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About the Story
Take a scientifically inaccurate romp in pirate-infested waters! Will you prove to the Royal German Marinological Society that mermaids really exist?
"The Daring Mermaid Expedition" is a 71,000-word interactive novel by Andrea Phillips, author of "The Daring Adventures of Lucy Smokeheart." Your choices control the story. It's entirely text-based--without graphics or sound effects--and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.
You are an up-and-coming researcher, tasked with proving the existence of mermaids in order to be admitted to the exclusive Royal German Marinological Society. With a member of the Society as your patron, you’ll brave pirate attacks and dubious academics to fight your way to Broken Shell Island and scientize the mythical mermaid kingdom. Play as a vengeful mermaid-hater, dispassionate scientist, or soft-hearted daydreamer. Or just chuck it all and embrace piracy on the crew of the infamous Lucy Smokeheart herself!
Will you join the illustrious ranks of the Society, or wind up in prison for scientific fraud? Spend the rest of your life living underwater, or be devoured by carnivorous fish-people?
You’re on a mermaid expedition—it’s time to sink or swim.
• Ten distinct endings to discover!
• Develop statistics like academic rigor, credibility, and blood loss!
• 100% gender-neutral. Play whatever gender and sexuality you choose! We're not the boss of you!
• Dozens of achievements! Or maybe one dozen. Or more? Actually we're not sure how many, we lost count! But there are definitely achievements!
• Guaranteed to be at least 92% scientifically and historically inaccurate!
• Navigate tricky interpersonal situations with wit, charm, or awkwardness!
• Seduce your patron – or become bitter academic rivals!
Ratings and Reviews
| Average Rating:    Number of Reviews Written by IFDB Members: 2 |
This game is well-written on the line-by-line level or even scene-by-scene but doesn't know what it wants to be. It starts out seeming like a promising kid's fantasy, then changes to a bit older (you're told that all the patrons at the science society are hot and get divorced all the time because of it), then into more slapstick comedy, with some magical adventure thrown in.
The main thrust of the game is that you saw mermaids as a child and want to join the Marinological Society to study them when you are grown. You need to pick a patron to support you (and the game informs you that patrons are often romantic partners), then you go to the island to look for evidence of mermaids.
Parts of it were actually pretty great and/or funny, while other parts were a bit more weird. Instead of skills you have only opposed stats, and once you pick a patron if you want to please them it determines a lot of the choices you have to make.
There were some big choices to make near the end, and I ended up alone and sad, but at least I kept my promises.
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.
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Game Details
First Publication Date: February 12, 2016
Current Version: Unknown
License: Commercial
Development System: ChoiceScript
IFID: Unknown
TUID: o07q2mj20xxw3mhq
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This is version 1 of this page, edited by Dan Fabulich on 12 February 2016 at 1:08pm. - View Update History - Edit This Page - Add a News Item - Delete This Page
