Playchoices
Playchoices was a really cool mobile visual novel app. It had original stories, it had a lot of LGBTQ+ and POC rep, it had very stories that were different from the other crappy mobile visual novel apps. Unfortunately THEY SOLD OUT AND SUCK NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but i still like some of their stories. So I will rate from favourite to least favourite.
It Lives Within
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ - Certified Banger!!!
PLAY THIS ONE I CANNOT GUSH ABOUT HOW POG IT IS. This is like one of the bangers of all time because I like horror stories :3. I think like you'd actually need context to undestand why this was a hit among the fans at the time of its release.
At that point in time, Choices still had a cast of usually cis conventionally attractive people (minus Endless Summer/Hero which was super stylised). While other books did touch on racial identity, I'd say it wasn't as prominent as this book because the POC characters didn't really face that much problems for their identity. This book still contains the most diverse cast in their catalog.
I really like the idea of a group of friends who became estranged because of a childhood accident, and never really fully recovered. It scratches some sort of itch I have deep in my soul. The writing definitely isn't novel worthy because it's an entertainment visual novel, but I feel horror is one of the best genres for this sorts of things because a lot of horror tend to be "cheesy". It works in the favour of the medium it is in.
Also, SO MUCH PLOT TWISTS WHICH MAKES SENSE AS THE NATURAL PROGRESSION OF THE STORY!!!!!!!!!!! If you’re one of those freaks who are like “omg ur dead lover came back wrong” you’ll eat this shit up. The deaths are really fucking horrifying if you go look them up, or if you end up experiencing them yourself lol.
lastly, Sad beanieboy. the ending is those Devasating Choices.
Characters
Ava’s design is the first one that stands out to me because like we didn’t really have a full-on goth character. And look at those braid textures, I believe all the black characters at that point in time didn't really wear curls or braids (minus the MC).
Andy Kang is THE SHORT KING FRRRRRRRR. He’s very explicitly transgender + short + Asian, and this has brought him problems in the story because he is on a sports team, and athletes - especially high schoolers - can fall into toxic masculine mentalities.
Lily is fat Latina lesbian. I believe she might still be the only fat character tbh??? I don't really like the shy archetypes but I think she's not obnoxious enough for me to dislike.
Lucas is one that you might not realise he's Desi unless you can recognise brown Asian features or pay attention. It would've been nice to have his last name be Indian like his mother so he doesn't remain in a racially ambigious void. However, I feel like his plotline does touch on the pressures many Asian kids face in the US where they are pushed to succeed to the point of dysfunction, and I'd say that could be considered part of his coding
Dan is kinda just there i guess. I don't remember much about him because he spends most of his time as the first victim. It's fine I guess
I'll put Stacy and Connor together because they're siblings. It's nice that Stacy isn't a completely mean person because I feel like a lot of female love interests in Choices tend to fall into the fiery woman archetype. Idk why Connor can be a love interst, I don't remember SHIT about him. Probably to fulfil a "mandatory white guy" quota ig LMAO
My Devon was a dyke who had feelings for Sad Beanie Boy. YOU CANT ROMANCE THE SAD BEANIE BOY. also nowadays, i can't unsee that my MC looks like a trans guy I met online?? yeah that's that
It Lives Beneath
Rating: ⭐⭐ - Banger but not the first game
I think this game is cool. It has water motifs and horror, and the deaths were really scary. It was cool. I liked it. My Harper was a white lesbian who was very well adjusted all things considered. The star of the show is definitely the Vance family, but I don't like how you have to pay money to let Elliot date his crush.
Characters
idk if Tomoichi is a real name because I never seen it before, but maybe it's his family name? He's called Tom for short lol. He was from the previous game. It's cool to see him back.
Imogen is very pretty and gets traumatised. Yeah not much to say about her. She gets a zombie horse.
I don't like Parker because he's a cop that left me in my playthrough.
Danni is cool too.
It Lives Within
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ - Banger!!!
This is a fanmade project because some dickfuck company decided to cancel the series. It's really good. You should play it. PLAY IT IF YOU LOVE THE SERIES IT'S A FANTASTIC SENDOFF
Endless Summer Trilogy
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ - Banger!!!
THIS IS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!! Imagine if Lost was good. And omg the marriage where every timeline you get together with the person you love, oh my god the ROMANCE. I felt that the third book was the weakest because it felt rushed? But overall the series is so fucking solid. This also has a Devasating Choice ending. What can I say, I'm a sucker for time loop stories. Hero is also technically part of the series but Some Fucking Company Cancelled It.
The Elementalist
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ - Banger!
If you know me, you know I love magic school stories, and I was actually posting on the subreddit about how much I want one. I like that they have a canonical AroAce character and you can also tell him you are aspec. That was cool. Anyway I just really like magic school stuff :3. I'm also part of another problem (Beckett Fan).
And now for something that most people wouldn't know: Back when Pixelberry was still a different studio under EA, they had this series called Surviving High School and one of its side content was magic school as well. I never got to play it because I was like idk 12 year old with no income. So it was really cool when they released a magicl school book with More Diversity this time. Dickfuck company wouldn't RENEW the series.
Bloodbound Trilogy
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ - Banger
Solid vampire game. What made me like this was the sad rich boy talking about how much he missed the sun. It's also not Vampire: The Masquerade so it's good. I believe the first threesome was from this series actually.
Ride or Die: A Bad Boy Romance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ - Solid
It is really cliche early on but it gets its footing during the midpoint where it becomes rather interesting. It's a solid title, wished it got a sequel but not much strong feelings for it.
A Courtesean of Rome
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ - Solid
I don't really like historical stories so this wasn't super appealing to me, but the writing is up there and you can have a threesome with Mark Antony and Cleopatra. It's cool. The cover is misleading because it's mostly political drama.
#LoveHacks
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ - Solid
Not something I'd love, but it's something that most people will enjoy because it's very milquetoast light-hearted workplace romp. I enjoyed it.
High School Story
Rating: ⭐⭐ - Solid
I have an attachment to the old series waaaay before it was even called Berry High, so I like that there was still callbacks to their origins. This series was fun for me when I was a high school age, but I'm not sure how I'd feel now. I know that I couldn't feel romantically attached to any of the characters because I was outgrowing it by then. Even so, I enjoyed it. I miss Surviving High School and Cause of Death more though
Queen B
Rating: ⭐⭐ - Solid
I like the aesthetic but I am not really attached to it. You can't even fuck your bestie who has been supporting you throughout the game?? Fucked up.
The Crown and The Flame
Rating: ⭐⭐ - Okay
I don't like fantasy dramas.
Blades of Light and Shadow
Rating: ⭐⭐ - Okay
I don't remember anything from this.
Most Wanted
Rating: ⭐⭐ - Okay
ACAB and Cause of Death existed.
The Haunting of Braidwood Manor
Rating: ⭐⭐ - Okay
Yep that sure was a winter themed horror story alright.
Red Carpet Diaries
Rating: ⭐⭐ - Okay
I never finished the series. People really like Thomas Hunt even before this came out.
Veil of Secrets
Rating: ⭐⭐ - Okay
I believe one of the biggest complaint was that solving the mystery needed currency and I agree. Otherwise, I don't remember anything from this other than an unsatisfying ending?
Desire and Decorum
Rating: ⭐⭐ - Okay
I hate the grandma and I do not like Period Dramas that much.
Perfect Match
Rating: ⭐⭐ - Rough
It has an interesting premise and solid aesthetioc, but I got really bored towards the end.
Bachelorette Party
Rating: ⭐⭐ - Okay
Cute story. Definitely targeting suburban moms who want to experience Vegas being crazy.
The Freshman
Rating: ⭐⭐ - Okay
I think it's okay. They were still working off the series they already had (CoD and SHS) and this was really a rehash of those. It's not bad, it's not good either. People liked the love interests more than the story lol, but I didn't like any of them so it was very boring. However...
The Junior/Sophomore/Senior
Rating: ⭐ - Awful
Pointless meandering drama that dragged on for too long. Godawful books, but the worst part is that they aren't the worst in the catalog. I think they didn't know what to do once the professor died LMAO. I mean, the ratings must've been so atrocious they just left The Junior as one book.
Rules of Engagement
Rating: ⭐ - Okay
People don't really like this one and I'm in that camp. It's a really funny story though because the grandma is one of the most evil women I've ever seen. This is proof you can never trust GILFs.
The Heist: Monaco
Rating: ⭐ - Okay
I think I blacked out while playing this because I don't remember anything from it.
Platinum
Rating: ⭐ - Okay
The music sucks ngl lol.
Home for the Holidays
Rating: ⭐ - Okay
Cheesy Hallmark Story. Boring as hell.
Big Sky Country
Rating: ⭐ - Okay
I'm impressed they made cowboys not sexy. I guess I was envisioning sexy cowboys and not Hallmark stuff :/ I never played the sequel though.
America's Most Eligible
Rating: ⭐ - Bad
Why were betrayals seen as such a bad thing. That's the whole point of Reality TV. You can't win without spending a fuckload of currency either. Major disappointment.
Across the Void
Rating: ⭐ - Bad
The feedback was so bad, they had to take a hiatus to fix the ending, and it still wasn't that great. Shame because I really love the art that went into this book, and it's stil way better than the shit they put out nowadays. It felt really messy when I played it because it didn't know what it want to be, and you don't really feel like a starship captain.
Open Heart
Rating: ⭐⭐ - Okay
The first book? Pretty good! Bryce is my beloved LI. So why is it so low?.
Open Heart
Rating: 💀 - End my misery
Please no more of that Ethan guy, I don't care about his life crisis!!!! No Bryce Lahela feature, no play >:(
Witness: A Bodyguard Romance
Rating: 💀 - Yeah
Smut and not even the good kind. I'm more bitter about this being the turning point where Choices started doing trashy romance books rather than the creative stories like Endless Summer or It Lives. This applies to the Nanny Affair too.
My Two First Loves
Rating: 💀 - Bad
Yeah.