The Fernweh Saga: Book One

I'm gonna start off by saying I can be a little picky when it comes to IF games, if only because I'm picky when it comes to books in general. the prose needs to slap, the characters need to be unique but not fit trope-y archetypes, and the setting/world needs to feel lived in. that being said, Fernweh scratched all of those itches in a wonderful blend of small town horror meets found family. There's a lot of flexibility when it comes to the approach of romance and relationships -- you can choose the genders of the other characters as you play, and there is even a poly route. This was one of the few IF games that has stuck with me for awhile even after playing it, and I've been chasing the same high ever since lol. I recently signed up for Aelsa's Patreon and am eagerly reading my way through the alpha build of book two. Definitely a game I would recommend to fans of IF.

First things first, I have owned this game on my phone for around 2.5 years but I wanted to show additional support by buying it here on Steam as well, so that’s why there is like 50 or so min of the time spent on it. I think I spent hours upon hours on end in this game (I have like 5 characters for this IF and explored so much of this game I think there is not a route untouched on my CoG app), and I’ll still do it over here on Steam. This can give you an idea of how invested I became in the world of [b][i]The Fernweh Saga[/i] by Aelsa Travelyan[/b]. I usually don’t write reviews and just leave ratings, but I’ve been addicted to this IF far more than any other IF I’ve played in the past and I got to say: I’m obsessed, if you couldn’t understand it by my ramblings at this point. I want to praise Aelsa for creating such a strong Book 1 (yes, please, keep this in mind: it’s JUST Book 1) as an entrance to the TFS Saga. I believe it’s essential to build a solid base for the future enjoyment of the story and Book 1 provides exactly that: a strong base, an expectation of what to come, and a chilling understanding that you are indeed a part of a horror themed book. Not many IFs have pull…

IT STARES BACK AT YOU D:

Loved this game. Such a fun and creepy story!

I feel like this IF is a hidden gem at this point because it's still not talked about enough how great it is! TFS gave me all the feelings I could hope for, from the eerie, immersive town vibes to fluffy romance (which are just the beginning in Book One and hopefully will develop further in Book Two).

Fun to read and go back from time to time, characters are very well written and dialogue is smooth and natural. Story is not confusing and makes one curious. Choices matter, and you will go back to try every option so i don't recommend playing when you need to get up early. Would prefer slightly more lenght but i say that about every novel/game novel i liked. Who doesn't want more cake if cake is really good amrite?