Personally I found this game pretty disappointing, the word-count is heavily misleading (you'll have around 10-20% per playthrough), as is the entire description (another example would be the supposed 3 love interests which are 1 Love-Interest for which you can select 3 backgrounds, none of which seem to have much impact on anything, not even the interactions with said love interest), kinda. The author had a great idea, sadly they did not manage to pull it off, especially not as a CYOA (which personally I would advise against in the first place, cause it is actually way harder to create an interactive story than it is to just write a regular book). My biggest issue with the game, and the reason why I honestly consider this 1 of the weakest choice of games, even compared to more recent releases, is that the whole idea of mixing the french revolution and it's era with demon summoning fails to be part of what is actually going on. It's literally reduced to a "patched on" ability even though it would fundamentally change everything going on. I do not want to say "the author completely failed to think through or maybe even realize the broader ramifications of the whole concept of their story, but that is what it FEELS like at least. Also I see a certain necessity to point out that this game was delayed at least once and seeing the final product makes me think that it would have needed probably at least another full year of polishing, editing and re-imagining.
I would give the game a 3/10 compared to other interactive fiction.
Please tell us sir, what games do you regard as the crowning achievement of writing in CYOA or RPG, maybe even other genres. (Imo my fav game has to be planescape torment in that department)
I answer that question every time so forgive me for not going into details for the 3rd time or what it is now, but I agree that planescape torment is an excellently crafted narration and world, even though I do not enjoy the game at all.
When it comes to text based CYOA games I strongly recommend A Study in Steampunk (especially for fans of the classic Sherlock Holmes novels), Tin Star (which's only major flaw is that there isn't more of it (that game REALLY would have warranted multiple parts, but than, again, it might be such a well-rounded piece of art because the author did not tackle the writing under the premise of "whatever doesn't make sense atm I can still fix sometime in the future) and, my personal favorite, Wayhaven Chronicles, which imho is a masterpiece in regards to how the entire narration and atmosphere adapts to the player choices (it's masterly crafted to offer whatever kind of story the reader is looking for and encourages roleplaying like almost no other game because "failing" doesn't mean game over, it just is another possible outcome. Game is very romance focused though, so if one chooses to ignore that aspect it means missing out on much good content).
Allow me to just quickly name a few other good games of that category without explanation:
text based:
Fog knows your name
Silverworld
Haven Rising
Jolly Good
War for the West (arguably, I think some people are really putt off by the "open world" design of the first (kingdom management) half of the game with little explanations given and lots of random events to trigger.
Breach: The Archangel Job (the humor might not be to everyone's taste)
RPGs:
Jade Empire Knights of the Old Republic (mostly I but II also has strong parts) Fable 1 & 2, 3 is decent Mass Effect 1, maybe 2, not 3 and definitely nothing after that game
Since you had highly recommended wayhaven chronicles, I completed both books within two days (Ava route) and just finished the second book a couple of minutes ago... POSITIVES: • Writing was quite good, which is why the 2nd book felt better as the author matured after releasing her first CYOA. • The personalities of the NPCs/other characters were pretty neat though I really wish she’d told us a bit more about Tina and Verde’s past. The MC knew them by default but we as the player did not. • The storyline was fine, it was very fresh for someone like me who prefers reading classics lol.
NEGATIVES:
• I dunno how to really put this as it will sound a bit esoteric but… for every well written character there is an internal struggle that perhaps arises out of habits, repetition and experiences in the past. Where did that come from and how they manifest is something a master writer must convey by showing and not telling. Little quirks that develop along the story. There were so many moments within the game (the most blatant one being that MC does not learn things quickly, he doesn’t realize in my playthrough that he can share his blood between the 4 vampire gals, essentially game ending Murphy… which he SHOULD realize, if the player themselves can think up of it). • I haven’t played all routes except Ava’s and boy the ending of book 2 flopped like a wet rag on the floor. They just end up staring at the night sky with firecrackers popping off as they held each other’s hand. What? That’s it? End of book 2? The romance progression in her case wasn’t the best, it was way too slow and every time they’d get together in a suitable situation to further their amorous pursuits, whack someone would come along or the other would chicken out. I felt I had to pursue the path laid out by the author and not be a hard as rock on the outside and a teddy bear on the inside (maybe like Morgan) • The worst culprit in the dialogue system was the mismatched options where I could not for the love of God, gauge whether I’d speak in a sarcastic/offending tone sometimes. Granted it didn’t happen a lot but there were definitely more instances of it happening than I’d like to admit While I agree one cannot fathom all the choices a player can potentially think up of… I can’t help but say that if I were the author, I’d favor lesser number of character and choices if it meant that the game, I’d write a script for, at least to the best of my ability harbor all of the ideas a player might have. It really isn't my cup of tea, I read on with the hope that it'll get better but it really didn't quite hit the mark I was hoping for. Anyways I’ve already purchased the game on steam and getting ready for book 3 to see how good it might become. At this point it’s really my hope that’s pushing me through this. A hope that I’d find a really good CYOA where the author really pours their life in it and at the same time one can see it through all the choices and dialogue. That doesn’t mean M
**That doesn’t mean Misha didn’t pour effort, it really breaks my soul when I see the potential in something and then see it not live up to it. To me that is the greatest failure in a struggle and at the same time the greatest opportunity to learn something from it I’ve written this long ass review because I can see the diamond in the rough, I really wanna like this series else I wouldn’t have spoken of its demerits so much. I’ll prolly write a much better review on steam once I’m done with the other routes. On a side note, KOTOR 2 is one of my fav RPGs, Kreia rocks, also I didn’t see disco Elysium in your list… dude what are you even doing? Go play that game!
Well I, personally, do not necessarily agree with your verdict on the actual content of the game and that specific route. What I will say, though, that the Ava romance is probably the 1 I am most invested in (maybe to a slightly questionable degree, given that it's a book, no matter how immersive I find it) and I can totally see where you are coming from. I think that especially the ending of book 2 feels quite unsatisfying. What I want to point out - disagreeing with me there is obviously perfectly reasonable as well - is that the Ava romance is specifically meant to be a slow burner and since the series is meant to be composed out of 7 books the current state of things is meant to be quite painful for the player character. I heard that there are variations to the degree the whole thing burdens the detective (that depends on the overall choices for how they feel about Ava's distancing, if they seem to be a troubled character etc.) but I can not confirm that because I ended up playing different characters for the different romance routes and therefore I have by no means seen every variation. In regards to Ava, if you pay close attention to what is said by the detectives mother there is a strong incentive things between Ava and the PC will start to take up speed from there on. The author herself has said as much and that the Ava romance will evolve into probably the most intense. So for the time being I am optimistic, it would be nice to see game 3 though, I feel as if that will likely tell if those plans for the Adam/Ava path work out.
Against my expectations I ended up liking Morgan's path the 2nd most, it's not entirely the opposite but pretty much. If you (like me e.g.) are worried that things aren't really all that special given how they approach the detective I can confirm that that already changes over the course of book 1 and then, in book 2, i would say it really shows already that it is by no means a case of 1 sided feelings between those 2 characters.
This is just meant to be a different point of view, it's perfectly fine to disagree with my unbridled enthusiasm for Wayhaven Chronicles of course. I hope you at least don't feel as if you wasted your time playing this, especially since I so strongly recommended it.
Edit: In regards to Murphy...yeah, I agree with that. I literally did research to find out if there is maybe a way where the detective feeds their romance interest blood to power them up but I didn't find 1. I think there is none, but there also might be a very situational gamestate where it happens(?). Anyway I feel as if it was strongly hinted at that it could be pretty dangerous to give your blood to them directly, but in the end it might also be a decision to get the plot moving as intended. I agree with your opinion on the matter, at the same time I also understand why, as an author, you also have to keep things on track if you want to write an epos over 7 books and have an overarching plotline layed out (which I'd say
Sorry for the late reply, anyways, yes indeed I didn't feel my time was wasted as I learnt something from this whole experience. As Sancho panza once said there is no book so bad in this world that you can learn nothing from it, this book made me think that while writing is hard, all that work is probably less impactful if you are too focused on characters and not the world, romances and not the side characters, subsequent books and not the present book the reader is focused on.
Since you liked Morgan’s route, that’ll be the one I try next, maybe that bittersweet feeling I was left with at the end of Ava’s route is washed away by Morgan’s bold jaunt towards the mc
Choice of games text based games are a good time waster solid writing,good character development good choice and consequence system I wouldn't say they are great or masterpieces quality varies between them,but they are solid read if you are into text based choice and consequence games. It's killing time assasins based game is the only one I read that I would consider masterpiece level from their games.
just hate when the game just try everything to get me join the army avoid 1st time then somehow in the next event it showup again like you have to join in to make a change of goverment or something like that and why they have to add the magic it so out of place
I LOVE CoG games but idk about this one... It feels like a hosted game instead and even that it's kind of an insult to HG since there are some Hosted Games there that are pure gold.
It feels off somehow, usually CoG makes the author go through a ton of regulations and milestones to finish and publish the game but i don't feel like that happened here.
The (few) drawings were good (but then again, go against the essence of CoG), the writting was nice too BUT the game it's kinda glitchy and weird. For example i got to "romance" this woman from the Democratic Monarchs (or somenthing like that) faction just by: Investigating about her (Failed, she glared at me, told me to fuck off), inviting her for tea (Which i used only to change a bit of the faction's goals) and SOMEHOW that escalated into her asking me to marry her in the end? (wtf?)
I got killed but reanimated by this demon than later possesed me and somehow for some reason my character became the king? The game narrates how the demon posses the king by name and all (Let's call him Jhon Doe) and then adds on "Of course, you ARE Jhon Doe" like... What? Anyway, i got my coven to take the demon out of me but still... it's weird.
Did i have fun playing? Yes. Did i played more than once? Of course. Would i believe you if you told me it's not a Hosted Game? Never (I had to check, twice, before writting this)
So... Don't waste your time on this, like i did (and probably will, again)
Yeah, exactly, the demon summoning adds nothing to this story and if anything just made the author forget about actually making a good cyoa out of their stuff, it's really, really sad.
My biggest issue with the game, and the reason why I honestly consider this 1 of the weakest choice of games, even compared to more recent releases, is that the whole idea of mixing the french revolution and it's era with demon summoning fails to be part of what is actually going on. It's literally reduced to a "patched on" ability even though it would fundamentally change everything going on. I do not want to say "the author completely failed to think through or maybe even realize the broader ramifications of the whole concept of their story, but that is what it FEELS like at least.
Also I see a certain necessity to point out that this game was delayed at least once and seeing the final product makes me think that it would have needed probably at least another full year of polishing, editing and re-imagining.
I would give the game a 3/10 compared to other interactive fiction.
(Imo my fav game has to be planescape torment in that department)
When it comes to text based CYOA games I strongly recommend A Study in Steampunk (especially for fans of the classic Sherlock Holmes novels), Tin Star (which's only major flaw is that there isn't more of it (that game REALLY would have warranted multiple parts, but than, again, it might be such a well-rounded piece of art because the author did not tackle the writing under the premise of "whatever doesn't make sense atm I can still fix sometime in the future) and, my personal favorite, Wayhaven Chronicles, which imho is a masterpiece in regards to how the entire narration and atmosphere adapts to the player choices (it's masterly crafted to offer whatever kind of story the reader is looking for and encourages roleplaying like almost no other game because "failing" doesn't mean game over, it just is another possible outcome. Game is very romance focused though, so if one chooses to ignore that aspect it means missing out on much good content).
Allow me to just quickly name a few other good games of that category without explanation:
text based:
- Fog knows your name
- Silverworld
- Haven Rising
- Jolly Good
- War for the West (arguably, I think some people are really putt off by the "open world" design of the first (kingdom management) half of the game with little explanations given and lots of random events to trigger.
- Breach: The Archangel Job (the humor might not be to everyone's taste)
RPGs:Jade Empire
Knights of the Old Republic (mostly I but II also has strong parts)
Fable 1 & 2, 3 is decent
Mass Effect 1, maybe 2, not 3 and definitely nothing after that game
POSITIVES:
• Writing was quite good, which is why the 2nd book felt better as the author matured after releasing her first CYOA.
• The personalities of the NPCs/other characters were pretty neat though I really wish she’d told us a bit more about Tina and Verde’s past. The MC knew them by default but we as the player did not.
• The storyline was fine, it was very fresh for someone like me who prefers reading classics lol.
NEGATIVES:
• I dunno how to really put this as it will sound a bit esoteric but… for every well written character there is an internal struggle that perhaps arises out of habits, repetition and experiences in the past. Where did that come from and how they manifest is something a master writer must convey by showing and not telling. Little quirks that develop along the story. There were so many moments within the game (the most blatant one being that MC does not learn things quickly, he doesn’t realize in my playthrough that he can share his blood between the 4 vampire gals, essentially game ending Murphy… which he SHOULD realize, if the player themselves can think up of it).
• I haven’t played all routes except Ava’s and boy the ending of book 2 flopped like a wet rag on the floor. They just end up staring at the night sky with firecrackers popping off as they held each other’s hand. What? That’s it? End of book 2? The romance progression in her case wasn’t the best, it was way too slow and every time they’d get together in a suitable situation to further their amorous pursuits, whack someone would come along or the other would chicken out. I felt I had to pursue the path laid out by the author and not be a hard as rock on the outside and a teddy bear on the inside (maybe like Morgan)
• The worst culprit in the dialogue system was the mismatched options where I could not for the love of God, gauge whether I’d speak in a sarcastic/offending tone sometimes. Granted it didn’t happen a lot but there were definitely more instances of it happening than I’d like to admit
While I agree one cannot fathom all the choices a player can potentially think up of… I can’t help but say that if I were the author, I’d favor lesser number of character and choices if it meant that the game, I’d write a script for, at least to the best of my ability harbor all of the ideas a player might have. It really isn't my cup of tea, I read on with the hope that it'll get better but it really didn't quite hit the mark I was hoping for.
Anyways I’ve already purchased the game on steam and getting ready for book 3 to see how good it might become. At this point it’s really my hope that’s pushing me through this. A hope that I’d find a really good CYOA where the author really pours their life in it and at the same time one can see it through all the choices and dialogue. That doesn’t mean M
I’ve written this long ass review because I can see the diamond in the rough, I really wanna like this series else I wouldn’t have spoken of its demerits so much. I’ll prolly write a much better review on steam once I’m done with the other routes.
On a side note, KOTOR 2 is one of my fav RPGs, Kreia rocks, also I didn’t see disco Elysium in your list… dude what are you even doing? Go play that game!
Against my expectations I ended up liking Morgan's path the 2nd most, it's not entirely the opposite but pretty much. If you (like me e.g.) are worried that things aren't really all that special given how they approach the detective I can confirm that that already changes over the course of book 1 and then, in book 2, i would say it really shows already that it is by no means a case of 1 sided feelings between those 2 characters.
This is just meant to be a different point of view, it's perfectly fine to disagree with my unbridled enthusiasm for Wayhaven Chronicles of course. I hope you at least don't feel as if you wasted your time playing this, especially since I so strongly recommended it.
Edit: In regards to Murphy...yeah, I agree with that. I literally did research to find out if there is maybe a way where the detective feeds their romance interest blood to power them up but I didn't find 1. I think there is none, but there also might be a very situational gamestate where it happens(?). Anyway I feel as if it was strongly hinted at that it could be pretty dangerous to give your blood to them directly, but in the end it might also be a decision to get the plot moving as intended. I agree with your opinion on the matter, at the same time I also understand why, as an author, you also have to keep things on track if you want to write an epos over 7 books and have an overarching plotline layed out (which I'd say
Since you liked Morgan’s route, that’ll be the one I try next, maybe that bittersweet feeling I was left with at the end of Ava’s route is washed away by Morgan’s bold jaunt towards the mc
It feels off somehow, usually CoG makes the author go through a ton of regulations and milestones to finish and publish the game but i don't feel like that happened here.
The (few) drawings were good (but then again, go against the essence of CoG), the writting was nice too BUT the game it's kinda glitchy and weird. For example i got to "romance" this woman from the Democratic Monarchs (or somenthing like that) faction just by: Investigating about her (Failed, she glared at me, told me to fuck off), inviting her for tea (Which i used only to change a bit of the faction's goals) and SOMEHOW that escalated into her asking me to marry her in the end? (wtf?)
I got killed but reanimated by this demon than later possesed me and somehow for some reason my character became the king? The game narrates how the demon posses the king by name and all (Let's call him Jhon Doe) and then adds on "Of course, you ARE Jhon Doe" like... What? Anyway, i got my coven to take the demon out of me but still... it's weird.
Did i have fun playing? Yes. Did i played more than once? Of course. Would i believe you if you told me it's not a Hosted Game? Never (I had to check, twice, before writting this)
So... Don't waste your time on this, like i did (and probably will, again)