What are people’s favorite games where the setting is on the realistic side, that is, not spec fic and no extravagant scenarios like a million-dollar heist or saving the world?
One I enjoyed was “Trials of the Thief-Taker” set in 17th-century England where, yeah, you can get tangentially involved in international politics if you want but mostly you’re just trying to make a living and survive navigating a fine line between law enforcement and law-breaking, encountering characters from a variety of social levels…
I was going to say 180 Files, but it’s on the million-dollar-heist/saving the world side, so I guess it doesn’t apply. So Showdown at Willow Creek and Tin Star, I guess?
Somme Trench is pretty fantastic if you’re down for something set in WWII. It’s one of the most underrated games in HGs catalogue, in my opinion. Hollywood Visionary is also a really fun one, as is Fielder’s Choice.
There’s also Tally Ho and Jolly Good, which have realistic settings and plots, but absurd situations.
I am going to be pedantic for just one moment correct that it is in WWI. Not II. But its a good recommendation. Was a lot more on the gamey side but very fun.
I think my most preferred one set in a realistic setting, atleast the HG side is Breach. Just a fun cast in an all too familiar world.
Either, honestly! I’ve never seen one I’d describe as slice-of-life so I’d be curious. The one I mentioned has high stakes for your character inasmuch as you can wind up hanged.
WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS by @CC_Hill , A LONG WEEEKEND and LOVE AT ELEVATION are all slice-of-life titles that I enjoyed. (And despite 2 of the main characters being vampires, DONOR felt like a very real life world to me)
I, the forgotten one, is very much not slice of life at all, but it’s portrayal of combat and of the time period in which it’s based off of is probably the best I’ve seen
Seconded. ITFO is fantastic. However, heed the warnings at the very beginning, and know that there are but three ROs: one F/M, one M/F, and one M/M. While there will be a F/F RO in the sequel (confirmed by the author), she does not appear at all in the first game.
Does anyone have recommendations for IFs with a love interest similar to Gungir from The Wroth Ode or Lazlo from Excellent Cadavers?
That quiet, dutiful, not friends-to-lovers because you are not close enough to be friends, but there is still the yearning. I would love to read more of that (though, no occults, please.)
Thanks in advance!
(Edit: This is the correct place for asking for recommendations, right? Or was Hey, what’s that game the correct one?)
Now with dedicated list just for the bizarre and eery world of weird IFs
I think IF writers who think up new concepts that compete with Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding in strangeness deserve recognition. Stuff that makes you blink and go “What the hell did I just read?!”…in the very best of ways.
So here is a full list of wonderfully strange tales -
Malin Rydén > currently 2 books published in the Fallen Hero series, I rec. start with book 1 Rebirth / Currently working on the third book in the series Fallen Hero: Revelations
I’ve been checking Choice of Games on and off over the past few years. It seems to me that more and more games have been released per year both on Choice of Games and Hosted Games over time, and I’m glad to see the franchise growing.
However, it’s become more difficult to filter which titles truly stand out from the rest as many themes have been reutilized and you can’t really judge the story and gameplay from their presentation alone, you have to play it for some time.
The latest adventure I tried exploring was Undying Fortress for its theme, but after a few chapters, I simply wasn’t hooked. Before that, An Unexpectedly Green Journey for its seemingly open-ended exploration, but after some time I also grew apart from it.
I thought of sharing some of the titles that I believe are great examples of what ChoiceScript can do, or are simply awesome adventures worth playing through:
The original Heroes Rise trilogy.
Life of a Wizard
Tin Star
The Lost Heir
Vampire: The Masquerade – Night Road
Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven
MetaHuman Inc.
I’d like to explore one of the newest greatest titles, but don’t really know where to start, after spending a few hours looking into the whole catalogue. Things I appreciate in a story are: a darker tone, meaningful choices that affect your and others’ fate, decent replayability, varied options of playstyles, a great use of stats (this one is very rare), and stories that stand on their own merit.
Would any kind soul like to make a recommendation?
I, the Forgotten One (one book out, book two in progress) and Fallen Hero (two books out, book three in progress) are the two standouts based on what you described.
Check out Vampire the Masquerade: Night Road, Pon Para and the Great Southern Labyrinth (part of a series with two of three games currently published), Choice of Rebels, and Sabres of Infinity (assuming you haven’t played those already). I’m going to disagree with the recommendation for I, the Forgotten One, since it doesn’t really make great use of stats and there’s one “stat” that’s clearly superior in most situations. Also it’s sort of replayable depending on whether or not you want to save certain characters, but for the most part it’s pretty linear with the exception of one big divergence at the end. Fallen Hero is a great recommendation from @Snowflower though.
Personally I’d also recommend the Fog Knows Your Name. It’s by the same author as Undying Fortress, but the premise might grab you a bit more if you’re interested in more classic supernatural horror, and it hits all the criteria you’re looking for. For the most part though, I’d say I’m having the same issue as you, where I’ve been playing CoGs and HGs for so long that I’ve gotten to a point where most of the games just don’t impress me anymore beyond the original classics (in part because of how long I’ve been playing, and partially because I think the quality has decreased tbh).
Since you liked Life of a Wizard, how about Life of a Mobster by the same author? Tin Star is a great pick, and I would also shout out Choice of Robots. It’s considered a classic, is melancholy, MAJOR choices, and good replayability. I liked the stat system in CoR too. There’s not a lot, but they’re woven throughout the narrative. I would also echo the Sabres of Infinity rec, though it’s a bit tougher to get into for beginners. Check out the demo, see if you like it!
I’ve played most of these games. Night Road, as it was on my list, which I found to be the best of the World of Darkness so far. Choice of Rebels I played when it was under development, but I didn’t click with it. Sabres of Infinity was a good game, played it a couple of times, but wasn’t one of my favorites. I was happy to see the series grow, though. I had high expectations for Life of a Mobster because it was from the same author as Life of a Wizard, but unfortunately I found it lacking in a few fronts by comparison. Choice of Robots was an interesting experience as well, I definitely liked it, but I didn’t quite enjoy any of the four or so endings I got to, so ended up being a bit bittersweet.
I’m currently exploring I, the Forgotten One and Fallen Hero both, one at a time. I think I’ll enjoy Fallen Hero more for its fantasy aspect, but we’ll see. I’m hoping to find something epic, maybe one of those will be that!
(though, no occults, please.)