Cannonfire Concerto

I keep thinking about this gem since my first play-through 2 years ago, and couldn't bring myself to ever uninstall it from my Steam library. When I saw there was no IFDB review yet (for shame!), I had the perfect excuse to play it again.

The first thing to be said about Cannonfire Concerto is that the writing is top-notch. Characters and locations are memorably whimsical and dialogue, though often limited in scope, is a delight - not often the case in CYOAs. If you enjoyed the dry humor of inkle's 80 Days, you might be chuckling appreciatively here. Heck, if you enjoyed 80 Days in any capacity, perhaps Cannonfire Concerto is for you.

Although the story is linear and mostly immutable (you play as a touring musician whose path between cities and NPC encounters are pre-determined), one never feels stifled. In fact, there were moments in this game I actually wished for fewer choices than were presented to me, which is a testament either to the author's dedication or my own fickleness, or both. Luckily I was given the explicit choice to make my character as fickle as I am. Your choices determine aspects of your musical traits, your public reputation, and your standings with various political groups/romantic interests. These things in turn influence the interactions and choices available to you on your tour. The large number of people and political factions you can gain/lose favor with to varying degrees give this game high replay value, which is great, considering that it's not free.

I would love to say more about the specifics of the game world and plot, but fear it would ruin the initial charm for you. Suffice it to say, I found this well worth my $4 and still won't be uninstalling after this second go-round.