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Review – Choice of Romance and Choice of Intrigues

Choice of Romance
4

Platforms: iOS, Android, Kindle

Game Name: Choice of Romance

Developer: Choice of Games

Genre: Interactive Novel

Developer Summary:

Have you ever wished to be the heroine of a romance novel? Think you could have run Anne Boleyn’s life better than she did? Want to walk a mile in Princess Kate’s gorgeous shoes? Now you can. Choice of Games, a quirky independent games company, has released their newest interactive novel, “Choice of Intrigues”—giving you the chance to star in your very own royal romance.

“Choice of Intrigues” is a sequel to last year’s popular “Choice of Romance,” and is available as an In-App Purchase on iPhones, iPads, and Android devices. Choice of Games is also releasing “Choice of Romance” and “Choice of Intrigues” as an omnibus edition on Amazon Kindle, entitled “Affairs of the Court.”

What We Think:

Choice of Games is a game development company that specializes in iPhone and Android apps that consist of following and creating your own story. The release of this sequel to Choice of Romance called Choice of Intrigues also marks the release of this series to the Amazon Kindle. This is a departure from anything I play, and is certainly unlike any material I have covered previously. Even though this isn’t within my genre comfort zone, when looked at objectively it is enticing and supported by an interesting concept.

The game is essentially a romance novel, where everything is read, but you choose your next actions and can affect the story by selecting an option that appeals to you at the end of each page. I was immensely surprised with the amount of forethought that has been put into this app as it seems there are a very large amount of directions it can take.

Set in medieval times, you play either a nobleman or woman who comes to the royal court looking for love, and hopes of catching the eye of the Monarch. As the story rolls onward, your actions change the outcome and can end the story with various lovers.

When you first get started, the setting is very RPG-ish, as you select your gender, interests, and even what gender you flirt with. With these parameters set the game kicks off with a lot of reading and a lot of romance, and if that isn’t your thing you might as well pass on this one. For those who might find this appealing, however, these titles will keep you busy for quite some time as you negotiate the decision trees looking for a variety of outcomes.

Really when it comes down to it, there isn’t much to review in this game. There are no graphics or to speak of, beyond clicking an option, none of which mean that the game isn’t well crafted. The story is very well-written and planned, and the use of imagery in the text can really pull you into the story. There are legitimately enough decisions that you feel like you actually have some influence over your fate. Each page is meticulous and terrifically worded, and the first in the series, acclaimed by AppSafari, was also well-reviewed its many users on the iPhone and Android app marketplaces.

Overall, this development company knows what they are doing when it comes to CYOA style RPGs; they have gotten their niche down pat. It is very apparent these games were thoroughly planned and made to entice any lover of romance novels. Even though I am not one of those people, it was interesting to explore a different genre of game I hadn’t yet seen. So if your cup of tea is sitting back and reading a good romance novel, why not make your own story with this series?

Check out Choice of Romance

[xrr rating=”4/5″]