learn more about them. The product, as a whole, just isn’t as entertaining. The game’s branching does allow for some replay value, but it was difficult to motivate myself to go for another round.

All in all, it’s a polished and competently made game. Just that it wasn’t something which I really enjoyed.

This is a fairly solid title where you play as a starship captain, working alongside an obnoxious onboard computer to achieve mission success. The story and ethical dilemmas, while not the most original, do a fair job.

Your job here is to aid humanity in a conflict against an unusual alien race. Along the way, you find out more about the motivations of the different players in the conflict and the stakes involved. Some of the revelations did leave me scratching my head a little, but it was mostly ok. For the record, I picked the ending to wipe out the enemy completely, gaining vast riches in the process.

There is a fairly deep skill and upgrade system in the game. I had probably failed or messed up a good number of checks, but still managed to reach the end of the game.

It’s not difficult, and the story is likely aimed at a younger audience. It’s not the most outstanding game out there, but it does a fairly good job.

You’re trapped in a nightmare, and need to pick the right choices to understand what’s happening to you.

The game’s design is pretty straightforward. It’s a linear adventure through a series of scenes in a nightmare. Well… dreams (and nightmares) can take all sorts of forms and generally don’t make any sense, and that’s the case here too. Still, your objective is to get a certain stat above a certain level to get the ‘good’ ending. Additionally, you’ll also need to raise another stat to unlock more options and better outcomes.

You’ll need to deduce which choices in this nightmare will bring you closer to the stat increases you need. It could take some trial and error to reach the ‘good’ ending.

There are a few typos in the game, even if the writing is generally ok. Unfortunately, there’s just little in the way of plot in a series of nightmare scenes. The trial and error based gameplay may or may not cut it for you, and even if you reach the ‘good’ end, it’s pretty short and doesn’t say much. You could play with it for a bit, but it’s probably not a game you’ll spend plenty of time with.

The plot behind this game is simple. You’re a thief, you’ve heard of an opportunity, and now you’re out to liberate some gold from a vault.

Gameplay is quite heavy on trial and error. There is one (or maybe multiple?) true path to reach the good ending and obtain the gold. A few choices will test your thinking and calculation, but most choices appear to be the sort you work out by trial and error, to figure out a path forward which does not lead to a dead end. There are no stats here, just choices which will bring you forward or to a premature game over.

If you’re looking for a more traditional choicescript game, this isn’t it. This is mostly a short challenge to complete a story by working out the best (only?) path forward, possibly through numerous game overs and restarts. Still, it is a decent way to pass the time if that’s your thing.

Island of Carnage is a fairly solid short game for a bit of entertainment. You play as a journalist, traveling to a dangerous island for a special investigation. However, said island is filled with red-eyed mutant people looking to make you their next meal.

The game is pretty combat heavy, with a lot of action/horror scenes and fight or flee options. Health is a stat within the game you have to keep track of, as letting it fall to zero could lead to a game over. There is also a simple inventory system, with consumables which can restore your health, and a few rare chances to pick up other items. It’s a simple system, but it’s serviceable.

There are some plot twists and moral decisions, but the game’s plot is generally quite heavy on action and fighting.

If you want a fast paced game with a mix of horror and action, this short game should do a fair job.

For some reason, I decided to dig through one of my oldest memories, the second choicescript game I played and the first one ever made.

Unfortunately, as with Choice of Broadsides, this hasn’t quite aged well. The game starts you off with a lot of character creation options, including gender, but this does not seem to affect the game in any way. It does not even get a mention on the stats screen.

The stat system is a mix of opposed stats (e.g. brutality/finesse) as well as regular stats (e.g. infamy). To beat most stat checks, you’ll need to focus on a certain stat and stick to it consistently, hence staying on one end or the other of the opposed stats. The infamy stat can be used to beat some checks in the game. The wealth stat keep tracks of how much money you have, but to the best of my knowledge, this is rarely tested in the game and is largely a personal progress meter.

There are some characters in the game, but most have little in the way of development or personality. There are ROs as well, but these feel like no more than stat checks.

It’s a short and fun romp, if you want to see the very first choicescript game which started it all. Nevertheless, if you are out hunting for free choicescript games, there are longer and better options on the CoG and HG omnibus.

Interactive Bonbons is no typical choicescript game. Instead it is a bunch of minigames made in the choicescript engine. A couple of these minigames have very small plots around them, but this is mostly mild flavor.

If I were to rate this game on the basis on creativity, uniqueness or technical chops, it would be five stars, no question about it. There is a very interesting use of the engine's code to made this game, as well as an interesting use of sound, emojis and other gimmicks.

However, this game feels more like something I'll play with for a bit, get bored with, then return to the shelf. After being wowed by the technical display, a lot of these games really struggle in the fun department. Games like snakes and ladders are probably more fun to play as an actual board game rather than through the choicescript interface.

It's good for playing with for a moment, but it's not something which I'd keep for the long term.

If I had an award for “Best Game which nobody but me liked,” this probably would be it. Arthur: A Retelling wasn’t too warmly received in terms of ratings, but I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

The game is a parody of the original tale of King Arthur, with strong vibes and references from Walt Disney’s The Sword in the Stone. As with the Disney movie, Merlin is a comical and bumbling mentor, leading young Arthur on a couple of misadventures. Sir Ector is a tyrannical master, sentencing young Arthur to a life of pointless drudgery. The game is also one which doesn’t take itself seriously at all, with countless modern references. Humor is a tricky thing to pull off, so it may or may not work for everyone.

You get to pick your gender, although you’re stuck with Arthur as your name, despite the apparent option to choose something. There is something of a mild romance option with Guinevere (but this isn’t a romance game so set your expectations accordingly). There are no stat checks from what I can tell, although there is a fair bit of branching with all sorts of humorous options.

I actually enjoyed it quite a lot. Perhaps I’m crazy or perhaps everyone else is crazy. Maybe both. Honestly, since it’s free to play, I would personally recommend giving it a try if you’d like a short story with a few laughs.

Choice of Broadsides is the first choicescript game I played, back in 2010. For some unfathomable reason, I decided to come back to it some fifteen years later. It brought a slight bit of nostalgia, but not much else.

The game breaks a few modern recommendations. There are a good number of two choice options, as well as fake choices which do not even change flavor text. Mini walls of text are present in some of the choice options, making them look somewhat unsightly. Also, while I recommend a long and linear approach to writing CS games, this one is linear to a fault.

Apart from one character who serves as the player’s main rival and final antagonist, a lot of the characters, including the ROs, have only a little more character development than a name on the screen. There is a lot of copy-pasted text for the three ROs, reducing their depth even further. There is one part where you have to choose a subordinate officer, but there is so little development for the selected characters that it’s difficult to make this a meaningful choice.

Choice of Broadsides is free to play. Still, there are plenty of better free choicescript games around, even under the Hosted Games label.

Full Disclosure: I was a beta tester for this game. This review is based on the version of the game I played during the beta testing process.

Leas: City of the Sun is a fantasy story of sizable length. You play as a highly skilled agent, proficient in a selected set of skills and sent on a mission in a mystical world outside, filled with strange creatures.

You have three romance options in the game, each with their own quirky and interesting personalities. I eventually picked Keo, but making a choice was certainly hard, and reading about the romances was certainly enjoyable. RO genders are determined based on your own gender and sexuality. Speaking of which, there are plenty of customization options which you would expect in a choicescript game. Along with your name, gender and skills, you can also customize your physical appearance, hair and tattoo selections.

The skill system is probably a bit of a weakness. Without giving too much away, the skill system isn't too difficult to handle, and beating checks should be pretty straightforward almost all the time. Personally, I think it could be a little harder, and this is coming from someone with a severe aversion to difficulty.

The writing and worldbuilding is solid and does a good job of conveying the fantasy world before you. The pacing is slightly on the slow side, but still reasonable for the most part. If you like fantasy and prefer a stronger focus on romance or story elements, you probably won't be disappointed here.

Oedipus Rex is a tragedy, a man cursed by prophecy to (Spoiler - click to show)kill his father and marry his mother.

However, that does not have to be the case here. The game gives Oedipus the option to avoid the tragedy of the original play through a series of decisions. Additionally, the game also provides some optional hand-holding. You can choose to have the game guide you down the path of the prophecy or away from it, or an intermediate option which gives you the freedom to make choices and decide your fate.

The story and writing is told well, and does a good job of conveying the world of ancient Greece and the elements of the play. There are some mild RPG and resource management elements here, such as managing your supply of the in-game currency and buying things which may aid your adventures, but nothing overly complicated. There is also a riddle section, as per the original play.

There is plenty of branching and different options within the story, where Oedipus can follow the path of the original tragedy or stray away from it. The game is a little short as far as a single playthrough goes, but there is replay value here. All in all, it is a thought-provoking and enjoyable ride.

Oh yes. The most rated game in the HG omnibus. In the Great Tournament, you start as a young boy from a humble background who works his way up to be a squire, and then a knight. Gameplay consists of two parts, a largely linear story section at the beginning, followed by an exploration section for the second half.

The story is actually surprisingly good, with a solid cast of interesting characters. This section is pretty linear, although there are a few combat sections here and there to put your gameplay skills to the test.

The second half is also great from a gameplay perspective, where you get to travel around, visiting various places and interacting with different characters. The sandbox and free-roaming elements are also quite well done.

There are also several romantic interests, with a good mix of different personalities whom you can get to know and build a relationship with over the course of the game. This part is also good.

The game culminates in a final challenge with various choices which will put your skills and past choices to the test. I’ve never really had any trouble beating it, but I’ve always played on easy so…

As with Swamp Castle, this game demonstrates how gameplay elements can work in a choicescript game. In addition, there is a solid story and character cast. I have different thoughts on the sequel, but this game, as it is, is definitely fun to play.

In Swamp Castle, you play as the newly minted lord of a small fief. Gameplay largely consists of making decisions about fief governance, particularly in regard to taxation, construction, dealing with various factions and so on. Still, there is an overarching plot to follow, with a substantial bit of branching, which adds to the replay value. There are also plenty of little secrets here and there for players who try to venture off the beaten path.

The prose is slightly rough and won't win any awards, but it is mostly serviceable and has a nice touch of humor at times. The game also contains art, mostly stock images with little regard for consistency with each other, so it could be somewhat immersion breaking.

The gameplay elements, while straightforward, are actually pretty fun and fairly well implemented. Some management decisions are woven into the story, and battles provide a good bit of strategy, while being provided in doses not large enough to feel tedious.

All in all, the game provides a good example of how management and gameplay elements can be well implemented and fun in a choicescript game.

In this game, you play as a child who is sold into slavery and trained to become a gladiator. There is a pretty interesting cast of characters to get to know. As far as I can tell, the story is largely linear, with most choices affecting your stats or relationships with said characters, or testing those values.

It is also possible to die in the game, which ends in a final battle which will put your stats and decision making to the test.

The most disappointing part about the game is that it is somewhat short and clearly intended as the first part of a much larger story. It is great, but just leaves you wanting more. It is an enjoyable read, and I really wish it could have gone on to its intended end. Just be prepared if you do decide to take a look.

Reviewing this game is tough. In this short RPGmaker game, the developer talks about his own experiences working on previous game projects. Gameplay consists of visiting different houses within a small map, talking to some characters who briefly describe their experiences, and by doing so, recounting the developer's own experiences with developing those projects.

Is this interactive fiction? Given that it mostly involves talking to characters who deliver text-based content, I suppose the answer could be yes. However, being an autobiographical game, it is probably somewhere between fiction and non-fiction.

The bigger problem is that something like this might have worked better as a series of blog or forum posts rather than an actual game. As a game, it's just hard to make this fun. I enjoy reading about the experiences of others, just that I'm not sure that an exposition-delivering game is the best platform for this.

(Spoiler - click to show)There is a final boss in the game which completely destroyed me, while delivering some commentary about the current state of the game industry. I'm not sure if there's a way to beat it, but after 2-3 unsuccessful reloads, it wasn't something I cared to do any longer.

Flashpoint is one of the longer games I’ve tried in the SGC, and one which checks most of the usual CoG boxes. Players can select their gender, name, RO options, physical appearance and so on in the first part of the game.

There is an interesting cast of characters, and much of the first part is spent getting to know them. For the overall length of the game, I felt that a smaller cast might have worked better, but this is a minor complaint on my end.

There is also a basic stat system, with some skill checks when the story heats up. If you fail the checks or pick the wrong choices, you have the option to restart from a checkpoint, thankfully saving plenty of time.

I messed up the combat encounter on my first attempt, but managed to work out the right stats and choices upon a retry. All in all, it’s a short and entertaining game with a good dash of thrill and horror.

It’s an amusing and surprisingly thought-provoking entry, poking fun at how we constantly find ourselves late for something.

Gameplay is generally straightforward and as far as I can tell, the story is largely linear. What the writing actually does is reminding us how it feels to be late, then poking fun at our (often) fruitless attempts to do better next time.

It’s a short but entertaining read, reminding us of one of our biggest challenges in life.

In Temporal Thief, you play as an otherworldly being, out to obtain everyone's most precious yet criminally mismanaged resource.

While the game is broken into two parts, it's actually quite short, with just 1-2 choices in each part. Completing the first part activates a hyperlink which automatically brings you to the second part (an interesting trick right there).

The writing was evocative and helped to convey the suspense and dark atmosphere. I finished both parts in about a minute or so, but it provided a short bit of fun.