Choices That Matter: And The Sun Went Out

Choices That Matter: And The Sun Went Out is a text-driven science fiction adventure developed and published by Tin Man Games that embraces the classic spirit of interactive fiction while presenting a mystery on a surprisingly grand scale. The game's central premise is simple yet captivating: one day, the sun vanishes from the sky for several hours before inexplicably returning. That single event sends shockwaves throughout the world, leaving governments, scientists, and ordinary people searching for explanations. Rather than presenting the mystery through flashy cinematics or complex mechanics, the game trusts its writing to carry the experience, and for the most part, it succeeds. The title distinguishes itself through its enormous scope. Featuring hundreds of thousands of words and thousands of choices, the story unfolds across numerous locations and introduces a broad cast of characters with their own agendas and secrets. Players are accompanied by Moti, an artificial intelligence companion whose personality and relationship with the protagonist become increasingly important as events escalate. Moti serves as more than a guide; it becomes a constant presence that helps ground …

I really liked it in the beginning, but man does the story drag on going nowhere. The writing quality is mixed overall, but the further you read, the more the plot starts falling apart with events getting more disjointed etc. Also, you need a pretty hefty dose of suspension of disbelief to enjoy this. The sun vanishing for 3 days would likely result in a way more catastrophic outcome as decribed here, let alone 3 whole weeks! But somehow our protagonists are still booking hotels, getting icecream or visiting restaurants in the midst of an apocalypse. Also it's very obvious that the overwhelming majority of choices don't matter at all. Which honestly is OK and to be expected, but the issue here is rather that it's so obvious. I started caring less and less and by Arc 9 (I've read it has 15?) I was only briefly skimming the text, realizing I was asking myself when it would finally be over. So I dropped the game. Moti is cute, though.

[b]This game has a lot of content and diverse story branches, but not much of it felt meaningful.[/b] This game seems to be an exercise of "yes, and" improv. You'll get smuggled in a piece of luggage, get attacked by wolves, meet a secret society, team up with a park ranger, and try to save a town. Or maybe you'll experience an entirely different set of events where you go to a different country, get into an exciting car chase, or meet with an old scholar. Now what I just said may seem like spoilers, but that's the thing - I really don't think they are. The emotional tone and the story beats never change - it's just go go go, all the time. The game tells you up front that you won't die, so there's no tension. The characters come and go quickly and they are likable, albeit shallow...so if you liked a new friend's attitude, you'll probably get split up from them sooner than later. And if you [i]don't[/i] like them, the result is still the same: no emotional investment or attachments. It's just a thing happens, then another thing happens, and a couple hours in you realize that this feels more like running on a treadmill than running toward a destination. There was no ability to app…

I used to play this when it was only out as an app (around 2017), and I have redownloaded it once again because I missed Moti. The person that complained about this truly doesn't realize how old and loved the story is, because they barely gave it an hour, literally gave it 15 minutes. Kind of unfair to leave a review without reading throughout at least one full chapter. I love Moti. You'll love Moti. If you don't love Moti you're not a person. Major spoiler: [spoiler]I'd sacrifice any ♥♥♥♥ ass child for that damn sentient watch.[/spoiler] *edited at 8.1 hours Yep, I cried all over again

Good story-driven click-and-choose adventure. The format is simple, no multiple save slots, but it's easy to replay and get a different outcome

Terrific game! It really does feel like every choice matters. A beautiful story.