A Player's Heart

A series of scenes from the life of an opera performer (or a backstager, if you choose so) in an alternate reality version of the XIX century where doing opera is traditionally a female occupation - like in Shakespeare's time acting was a male-only profession.

I didn't find the overarching story about your theater's relations with the authorities really exciting, but the writing, the atmosphere and the richness of detail were good; the city of Tristendesande felt alive and interesting.

On the whole, the game was rather relaxing. There are some things at stake for the PC - your performances may prove more or less successful, the Opera may even be closed down - but you mainly go around eating delicious and well-described food, wearing elegant and well-described clothes, riding in carriages, singing in aristocratic salons, talking with mostly pleasant characters (there are no "villains" here, although there are conflicts of interests), casually seducing people and generally having a good time.

After enjoying Never Date Werewolves, I decided to play other titles in the Heart's Choice app, and Melissa Scott's A Player's Heart caught my eye because lesbians.

In this world a step in the past away from ours, Tristendesande is a pulsing, cultural powerhouse of art, and the theaters are the gems in that crown. The player character has dreamed of the Opera, an all-women performance company, all her life. When she arrives, you choose a specialty: do you want to be a deva (play woman roles), a dragon (play male roles), or an artifex (a theater technician). I was surprised and pleased when, after meeting various characters and getting your bearings at the Opera, there was a time skip. Seven years later, the player character is in the prime of her skill, and the story gets down to the real business of balancing art's ability to challenge the hegemony and the practical necessity of not getting shut down by said hegemony.

Each and every love interest dazzled me. There's the big, butch Myrr, with her steadfast loyalty, purity of feeling, and quiet, devastating artifex art. The femme deva Celeine and the player character exchange glittering banter and have a homoerotic sword duel (which left me quite flustered!!!!). Lady Jasquillyn Isalis defies aristocratic convention to put stars in your eyes, with beauty, social savvy, and graceful wit. Since I stayed with the Opera, I saw little of the androgynous Mervelles, but her daring nature, political passion, and sensual dance impressed me all the same.

Perhaps because of the length of this game, it felt like there really was enough time to get to know each of the love interests individually before deciding who to date. In other titles, I feel rushed, like there's a sense that if I fail to flirt immediately, I will not have any hope of arriving at a HEA with them. Not here. Scott took her time describing each character and filling in the world. The imagery of the theater is especially fantastical and vivid. I don't know much about theater myself, but my partner does, and I feel comfortable saying she will be impressed when she comes around to playing.

If I had one quibble, it would be that there didn't seem a realistic way to not be political. Perhaps that's intentional: burying one's head in the sand is a surefire way to get screwed by the hegemony. However, the story was framed like there was a way to be neutral and survive. I'm curious to play again and see what happens if my character is very political or aggressively oblivious.

A Player's Heart is an engaging, addictive read. I found myself eagerly awaiting for the two hour cool off period to end. If you're a fan of historical lesbian romances, definitely download Heart's Choice and click play!

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.