If you’re surrounded by animals, are you truly alone?
Play as a survivor in Zoo-pocalypse, my first interactive fiction story. In this game, you make your post-apocalyptic home in a unique venue: a local zoo.
This 40,000 word interactive fiction is broken up into 3-4 chapters depending on how it is played. Vastly different endings can occur based on the decisions you make.
Play as any gender! There are no references to your gender, so play as yourself or anyone else. You do get to pick your name.
Explore the many exhibits at the zoo, and even the gift shop.
The end of the story depends on the choices you make, even early decisions can lead to completely different endings.
Different endings lead to the discovery of animals (achievements). Can you find all of them?
Will you reign over this animal kingdom, or will you find yourself at the bottom of the food chain?
Feedback:
I’m not planning to add more chapters, and the branching of the story in some parts resembles a traditional CYOA. Thus, each playthrough may be short. I’d like to know if it feels too short, or if there is interest in replaying through the different choices. Besides that, this is my first attempt at CYOA, so any high-level and low-level feedback is welcome.
I love this game, zombie apocalypse settings have always been my favorite. Unless I read things wrong this seems to be a fully update demo, but do you have any other works like this or plans to expand upon the story.
I’m glad you like it!! I also think it’s cool you see it as a “zombie” apocalypse, because I purposely try to leave the origin of the apocalypse ambiguous. This rather short story is pretty much complete (so…technically in full beta?), as I was using it to practice ChoiceScript. Hoping to submit to hosted games, then I do have a larger story I’m excited to start working on soon now that I’m comfortable with CS.
In terms of other existing work, I’d direct you to Science Fiction Monologues. I created and host the podcast, and most of the episodes are my own short stories. The first episode, “Autophagy,” was the inspiration for Zoo-pocalypse.
Wow it’s actually pretty cool that I just wanted it to be a zombie game so bad I totally thought it was. I guess the mind really sees want it wants to. Also if you do make a bigger game even if it’s not in the same setting I’d love to read it, your a pretty good writer.
This is right up my alley. I’ve always wondered what would happen to the animals in zoos if an apocalyptic event happened.
I do have a couple of questions.
During the gameplay would there be any options to Humanely euthanize any animal that is suffering or if you need to euthanize animals to feed other animals or to feed yourself.
Also could there be an option to free some of the animals that might have the best chance of surviving out in the open?
If there isn’t and you aren’t planning on adding it, that’s fine, I can just imagine my character doing those things
I’m a bit of a softie and couldn’t stand to see any animal suffer
You bring up some great ideas! I’ve been mulling over different ways to bulk up some chapters and either of these options can potentially work.
The euthanasia option is one that has come to mind before. I’m nervous about how to navigate this type of scene because it may involve toeing the line as to what is considered “humane.”
Freeing animals is an idea I haven’t thought much about yet. I’ll have to ponder how to include this without it messing up any other branches based on the decisions you make. I’ve tried to involve as many popular zoo animals as possible, so perhaps there are some other ones still left to add for this kind of scene. If I’m able to work it in I’ll let you know!
You could be vague about it and offer the MC choice of humanely putting down animals as in player selects the option and you fast forward to after it’s it’s been done. So this way you could avoid potential conflicts as to what is considered humane.
You now have additional difficult decisions to make, regardless of whether you let James in or not. You must pick an animal to release into the wild and another to sacrifice for the sake of feeding other animals and yourself. The options for which animals will be different depending on whether James is in the zoo or not, and how you choose will affect your friendship (or lack thereof) with James. Thank you @Alex_Parker_Roberts for the idea!
