Tally Ho

Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 517: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ (8/10) Ya know, I've never read anything strictly comedic in my life, and I didn't intend to. I don't even like comedy shows or specials because comedy is [i]hard[/i]. Even harder than romance or action or poetry, honestly. At least with every other genre, you have your usual tropes: the hero's journey or enemies-to-lovers or the sexy, mysterious stranger and what not. But with comedy? I'm scratching my head thinking about any tropes or storylines to support a comedic work. Slapstick, maybe? Anyway, a CoG text lives and dies by its writer, and though I was politely flummoxed by [i]Tally Ho's[/i] plot, Kreg Segall's (intentional) loquaciousness and wit carries the game hard. I've already picked up the sequel (review to come!). In [i]Tally Ho,[/i] however, you play as the perfect gentleman's gentleman or lady's lady in 1920s England, who gets into quite a lot of hijinks. You show up expecting to polish silver and politely remind your employer about their aunt's visit, and instead you find yourself embroiled in [spoiler]motorcycle chases, jewel-thieving escapades, a boat race, high-society conspiracie…

Super well written and very fun! Can't go wrong with this one in my opinion :D

Finally, a game with comedy, action and that doesn't penalize you for failing a stat check. I could go on about the brilliant literary homage and satire, praise the alternately absurdist and bone-dry British humor, or wax poetic about romance that seems to sneak up on you and quite vigorously take hold, but instead I will say simply that it's a game you can count on to cheer you up when times are low, to entertain in an unexpected and exciting way while still being relaxing and that no one I have recommended this interactive novel to has ever regretted it.

doesn't make any sense. you're a servant, no wait you're a super secret spy, no wait not really you're a Super Servant. I gave up trying to figure it out.

Tally Ho is a community fan favorite, and the writing is top-notch. The variety of outcomes and the sheer number of Steam achievements are impressive. I also really appreciated the checkpoint system, which allows you to restart chapters. However, on a personal level, I found it a bit hard to get into. It took me several attempts and a long break to get through the eight chapters and the epilogue. While many praise the humor, it wasn't exactly my "cup of tea" (pun intended). Just a heads-up for those interested in the romance: Rory's gender is locked to the player's gender. As a straight woman, this meant one less romance option for me. Despite my personal issues with the story and humor, I'd still recommend it for fans of the genre because the quality is undeniable.

5/5