The Advisor - Episode 1: Royal Pain
My secret word is ‘Blessing’.
I knew to expect quality and a fun time. This surpassed expectations! It got me really thinking about what I know in terms of army logistics and self-sufficiency. I know, that may seem redundant these days but, in my humble opinion, striving for self-sufficiency and knowing how to work together as a group is always good idea. Growing food, purifying water, basic medicine and basic repairs on everyday objects, all that can be very useful. I still need to know more but that only means I’m excited to replay this in a few years and see how my ideas and capabilities have grown!
– Real player with 2.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best RPG Multiple Endings Games.
My Secret Word: Bard
My apparent skill as an adviser: Magnificent
Overall, I found this to be a very intriguing game. Like all other games by this developer I found myself having to face very difficult ethical questions. However, unlike the others there was also a lot of questions regarding leadership and tactics (personal interests of mine). Overall, I loved the opportunity the story provided me and the story itself. As for the main character, I find him to be painfully pragmatic somewhat in contrast to my values. However, not as much as I would like to admit. Aside from his quick leaps to pyromania I do not think Magnus is an entirely evil person. Perhaps this is due to my own propensity for witticism that endears him to me. In addition, I am sure he is smart enough to recognize benevolent leadership is better for the leader and their people as well. I like to think of it as enlightened self interest that benefits others. Along with the previously mentioned shared traits Magnus and I both have a nigh obsessive love of magic. Regarding the choice of kingdom, I find myself conflicted. I value loyalty above all else, yet know too little of this magical staff to be certain of the value. Gun to my head, I say stay with the current king. Given how well I turned things around I see no reason that the king and the Magnus can’t barter for the staff from a position of increased strength.
– Real player with 1.6 hrs in game
Heroes Rise: The Prodigy
Heroes Rise was one of the, if not THE one game that brought me to enjoy interactive fiction so much. It is not, perhaps, the most shining example there is of its genre, but it is so engaging and unique that all else can be forgotten.
Most interactive fiction stories have a single tool for controlling the story, which are the choice branching (which is great by itself) but this game, and every other good Choice of Games out there, carry yet another tool which is incredible in and out of itself, which is the stat system. It allows you to shape your character in different ways and explore the story multiple times with different personalities, not just by choosing different pathways.
– Real player with 16.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best RPG Indie Games.
The Short of it:
Heroes Rise: The Prodigy a fun, short game (which is reasonable given it’s price) that can give you one heck of an adrenaline and emotional rush if you let it. I would also recommend this game (and the series as a whole) to anyone who wishes for more sexuality and gender diversity in the superhero genre. Only down side is the thin line between simple and shallow the game dances on, and the hack job of “romance” implemented as an optional subplot.
The Long of it:
The best thing about The Prodigy, and the Heroes Rise trilogy in all, is that it doesn’t reward you for being the writer’s idea of a “Hero,” but for being consistent in your morals (basically: don’t play as a character that’s all over the place). While the game does scale this consistency on dichotomies of “lawful” vs. “lawless,” “fame” vs. “justice” and “soloist” vs. “team player” none of these scales are mutually exclusive (despite what the color-coded bars imply) to one another or are viewed as inherently wrong: you could have a defensive soloist with the law on your side but have a penchant to showboating, or an offensive team player that distrusts authority but will work for the best of the group. During my first run I felt like my choices really mattered, but I was let down during the rail-roaded chain of events nearing the (only) climax, but it does pick up the ball again near the very end of the final fight, though it may seem railroaded again because unless you have a wishy-washy character the final choice for the fight is practically chosen for you depending on the “lawlessness” vs. “lawfulness” scale.
– Real player with 9.6 hrs in game
Choice of the Pirate
Hello and thanks for reading my review. I have been a fan of ‘choose your own adventure’ since the early 1980s when there was little else to do but watch all 3 channels on TV, listen to the radio or play Atari. For those who don’t know there is a whole line of ‘choose your own adventure’ books out there and can be enjoyed again and again just like this game! There is more than one story and more than one way to win – but then again there is more than one way to fail and lose. BUT that is the fun of it! Finding out what was around that corner or behind that door you didn’t try to open the first time. I bought a whole set of books for my oldest son for Christmas the year he turned 9 just as I was when I first discovered them. He now has his own Steam account and has played this game and loves it just as much as I did.
– Real player with 13.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best RPG Indie Games.
I am glad this game is so cheap as I would have been much more salty about how short it was. I’d advise anyone from purchasing unless they were looking for something different to play. Choice of the Pirate is a game centered around your choices you make in the storyline that ultimately effects the plot in the end… I had a lot of fun choosing and reminding myself to be wary of what I choose… but I gotta say that some of the choices I made didn’t really seem to bite me in the ass in the end at all. I never heard that character at all ever again after that choice I had made, and I was really expecting them to come back later on and try to stab me in the back for it. It didn’t happen though, which was disappointing. I liked being able to pick out my signature clothing as a pirate, however that “choice” seemed to be purely asthetic… I created my own piece of clothing and I expected the game to sorta “substitute” my choice within the conversation when it came to that point but it never happened. A lot of the characters in the game are meaningless and you won’t really need to remember their names since you’ll only interact with them two different times out of the whole playthrough. The “love interest” really isn’t interesting. After hooking up the relationship really isn’t brought back up in the story at all until the epilogue in the ending. Another thing, the whole “pirate king” title barer is a mystery…. but…. it’s not… the story makes it painfully obvious from the very beginning who the pirate king really is..
– Real player with 6.9 hrs in game
Cliffhanger: Challenger of Tomorrow
Just finished it today. Here are my thoughts:
Elements I adored:
The writing itself. Wow, William sure can turn a phrase! I really enjoyed how he described the action, the settings, etc. You can tell he’s put his work in strengthening his craft.
The richness of the world. Talk about a fully-developed universe! I can’t imagine how much mental energy William put into world-building for this game, like seriously I can’t imagine. I’d conservatively estimate that one could spin off an entirely new game from any of over 100 references he makes to different individuals, settings, ideas, phrases, etc. I kept thinking, “Oh that’s a cool premise!” “Oh that is a really neat idea!”
– Real player with 6.2 hrs in game
I highly recommend this adventure to anyone who enjoys getting into the heat of the situation and calling all the shots! Its an amazing tale that takes not only history as we know it, but legends and myths we have all heard about, and spins them into something at once recognizable and yet completely new.
You will constantly be making choices while confronted with situations that are utterly familiar, in settings that remain completely relatable, while obviously not being the from the world as you know it. Its a high adventure romp that none the less still has the Player making some tough moral choices. Best part imho being that even though the “story” is to be continued in another book, This story wraps its self up nicely. Every plot point gets resolved, in a way that is very satisfying.
– Real player with 4.4 hrs in game
Dura Vita Online
This game is pretty early access but i can tell the developer really cares about the game and will continue to add, fix, and balance the game. I have been playing this game for about a week and i am still loving the game and i will watch this game develop into something much bigger and enjoy it every step of the way :)
– Real player with 88.1 hrs in game
I know this game is early access but you would expect the basics to work like cooking got an empty back pack wear starting pant yet am almost overweight can’t even pick up some ore its a shame since this game has a lot going for it but am gonna keep going try and see what house building is like I now see whats happening with my weight every time i do the miners quest my weight doubles am now sitting at 129/155 this is just stupid and should have been fixed long ago. as for crafting can’t complete ant weapon since item i put in bank they turn white and not usable in forge..
– Real player with 57.1 hrs in game
Interstellar Airgap
Excellent read! The story grabbed me from page 1.
– Real player with 313.6 hrs in game
The Story is interesting but the damn Code is frustating
– Real player with 20.8 hrs in game
Just One Line
I want to like this game but it sucks. I really like the adventurer’s guild premise, but every quest is filled with arbitrary nonsense and unbeatable tasks. I’ve tried sooo many times to make a mage character, not one time has it paid off to have. There is no system for what quests are available at any given time. Most of them seem like you’re supposed to lose, and the other’s are deceptively simple. I’ve had to scrap several characters because I know how the available quests are going to go, because I’ve tried a million times. You can’t single handedly defeat an enemy with the hardest difficulty with the gear you got for $10 at the beginning of the game? Oh well you lose reputation, you suck. You need 3 materials but you know that getting those materials will get you killed? You suck, EHH. You can’t defeat a tribe of goblins by yourself and going the diplomatic way just makes things worse even though you have points in the diplomatic skill, suck EHHHHHHHH. It’s not fun. I get excited about giving this game another chance but its the same every time. Make a character, select comically impossible quest, die/fail quest. It’s a really fun game if you’re doing a strength build. If not, completely dreadful experience.
– Real player with 7.3 hrs in game
English review. For the Italian review scroll down! (per la recensione italiana scrollate giù!)
First hour in Just One Line…(can contain spoilers!)
Create a simple human villiger with “high” intelligence.
Pick a quest in the tavern: stop the fightings in the tavern.
Try to reason with a drunken dwarf: fail
Try to stop him by fighting: get smashed.
Quest failed.
Pick another quest in the tavern: stop a dwarf-teen from marrying a bard elf.
Discover that the bard elf charms women with a magical flute.
– Real player with 5.0 hrs in game
Mother of All Secrets
Mother of All Secrets is an RPG full of occult mysteries, investigations, and intrigue. Become a young ward at an old and remote orphanage. Live your new life for fourteen days as the enigmatic masters of the House prepare you and your mates for the impending visit of the mysterious Guest.
The House’s walls conceal a small world of stories, plans, and conspiracies. Every hour is fateful here. Decide where to go, what events to participate in, which goals to pursue, and who you should influence. Will you be ready to learn the ultimate truth on the last night of your stay at the House?
A Living Breathing House
Become a part of the close-knit community of the orphanage. Other wards, your teachers, caretakers, and even the family of House owners — behind every living soul, there are goals, plans, and desires. With every hour, individual plots progress, secrets unfold, and choices are made that alter the House forever.
Your Own Story
Create your own character and live out a unique story — only you decide how to spend each and every hour. Go about uncovering the asylum’s secrets however you like. Make friends or enemies at your own discretion. Explore the darkest and most dangerous corners of the House. Unravel other people’s schemes and draw up your own plans. Obey or risk breaking the cryptic rules that govern the orphanage and face the consequences. What will you do with your freedom of choice?
High Stakes
Perform actions in every scene by playing cards. These cards determine your character’s skills, items, and even relationships. Different cards allow you to influence others, gain an upper hand during encounters, apply the knowledge and traits you have acquired, or push the narrative towards the desired outcome. Remember that other characters possess their own set of cards which they can play against you! Study the abilities and intentions of others before reshuffling their decks and transforming their personalities. How will you play your hand?
Professor of Magical Studies
Professor of Magical Studies is an interactive magical school novel by Stephen Granade, where 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’re a professor of magical studies, specializing in pattern magic. When magical practitioners study special patterns, they reshape their minds to turn the potential energy between dimensions into magical energy and shape the world to their will.
Raptors of SouthEdge
I saw no relevant reviews, so gave it a shot. I often like game books with a little RPG to them.
As of this writing, its 3 bucks to buy. Its about right. I’m fairly certain this is a first attempt from the developer to make a game. The presentation is plain, but does have some nice pictures thrown in occasionally. The font to select options is a little hard to read, and I encourage the developer to read up a little on UX design and user interface.
Its a game book, so how is it? Its pretty amateur. The writing is sometimes a bit awkward, but it gets its point across. Feel like playing the captain of a mercenary group during a zombie apocalypse and you want the 3 dollar version? Here you go.
– Real player with 0.2 hrs in game