*sighs eternally*

I love the "came back wrong" trope but from the opposite side.

Imagine you are dead. And then you are RIPPED from the embrace of decay into the world of the living again. Your memories are hazy and you don't recognize any of these people, but they act like they're close to you? Like they love you? So you try to get your memories back, to act like you belong here, but everybody tries to forget you died. And you can't. It is omnipresent. And just trying to grapple with that fact pushes the people who "love" you away, and they're incapable of understanding, and they're so confused, what's wrong N̶̄̀O̶͛͗T̷̉́ ̷͋͝Y̴̎̌Ȍ̴̈U̸̓R NÄM̴̃͑E̵̾̇? And you just need them to understand, you aren't that person! You aren't! You don't know who that person is! You don't know why any of this is happening, but they're unwilling to bend, they keep insisting you are that person, your memories will come back, everything will be normal again, and you want to scream and cry and claw yourself open to show them you're different. Your existence as a being wholly separate from whoever you "used to be" is a sin unto itself. All you can do is scrabble for life and to them, you're killing whoever they loved to do it.

just. lots of fun in that concept, you know?

My dearest mutual you will not hide this in the tags

hi im self promoing die mad about it

hell no i won't die mad about it this shit RULES holy FUCK this is exactly what i was talking about

oh ok live unmad about it :D

Since my post about I Was A Teenage Exocolonist is blowing up, I thought I'd mention some other indie games worth checking out!

What Remains of Edith Finch

Still one of my favorite games of all time, What Remains of Edith Finch is a beautiful and tragic game. You play as Edith Finch returning back to her family home as she's expecting a child of her own. For her entire life she was told that her family is cursed and the entire house is almost a monument to this fact. Each room upstairs is sealed off and tells the story of the Finch family member who inhabited it and how they died. Each of the stories play out in a variety of ways and one of the stories was told in such a compelling way that the studio decided to make an entire game out of it. Check the trigger warnings ahead of time because this game will make you cry. 10/10

Strange Horticulture

After your grandma passes, you take over her plant store. As the story progresses you work to identify plants, explore the areas arpund your town to find new plants, and assist your strange customers in finding the plant they need. There are some underlying secrets in the town like a coven of witches, a shady secret society, and a mysterious woman in a jade mask that you can uncover as you go. You have to be careful of your choices, too many wrong answers and your sanity shatters and you have to put yourself back together. You also have a pet cat named Hellbore that you CAN PET!! A beautiful and relaxing game especially for the fall! 9/10

Growing Up

I've posted about this game in the past, but I'll mention it here again! In this life simulator, you start as a baby and as you grow you choose what you want your person to learn and your choices shape who they become as a person. Your choices also effect the friends you make as you can rescue friends from dark paths or send them down it. You play from baby to teenager and once you hit adulthood you go on to have a baby and that baby is the start of your next run. There is so much to learn and do in this game, the puzzles are addictive, and the characters are fantastic! I will never stop recommending this game! 10/10

Wytchwood

Another cozy game perfect for fall, Wytchwood is an exploring and crafting game. You play as a sassy witch who has to fulfill her contract and rediscover her memories along the way. There are different areas to explore, things to craft, and all sorts of stuff to collect. There's casual combat, nothing too crazy, and the characters you meet are entertaining. Definitely worth checking out for the art style and story alone! 9/10

AHHH I FINALLY PLAYED FALLEN HERO: REBIRTH and I can't wait for the next one!

I am so late to this train but I am obsessed and 1000% in love with Ortega and I want her to save my stupid idiot villain from her life if being a dumbass

Anyone have any recommendations for similar games? Not necessarily similar in genre but the style of FH and things like The Wayhaven Chronicles. I've been going through and trying out a bunch but the writing in a lot of the others is leaving quite a bit to be desired. 😩 Bonus points if it is in app form!

*rolls up sleeves* MY TIME HAS COME. i don’t go in for romance in general, so most of these have a focus on plot, not relationships.

my favorite choice games (all available in the choice of games or hosted games apps!) are, in order:

1. Choice by Gaslight - A Study in Steampunk. Steampunk retelling of classic Sherlock Holmes stories where you play as the Watson. FANTASTIC writing, a long story, compelling mysteries and world building. Three romance options, and one of them is your Sherlock (named Finch). Even if you don’t go the romance route, Finch always cares for your MC and the two are close friends (none of this BBC bs!). Themes of fighting for the working class, dealing with discrimination against a religious minority, and honestly just trying to do your best in the murky morals of a Victorian setting. Your character and Finch actually deal with trauma! It’s definitely not romance-first but I love it so so much. MC is gender-locked to male tho due to the setting.

2. Psy High. This is a YA/J story where you play as a psychic high schooler detective. Other classmates at your school also have superpowers but not very many of you, so you all keep it secret from the rest of society. You spend the book unraveling a conspiracy at your school while also trying to get into college and maintain a relationship with... I think there are 3 romance options. I enjoyed it a lot more when I was in high school myself lol but it’s still good. It also has a sequel set at summer camp!

3. Choice of Robots. This is a sci-fi story where you play as the inventor of the robots that change the world. There are multiple MAJOR different endings; as in the world is completely different in each of those endings. Digs into the ethics of robotics. There are romances in this but I honestly don’t remember them at all lol, it’s much more about the robots.

4. Showdown at Willow Creek. Ok this is comparatively short and has like no character development lol. But it IS a fast-paced fun Western. Unravel a conspiracy in a small frontier town, support the local Native American tribe, usher in the new railroad... it’s very tropey and very fun.

5. Choice of Alexandria. Play as the head librarian at the Library of Alexandria and the tutor of Ptolemy V (the future king). Play politics or focus on your inventions, support the Egyptians or the Greeks. Based on actual historical people and events, which are described at the end of the game.

6. Choice of Broadsides. This is the first Choice Of game I played! It’s definitely short compared to the other ones, but it’s FREE. Play as a ship’s captain in the Royal Navy of totally-not-England as you go to war against totally-not-France.

If you like romance and politics, you might also check out Choice of the Vampire. I didn’t get into it but my friend adored it.

unlike TWC, all of these games do depend on you to have good enough stats to pass checks for various decisions, and while you can’t *die* because of it, you can definitely fail and get a bad ending.

in my experience, most of the games in the Choice Of Games app (not the Hosted Games app) have good quality writing. tbf though i played most of these in 2015 (way before the books were all collected into a single app!) so i’m not sure what’s been added since then. anyway! happy reading!