The Golden Rose: Book One

I mean, it was pretty mid. It wasn't bad really but not really worth the price. I'd rather buy a good book any day. I can see some people getting into it, but it was just kind of short for the price. Maybe I'm just not an interactive fiction kind of person in general, but when it suddenly ended, I was left pretty disappointed by the length. Had some really interesting story points and the mystery drew me in, but there wasn't enough substance to care too much. Anyway, back to reading The Will of the Many

This was a waste of time... The writing is simplistic yet littered with awkward sentences. "A great black-feathered owl perches on his right shoulder. Its long talons sink into the giant's skin, and two small rivers of blood flow downwards. The owl's curved beak faces her, his neck turned around completely, so that the head is facing forward from his back." I understand how owls work, but this sentence structure, these "it" and "he" and "her"are killing me. It's killing me, Jerry! What matters in the end is a good story. This isn't one. I would barely call it a story. You talk to cats, dogs, horses, some random people; learn bits of lore here and there... and then it ends. By the end, the three main characters are still just placeholders with some basic attributes. There were no interesting revelations, turns of events or drama. My character could react to things in 5 different ways, but I failed to notice any impact. When it comes to romance, I saw a review talking about how this game offers more than "buff dudes" taking off their clothes, but something deeper. Interesting, because you read about the dude's chest peeking out of his shirt during character introduction. …

Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 97: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (10/10) One of the richest, most emotionally intelligent interactive fiction (IF) games I’ve ever played—and maybe the most romantic, in the truest sense of the word. Not swooning romance (though it has that), but Romantic in the way it holds onto longing, war, memory, the divine. (IF games, for those new to the genre, are strictly-text based games that tell a story. Think the heavy narrative of [i] Disco Elysium [/i] but with no images or music or anything. Just words on a screen.) [i] The Golden Rose: Book One [/i] is a masterclass in interactive storytelling. It’s not trying to be the flashiest, the most stat-heavy, or the most twist-filled game out there. Instead, it gives you a world that feels worn-in, characters that feel like people, and a journey that leaves you changed—not because you killed a dragon or saved a kingdom, but because you survived. Because you made it through another day, another desert, another broken moment. It’s slow, yes. Sometimes agonizingly so. But that’s part of its magic. You grow to care not just about the plot, but about how your mercenary breathes, who you wat…

I really enjoyed the story and would love to read Book Two if it's ever released. Based on a few other reviews, I can agree that some scenes can feel a bit tedious when the MC has to react to every little miniscule event. Counter to some of the negative reviews, I really enjoyed the scenes that included interactions with miscellaneous NPCs. I thought it brought a nice interlude to the main story line (ex. the scene where the MC is challenged wordlessly to a race up the hill by an old woman and her old donkey). These small interactions bring life to the city you're exploring.

Damn, need book two.

One of best novels in the Steam. If you like to read novel and making choices then what are you waiting for? And I love the first male romance interest..... And Billy, you are best horse in the universe.