Scandal Notes
By Evelyn Pryce
“Dove,” Sybil says at your shoulder, “I’ve got some reconnaissance. Let me know if you want to check it out.”
“Come on, Sybil,” you say. “Let’s form a twin flame of truth.”
Helen Kane, stylized as the “Boop-oop-a-doop” girl, sought damages against Paramount for the character, Betty Boop. This exaggerated flapper character had apparently been based off photographs of Kane, but the trial focused more on the vocal stylings than anything else. A small bit of scandal found its way into even that, but that’s more of the Wikipedia rabbit hole… As the MC herself imagines, you can treat that bit of factual gossip as your white rabbit, as you play your role as Alice.
General Story:
Scandal Notes is both the title and the rag that is eerily accurate at defaming your circle of socialite friends. Could it be one of your associates? Can you keep your friend’s close-knit while the world is being ripped apart around them? Could you maybe find a paramour amid this Paramount-eque production?
Flapper-culture in London is not something I’m super up on, but this title seems to blend high-society and youthful rebellion (all on the parent’s dime). A mystery is afoot and you, a young daughter of a chancellor, have to solve it. This is a gender-locked title, you’ll play as a woman.
Dialogue is well done and it really felt like it might have been a movie, though the silent movies were on the way out.
Format and Typos:
No typos as far as I could tell, and for my two plays, I didn’t notice any coding errors.
Game Mechanics and Stats:
There are a lot of stats to juggle, but they seem to represent what type of socialite you play. Are you well-read, up to date with the Parisian fashions, or maybe just a bit of a gossip? Who am I kidding? The biggest gossip.
All the while, you are trying to get your own writing career off the ground while being subjected to the Scandal Notes. You’ll balance whether you are a media darling, or if there is a bit of scandal bled from your own pen. A few hidden stats track cohesion of your group and your own progress in finding out who and why your circle of friends is being targeted.
Replayability:
Like many Heart’s Choice titles, replayability is pretty much tied to the romance options and whether they will interest you. Three possible love interests as far as I can tell, two male and one female. So, depending on your particular preferences, you may find as many as three separate plays, or as little as one. Spiciness rating is low.
Dislikes:
- The red herring is about as subtle as A Pup Named Scooby Doo’s version.
- One of the goals is playing matchmaker, and it really seems like this is super difficult if you don’t focus on doing it, which you have to choose to do in place of pursuing paths with your romantic interest…
- Romances feel like a secondary or tertiary focus for the story.
Likes:
- The actual culprit is well foreshadowed, especially after a reread.
- The story has an awesome sense of belonging and a personal (not necessarily birth) family. While I didn’t feel romantic love for most of the characters, it was very easy to slip into friendships with all of them. They are well-written and likeable.
- Pace is kept very well, and never made me feel like I was spending too long with any specific plot point.