Choices ~ RIEview

As an avid fan of visual novels and make-your-own-choices games, I came across Surviving High School and later Cause of Death. Well, even though Surviving High School and Cause of Death no longer exist in the App Store, the plot twist was that its developer Pixelberry actually released Choices now years later! But how does Choices fare in comparison with its older games?

Game Plot 

Choices host a number of titles in the app, so the quality of the plot is dependent on each title. There are a variety of genres, such as romantic comedy, slice-of-life, fantasy, etc. If you’re ever lost on what to read next, check out the comment section in the wikia fandom here!

Verdict (4/5)

The titles I’ve read so far are pretty good. I highly recommend High School Story and its 3 seasons. For standalone stories, Veil of Secrets is a mystery title that is packed full of suspense and action, with a tinge of romance sprinkled to keep the stakes high.

Character Diversity & Personality 

With so many titles, there is bound to be an interesting lineup of characters. As mentioned in the section on game plot, the quality of characters varies between different titles. While some characters look similar (see why in the following section on Game & CG Art), be reassured that their roles and personalities are different.

Verdict (4/5)

Overall, I’m pretty content with the character diversity in Choices. Sure, some characters are unlikeable due to the role they play in the plot, but that makes the story all the more interesting!

Game & CG Art

While the art is pretty good quality, with the number of titles Choices have, the developers tend to recycle some of their characters. In fact, eagle eye players have compiled a list of look-alike face models here. In all titles you are given the option to customise your character, though some choices require spending diamonds instead of free. Aside from look-alike face models, some backgrounds get recycled too.

Verdict (4/5)

I personally think it’s a brilliant idea to reuse characters by keeping the same base but changing some features, like hair, skin colour, outfits etc. With the reuse of character bases, it’s kind of like the titles in Choices are all alternate universes of each other. Alternatively, one can think of the characters as actors, hence the look-alike face models are actually the same actors playing multiple roles.

Game Mechanics

To read a chapter, you will need a key. You can only hold a maximum of 2 keys at once, which cannot be carried over to the next day. While choices are mostly free, some require diamonds. Aside from some appearance related choices, diamond choices tend to influence the story greatly. This is especially true for choices relating to the character you are romantically pursuing/courting, as diamond choices tend to give a boost in affection points with the character in the time of the context. 

In terms of diamonds, you can collect them through daily check-ins, watching ads (up to 3 times a day), and completing achievements. I would recommend checking through the walkthroughs to gauge how many diamonds you need per chapter, save up enough before starting the chapter. This way you won’t be unintentionally left hanging because you didn’t have enough diamonds to make the diamond choice that will boost your affection points with your romantic interest.

Verdict (4/5)

While it is pretty straight-forward, the main issue that many players no doubt have would be the shortage of diamonds and keys. Choices have a VIP option for players who want to skip the waiting and hoarding of diamonds. Of course, there is the concern that you might spend real money on a less than subpar title that totally didn’t deserve the diamonds spent. In that case, it might be better to scout reviews on the Choices wikia, which is what I do before I start a new title.

In-Game Events 

N/A

Overall, I find that the story-writing in Choices is of pretty good quality. In fact, High School Story really reminded me of Surviving High School, what with the timed questions and all. While I hope and wish that Pixelberry will bring back its older series, I'm content with what we have now. If you're looking to read some good stories, but don't mind grinding a bit for diamonds to make diamond choices, then check out Choices! 

Happy Gaming!

~ RieRie