Ratings and Reviews by ChanceOfFire

'An anomaly threatens all human life on Earth and there's not much you can do about it.'

Hmm...

A short story. You open your phone and get the usual barrage of bad stuff like social media spam, bad news, ads and so on. You try to buy some stuff, wondering why our high-tech world makes things so complicated. Then, you head to work to see the usual bad emails. Also, you head to social media to do some really unhealthy stuff. (Like stuff which I personally swore off years ago, only to get dragged back into when I made the stupid decision to be an indie game dev.)

After a while, you calmly see signs of the anomaly, and talk about it someone before the curtains come down on the tale.

This short story was fairly entertaining, going through the digital hazards and drudgery of our high-tech modern world, although I wasn't really too sure what the anomaly's role in the game/story was when all was said and done. Anyway, it might be worth a read.

I am a little unsure what to make of this one. The writing and overall game design was solid. The background was used very effectively to show the amount of hair you have at the moment.

The protagonist struggles with hair loss, trying all sorts of things to no effect. At some point, they apparently stumble upon a possible solution, one which solves the problem at first but then brings things out of control in an unexpected way.

It's hard for me to review the story. As a horror story, I felt it was something which could work, although it didn't quite achieve the intended effect on me personally. I did feel weirdly grossed out at the end, rather than feeling like someone who read a good horror story.

So I'm filing this under games which I felt were good but which I didn't personally like. That said, ymmv on the story.

A short game with a good dash of fairytale tropes and some twists added to them. You are a princess, born with a curse. To hide the curse, your parents lock you in a tower. Suitors can try to win your hand by overcoming numerous perils to reach the tower and rescue you.

The writing is rough, but the story is pretty entertaining and charming if you take it for the light-hearted comedy it is. Interestingly, while the player is locked to a female character, you do get to decide on the gender of the love interest, although it is largely pronoun changes for the most part. You get a couple of choices here and there, but what I found was mostly positive and lighthearted, save an early bad end if you... decide to ignore the call to adventure.

The art and the parchment UI is simple, but also conveys a very charming vibe too.

Overall, it's a short and entertaining experience, maybe worth a replay or so.

Definitely a pretty fun and charming entry.

After a messy encounter with a witch, which results in her own broom getting smashed, the two of you set out to find a replacement. That said, your new witch companion has plenty of interesting powers which could potentially cause a lot of havoc.

The dialogue is pretty funny, and it is fun to try out the different (mostly two choice) options to see what sort of magical mayhem you end up causing. I liked the character writing and the funny impacts of the choices. The art is also solid and does a good job of conveying the story and the halloween feel. The halloween music also works well too.

It is one of the lesser rated games for the short games showcase, but I would say it's worth a look.

Our 40 year old protagonist meets his female college friend. After a series of events, he finds himself staying at her place without any plans to head home yet. Maybe during this time, some love can be rekindled?

Ok, there was a lot going through my mind after reading this, but let's get the technical stuff out of the way first. This is a kinetic VN. Basically no choices, and a straight path from the start to the finish line. I very much prefer having choices, but I do know that some VNs prefer to focus on the storytelling and effects, which is fine.

The UI has a name box, which makes it awkward when the narrator is speaking and the name box is blank. Backgrounds are photographic images with some filtering applied, although they retain the photographic look. Some pictures have people with faces visible in them, which is very jarring when the main RO is represented by an anime style sprite. Music works well for the most part.

As far as story and writing goes, the premise was interesting, but I couldn't quite say the same about the execution. The protag meets his old friend and goes for dinner. After getting a stomachache at the restaurant, he takes a car ride with his friend to her place to use the restroom and bathe. I don't know about you, but needing to use the toilet while trapped in a car isn't fun for me (I wish I wasn't speaking from personal experience) and my first instinct would have been to use the restroom at the restaurant. Anyway, you spend the night at her place, and for well... reasons, you spend the next few days living with her and taking trips out together.

There were also some parts which left me with a strained look on my face. At one point, the protag talks about relationship advice he gave to a female friend, who has difficulties with her husband. Ostensibly a relationship guru, he tells her that she has to know her worth and make herself look more beautiful and sexy. Her husband apparently likes girls with better armpits, and it is up to her to show him that her armpits are better. I don't know if it's just me, but I was like... what the bleep did I just read?

As someone who reads and enjoys romance VNs, I did like some of the flirting and socialization parts. That said, it ends with a bubble bath together with your RO, which does feel a little too intimate considering that you just ran into her only a few days ago. (Saying this as someone with very liberal views about romance and fanservice.) The whole thing ends with a confession which was kinda sweet, even if I felt like I had already seen a substantial share of weird at that point.

Well, the VN is free. You could always take a look to see if that's your thing.

This was a pretty short but entertaining yuri VN, with cozy and charming vibes before the action starts to heat up. You get a few mostly two choice options here, which branches down into different endings, both good and bad.

The writing was pretty solid and I enjoyed the read. Sound is only present at different parts of the VN, but it's also worth noting that the game has accessibility options like sound captions and image captions. Art and the UI was also well done.

Overall, this was good for a short read.

Behind the waterfall is structured a lot like a parser game, except that here, you get to click on conveniently placed hyperlinks to examine/interact with objects and move the story forward. Well, definitely works for me.

The game is pretty short, and with my ultra fast reading speed, I was able to finish this in three minutes or so, even though I tend to struggle a bit with puzzles in general. (Spoiler - click to show)All you need to do is place one item, activate another item, collect a third item and now you have what you need to win. Writing is competent and uses a minimal style, and while there isn't really much of a plot, or even context for the situation you find yourself in, but that's ok for a short puzzle game.

It's good for a short bit of entertainment, but once you get to the winning screen, there is little reason to head for another round.

A sweet and adorable game. You play as a dog, going out on all sorts of adventures.

The game makes use of mobile dimensions for the screen. It is definitely playable on a laptop, even it could be a slightly awkward view.

Rather creatively, the main menu screen is an interactive map of your house, where you can check stats, adjust settings and go on adventures. Out there, it is a pretty simple choice game where you are given mostly two-choice options, with a good bit of branching based on what you pick. What sort of adventures could a curious dog go on?

The art and writing was simple with a lot of charm. I did like the hand drawn feel of it. I managed to unlock about half the endings during my playthrough, and it was good for a relaxing read.

Good for a short bit of fun.

Despite the blurb and the warning, the writing in the game itself did give me the impression of a setting which doesn't take itself too seriously.

Welcome to Zaria, our usual knights-and-castles medieval fantasy setting. You get to order some spaghetti from the tavern, and buy cotton candy and turkey legs from the fair. You might stumble upon some thugs, armed with bats. Probably baseball players who couldn't find work at the local tournament. Anyway, check in with the receptionist who works there if you want a slice of the action.

Minus the anachronisms and some other out of place things, the writing is technically sound for the most part (I think this should have been copyedited). After a Dragon and its goblin soldiers smash up the town you're staying in, you set out on a quest to slay it. This adventure brings you up against other fantasy monsters like giant spiders, wyverns and trolls. In addition to beating up enemy monsters, there's also a mystery solving section, a puzzle and some plot twists. The final battle with the dragon also presents an interesting twist.

That said, the writing didn't feel very engaging, and the prose-heavy design of the game didn't help. Ingrid, your brash and sassy sidekick, was an interesting companion to have, minus some modern talking styles at times. That said, I had some difficulty with her romance.

There were a few small quality of life things which I liked, such as the game notifying you when you gain/lose gold or health.

Overall, I think this game might provide a fair bit of enjoyment, although I found it to be on the rougher side. If you're looking for a medieval fantasy story which doesn't take itself too seriously, you might find it here. Even then, it can still feel like a rough experience.

By the way, apples and bananas don't grow in the same place.

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

To Ashes You Shall Return breaks many 'rules' of making a choicescript game. You play as a fixed character with a fixed RO, in a F/F relationship. There are no stats, save one which you can't control and is largely a progress meter of sorts. The overall story, while having some choices, is largely linear and converges on a single ending.

Well, it's not in itself, a bad thing. Honestly, I'm a little tired of the unwritten rules of writing 'good' choicescript games. The game reminds me a lot of a Yuri VN, minus the lack of visuals.

Story and writing are the game's strong points. You die and are raised as an undead creature with your wife's magic. Much of the game then revolves around spending time with your wife while feeling your undead body slowly withering away. The game gives you a strong sense that you are on borrowed time, and slowly losing experiences and feelings which matter to you. This part was surprisingly good, and I liked it.

That said, the game is largely linear with a single ending, and while there are choices, I did feel like I was reading a pseudo-kinetic visual novel rather than playing a choicegame. None of the choices felt weighty even on a blind playthrough, and behind the curtain, none of them were. You could enjoy it once for the story, but you probably won't get much out of additional playthroughs.

Anyway, it's free to win on Hosted Games, so might as well give it a shot if you want a melancholy and light read.