Affairs of the Court: Choice of Romance

Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 386: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆☆☆ (6/10) [i]Affairs of the Court: Choice of Romance[/i] is one of the oldest and most iconic Choice of Games titles—and I can see why it made such an impression back in 2013. It’s a lavish, politically charged story full of court intrigue, scheming nobles, forbidden magic, and the ruthless pursuit of power. There’s a lot to admire here: the ambition, the writing quality, and the moral nuance. All stands out, especially for an early COG game. But it’s not the sweeping romantic epic it seems to be. The romance is dry, the world feels underexplored, and the first chapter’s forced path kills replayability. Still, if you’re here for the political drama, the ruthless power plays, and the chance to manipulate royalty like a true mastermind, it’s a fun ride—just don’t expect much heat in the “Affairs” part of the title. [b][h2]Pros:[/h2][/b] ✅ The prose. The writing and style are excellent—easily one of the best from that era of ChoiceScript games. The prose is elegant but approachable, the tone dripping with tension and manipulation. Descriptions of characters and feelings are short and sparse, yet I found …

Probably one of the best offerings from CoG, and a great ride all the way through. The tone is pitch perfect, the worldbuilding is substantive without requiring a whole lot of homework out of you, and the paths you can take rarely feel too harsh or arbitrary. One thing I especially appreciate is the nuance you can give to your decisions. The game absolutely requires you to have some sort of ambition, to go out and seek power, but you don't have to immediately become a domineering maniac in order to do it. There are opportunities to be utterly ruthless in your pursuit of power, but there are just as many chances to embrace a sense of honor and principle, even if you have to engage in skulduggery to get what you want.

Not a romance game, but a political thriller. Its inspiration is clearly the court of Henry VIII, with the MC someone like Anne Boleyn. Its technically three games packed as one, wich leads to a bit of railroading at the end of the first part, but that way you can play the triology without having to switch games. Choices are well labeled and impactfull, there even are a few bad or not-bad but early endings. However, the game is hard. So far, out of ten playthroughs i have neither archived the golden ending or a good ending. That i dont mind this one bit, because even the bad and bittersweet endings work quite well shows that the storytelling is very well done.

Peak

Most of my hours into this is is from the web accessible version. Did not know there was a Steam upload for so long. I really, really love choose your own adventure stories and this one does it perfectly for my taste. Anyone familiar with the terms '(y/n) (e/c) (h/c)' know what this is and it is exactly that. Basic self insert of physical appearance and a name and it's party time babyyyyyyy. It's a choose your own adventure book in digital form, but no putting your fingers on the previous pages in case you messed up. Finish up that path and see where it goes. And there is so much to see. Spoiler; you have to romance the royalty in order to progress the larger narrative later (part 2 and 3). But with this first chapter there is so much to see outside of the King/Queen that it's a blast to retry over and over. It's my favourite part to keep experimenting with as it feels much more fleshed out than the later parts. That and the adventure becomes the much more bigger focus with its dramatics, where as I'm mostly just here for the fun 'court dating politics' simulator part. (Don't be a me, enjoy parts 2 and 3 too.) Oh, and you also have skill stats that effect the outcome of option…

False illusion of choice, game ends instantly no matter your skills if you make the choice the author dislikes.