In the March 2015 issue of AccessWorld, I reviewed Choice of Robots, a title in the Choice of Games series. Choice of Games is a style of interactive fiction where the player reads through a story, and makes selections along the way that change the narrative in various, and sometimes unpredictable ways. Each game in the Choice of Games series must be downloaded separately, if one decides to play on a mobile device.
In this article, we will take a look at another series of interactive fiction games, this time from Delight Games LLC. Delight Games is similar to Choice of Games in that the player works through a story, making choices along the way. Delight Games, however, provides a more unified experience by offering all of their games in one app. The entire library of games is shown in a menu featuring several series of games. The first volume of each series is playable for free, with subsequent games in the series available for purchase. It is possible to purchase a lifetime subscription to all current and future games for $49.99.
I tested the Delight Games app using an iPhone 6 running iOS version 9.2.1, and played through the first game in the Detective's Choice series. There are currently three games in the series, with more games under development. I purchased the second Detective's Choice game for $0.99 from within the Delight Games app. When I made the purchase, I was told that I had purchased Wizard's Choice 2 rather than the game I intended to buy, but when I checked, I had indeed purchased Detective's Choice 2, which was my intent. I also confirmed that I had not, in fact, purchased Wizard's Choice 2, which costs $1.99.
Each series of games in the Delight Games library is shown as a heading, with games listed below each series title. Other series besides the aforementioned Detective's Choice series include Monster Myths, Wizard's Choice, Zombie High, Bionic Bikini, Witch Saga, Solo Books, and Children's Books. Games in the Delight Games series are often referred to as books rather than games.
When playing a Delight Games title, it is important to be aware that you are playing a specific character with certain attributes, and not a character of your own choosing. For example, in the Detective's Choice series, your character is a 1930s hard drinking detective who has an eye for the ladies. If you try to make choices that a gentleman with the highest moral standards would make, your character will stumble all over himself and you will not be as successful at game play as if you took the character's personality into account when making choices. That said, there are still many choices available that will change the outcome of the game in interesting ways.
The Delight in Delight Games
I began playing my first Delight Game title, Detective's Choice 1, while sitting in a bowling alley while my wife supported several of her middle school students who were participating in a tournament. With one earbud firmly in place and VoiceOver slowed down to around 50 percent or so, I soon found myself engrossed in the story.
In the first Detective's Choice game, I played the character of Jack Jericho, a 1930s-era detective who is hired to solve a crime involving the murder of several girls in a burlesque dance troupe. Sissy, the dancer who hires Jack to solve the murders, becomes a target of the killer, and things get really interesting from that point on! All dialogue in the game was very tasteful, and I did not find myself playing an extremely violent or sexually explicit game, which might make some players uncomfortable.
During game play, I was easily able to read all elements of the screen, including my current stats, which included money, cool, life, and rage. These stats changed as game play progressed, and helped me to know how well my character was doing. The one VoiceOver issue I encountered was that in order to access the list of choices for each turn, I often had to do a four-finger tap at the bottom of the screen to ensure that I was on the last page of dialogue in order to see the list of game play choices for a particular turn. Starting at the bottom right corner of the screen, if I flicked left until I came out of the list of options available along the bottom of the screen, VoiceOver's focus went back to the story, and I had to repeat the process of doing a four-finger tap at the bottom of the screen all over again to get back to the list of options. This did not happen all of the time, but it happened quite frequently. Although I would like to see this issue fixed, it was by no means a show-stopper for me, and did not significantly slow down my game play experience.
Very occasional use of music and sound effects occurred when playing the game, but this did not happen often, and did not impede my ability to hear VoiceOver. I have no idea whether or not any graphics appear on the screen, but my guess is that very few if any show up at all.
Eventually, the bowling tournament ended, and it was time for me to be on my way. After shutting down the game and returning to it later, I was pleased to see that my place was automatically saved. In fact, according to the developers, game play is saved across all devices. You reach various checkpoints in the course of gameplay, and it is possible to return to these should you manage to get yourself killed, which is entirely likely. My character found himself dealing with black magic and dodging bullets, among other dangers. There is a Game History menu available at the top of the screen that allowed me to jump back to previous choices I had made. Jumping back to a previous point in the game cost me one coin. Coins are awarded for various achievements, such as finishing games, signing up for the Delight Games newsletter, and following the company on Twitter. It is also possible to purchase coins with an in-app purchase. In addition to coins, the player is awarded a number of life points at the beginning of the game being played. These points change to reflect the character's health status.
In the first Detective's Choice game, I learned that my character, Jack, had some knowledge of black magic, that he had been a cop, that his wife had died, and that he had been accused of her murder. In beginning the second game, I learned that his wife had died due to some sort of paranormal activity. As I play through the remaining games in the series, I am sure that my character will continue to develop. I find this aspect of game play particularly appealing.
The Bottom Line
I find the Delight Games interface and plots to be quite engaging. I enjoy the ability to track my character's health as well as other attributes, such as the "cool" factor. There are tons of achievements available from within the game, and VoiceOver tells me whether or not I have been awarded a particular achievement.
Except for the occasional extra step required to see the list of choices available during game play when using VoiceOver, I found all elements of game play to be very accessible.
If you enjoy playing interactive fiction, but don't enjoy solving extremely hard puzzles at every turn, I would encourage you to play through the titles in the Delight Games series.
Product Information
Delight Games LLC
Playable on phones, tablets, and PCs
Available on these platforms:
Price: The app is free. The first game in each series is free with a minimum $0.99 in-app purchase for each additional game in a series. A full subscription to all games is $49.99.
Related articles:
- Audio Game Review: A Blind Legend from DOWiNO and France Culture by Jamie Pauls
- Choice of Robots from Choice of Games LLC: A Game Review by Jamie Pauls
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