Heart of the House

I don’t even know where to start. It’s a long, powerful, gripping journey where moral questions I never considered gripped me. I haven’t felt so attached to characters in a long time and the length of the story let the grow so well and become powerful and striking people. The story is nothing short of astounding. A tale and a concept I have never seen done and it was done so well that it was made to feel familiar in its approach. The ideas and the universe are so novel and new and exciting that it can seem overwhelming considering them but the story explains and paces it so well that it feels organic, smooth and almost caring. It doesn’t hold your hand but it doesn’t leave you high and dry in jargon or theory. What I found the most important and for me powerful element is that the story, centered around one relatively inconsequential question creates the entire plot, an entire discourse on ethics, morality, power and even life and asks some powerful question in the story and then answers them. Or better yet let’s you answer it yourself. It is truly hard to describe the elation I had at this story and just how much it moves me without spoiling it so I will wrap up here with this. I laughed and cried with the characters. I walked and ran with them and I danced and wondered with them. I was there and that is not something I can say about a lot of stories.

Oh this is such a fun game! And I loved every character they were all sweet and 3 dimensional. They really do make you want to save everyone, especially Loren, such a sweetheart. The story was great as well, by the end, I felt like I’d just starred in my own gothic romantic adventure. I got the friendship ending where I saved everyone but didn’t date and I feel like my heart grew three sizes, it was so heartwarming. If I did have any feedback though, I would love the option to be of another race. Being non-white, it felt a little odd to be compared to Dev and Bastian as if I were white(such as the scene where you have to chose whether to go to town or send Dev, and it says something like “they might not take to well to him bc of his skin”. I remember bc I thought “😬 well they’d hate me then” lol). Speaking of, I really appreciated the attention put into identities in this game, in race, sexuality, and gender identity (there was even a poly option???). It was put in seamlessly, but it still felt like they weren’t just cosmetic identities. I loved it. Games should really follow this game’s example when it comes to diversity.

This story was beautiful and I was attached to all of the characters by the end. You can tell how much care and craft went into it. I am so attached to the characters I would even love to play a sequel! I really felt their pain and was so worried when I thought they’d get hurt. I also enjoyed the diversity and especially Loren being nonbinary and the option to be trans. It felt a little bit unrealistic (it would have been great if there was binding in the story etc but it’s not necessary) but the story was fantasy so it was not difficult to suspend disbelief. The one complaint I have is that the romance all seemed very hurried. I wasn’t sure who to choose that quickly and was unsure if denying their advances at first would make them no longer romance-able. It was also frustrating because the choices all seemed to happen at very inconvenient times and so I would put off showing interest in them until a more convenient time but then they’d no longer be available. Spoilers: I was actually very sad when Dev and Loren got together. I love them both so much and I’m glad they found each other but I would loved to have been able to romance them both (that may have been an option but it wasn’t in my ending) or at least be able to choose one of them later in the story. Regardless, I’m so thankful I was able to get them their happy ending.

My first game by this company was Choice of Romance, and I’ve played a few more since then. They’ve all been very good, but this is the first one since that has bested my initial experience. I love spooky romances, and this definitely delivered! Additionally, the diverse cast of character was a breath of fresh air. There was something for everybody in this tale, yet it didn’t feel at all forced. Without revealing too much, this game did something I’ve long craved in text adventure games by allowing the reader to delve into the details of the intimacies of romance. I wanted to know even more about the lore of this story, and I did feel the reveal was a bit rushed at the end. I needed more time to truly comprehend the entirety of the supernatural elements that were at work, and especially their relationship with the gods. Even so, I was drawn in the whole time. I could hardly set the game down. It was quite long (which is great, especially since this one is a little pricey) and jam packed with content. Overall, this is a great game! Buy it! You won’t be disappointed.

I don’t even know where to start. By far this has become one of my favorite COG. The dialogue fits in the time period and location; the characters can be fleshed out and the replay value is 10/10. Character wise; many of them broke the main stereotypes of the time. As a history buff, the fact that the whole situation of the town was “strange” was what kept my annoyance to certain reactions down. The first run through took me almost 6 hours total and each replay is at least two hours- because there is so much to discover in the text. It’s very beautiful. Each choice you make really does lead you to new dialogue and choices. The different romantic routes were each in their own. I enjoyed them and won’t spoil it. I only have two issues. The first is how the leading character finds themselves in the House. (Considering this story deals with the super natural this next comment sounds stupid but I have to say it) It’s just not realistic and feels forced. There is also a character we meet early on, learn a good amount about only to have them drop off after a chapter and never heard from again. Why waste my time with someone who doesn’t matter?