The Superlatives: Aetherfall

Very enjoyable. A bit in the vein of Hero's Rise, or Community College Hero, though I certainly enjoyed it more than the former. It lacks the fake-out beginning of many Choice of Games... games, and does put one right into the thick of things. The setting is engaging, definitely reminiscent of the works of Jules Verne, (though it also reminds me a bit of the works of Edgar Rice Burroghs) the technology interesting, and the game lacks the obnoxious gender restrictions of other choose-your-own-adventure games set in the time period. One also has some choice as to one's ancestry in this, which I appreciate, as well, and there seem to be a fair number of romantic options, though I personally went for the mysterious stranger. I will warn that, at times, it is a bit unclear what one could do better, or how to strengthen one's various abilities, though I'd not say the game is difficult. Further, the ending is rather weird. All in all, however, the game is good, with engaging characters, ...

Whoa. Alright, so there is a lot about this CYOA novel/game. Both good and bad. I would recommend getting it on sale, though if you have $7 to spend with no cares, it's a good way to spend your time. I would recommend reading through it at least twice, which I've done at the writing of this review. And I still want to get a better understanding of what I can do and little bits of story I haven't gotten. There is a lot to say about and take notice from this CYOA novel, but I wouldn't say that there is much to keep anyone away from it, even if many flaws are showing (both a very flawed and very beautiful gem). I will try not to write anything that is too spoilerly or geared too much for assuaging opinions. Just a review on what I noticed to try to provide information for anyone interested in getting it. Character Development is usually my main point of interest in a story. And it is the main reason why I think this CYOA novel should be read at least twice. I found the character developm...

Whether or not you like text-based games like these tends to come down to a combination of interest in the subject matter and themes and the writing style of the author. (Even for as well-written as Neighbourhood Necromancer is, I just can't stomach the zombie genre any more....) Since this can be highly subjective, the best advice I can give is to just download the demo, which holds a decent chunk of the game, so you can see if it rings any of your bells for yourself. So far as writing style goes, this one lacks some of the wittiness and flair of others, but if you enjoy the themes and want to immerse yourself in the fantasy it portrays, it's solid writing that won't distract from those themes and takes itself relatively seriously outside of some notable elements of its setting, like the alien races and some of the more roguish team member's witty rejoinders, so this is a game where your enjoyment will likely hinge upon whether you like the fantasy it portrays. The theme, then, can...

It is an okay game, but has almost zero replayability. My biggest problem were the romances. If romance is done correctly, it can be the cherry on top, but in this case--even though each plays out in different locations--they all end up playing out the same way. Your love interest responds the same way, you are given the same dialogue options, and each romance scene ends almost exactly the same way, effectively making the romance scene redundant. Though if you're gonna romance anyone, go for Dusk. She's the most interesting of the bunch outside of her romance scene. Overall, if you still want to check it out, I would advise that you wait for a sale.

Excellent. A story packed with action, suspense and drama, from beginning to end. Well paced, and lenghty enough to keep you entertained through all its pages and leave you with a very grateful ending to your adventure. Important PRO: Does not end in cliffhanger like the others "trilogy wannabe" that are never finished. You are getting a COMPLETE game here.

A Steampunk/superhero mix, with a dab of Sci-fi; in fact, it's style resembles the Mass Effect series in that the presence of aliens and interplanetary politics is a common point of the game. The mixture is fairly seamless and organic and it works well enough. The writing itself, in my opinion, could be improved, since the narrative sometimes can feel rushed by the lack of description or attempts to set the reader in the current scenario, but judging by other reviews praising the story's pacing, it might be a personal preference. Sometimes I felt things just happened for the sake of continuing the plot, even though I believe it wouldn't be so simple like that, and would appreciate some more interference from other characters in scenes that aren't explicitly scripted for them - they have a hard time shining and feeling alive when the writer doesn't turn the focus on them. To balance that, there is a fairly good ammount of different scenarios to be played out, and judging by the ammount...

Highly recommended if you love the Heroes Rise Trilogy. Characters are fleshed out, and your choices feel like they matter. There are also tons of ways to play the game, even changing your fighting style gets you something different. The pacing is also good; I never got bored or skipped a paragraph like I do when CYOA authors get carried away with descriptions. <MAJOR SPOILER ALERTS> Only two things I dislike about the game: One, weird glitch where Dusk gets abducted because you ran off to check on Gatsby even after choosing to protect her. Two, didn't like the ending so much. The shift in POV is jarring, I didn't like that I was abruptly yanked away from this character I had spent a good deal of time with. Would be less annoying if it was actually a setup for the sequel, though.

I have to say this is one of my favorites among the CYOA games(besides Tally Ho). I found myself easily attached to most of the characters, even the ones that I didn't fully romance or convince. Keeping my team together was a difficult, but nonetheless worthy task. Not only that, but I also found the story/plot interesting as well. I'm definitely taking another run to see more of my favorite characters and scenarios I haven't seen. And finish off my last few achievements. My first time writing a review, so...I definitely recommend this, personally! It was definitely a worthy trip for me.

"They're coming after you, Dusk! I know they are! Don't worry, I'll protect you, but first I need to run off and protect Gatsby from the attacker that's coming after you. Be back soon, have fun being kidnapped!" It's still a good game, but that pisses me off so much. I restarted the game to get it right, because maybe I clicked Gatsby by mistake, right? No, it's just that saying you'll protect Dusk teleports you to where Gatsby is. This is the only glitch I've found in the game, but it's a pretty major on, plese fix this. As I said, it's a good game, I'd suggest getting it if you like text based games. It's fun, and that is the only glitch I've encountered. Just remember, if you do the same things as me, there will be great disappointment.

Pro: You get to befriend a nice plant lady from Venus. Con: You don't get to flirt with the nice plant lady from Venus. Despite being part of a series, The Superlatives: Aetherfall provides a complete story with a proper ending unlike some other choicescript games. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel and hopefully this time they'll let me flirt with the nice plant lady from Venus.