Steam-powered mechs meet forbidden sorcery in this interactive steampunk novel, inspired by Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Jekyll & Hyde, and Jack the Ripper!
Very Positive
177 Steam reviews
| LANGUAGE | AUDIO | SUBTITLES | INTERFACE |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | — | Y | Y |
Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 560:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (9/10)
There's no reason for [i]A Study in Steampunk: Choice by Gaslight[/i] to be this good. No reason at all. It's a Victorian steampunk setting—with magic. And not your usual "waving wand" magic, but an actual unique magic system that involves "the sun-touched" and "life-eaters" (more on that later). These two aspects should contradict each other, but it somehow is married so beautifully. Additionally, the plot literally grabbed me by my hair and shook me back and forth. I thought this was a simple mystery game. Oh, no. My poor main character went through an amazing story arc: war veteran with PTSD to secret agent to community doctor to secret agent to priest then to depressed. I can't say more, but I have [i]never[/i] been so emotionally affected by a CoG title before. I mean, I had fun, I guess? But I was distraught and horrified and almost brought to tears—by my own choices. I honestly felt depressed after finishing the game. There are no happy endings. I will NOT be replaying this game, so props to Heather Albano because my heart just hurts. I only have a couple quibbles regarding the romance, but that's such a small con.
[b][h2]Pros:[/h2][/b]
✅[b] Atmosphere.[/b] The game [i]gets[/i] Victorian steampunk. Smog-choked streets, class tension, secret societies, and that ever-present sense that something powerful is humming just beneath the surface. The tone is dark without being edgy. The tone is dark and grim without being over-the-top edgy. Magic doesn’t make things cooler or safer—it's another tool to hurt others. The game really leans into the idea that advancement comes at a human cost. People are tired. Systems are broken. Resistance exists, but it’s messy and compromised, and even doing the “right” thing often feels like damage control rather than a win.
✅[b] Magic system.[/b] The writing is just brilliant, as there are so many different morally grey areas. A central focus on the game's lore revolves around a group of people known as "the sun-touched" who possess the ability to drain or give life force to other people. Through this ability, the sun-touched and the vampiric "light-eaters" have created a feudal society at the expense of treating commoners as nothing more than cattle and serfs. On the other hand, your country, Mercia, has entered an "Enlightened Age." Your country believes in modern medicine and technology, ushering in great inventions at the cost of constant pleas for labor reform and unions. The problem is [i]you[/i] are secretly sun-touched. What will you do with your gift—or curse?
➡️ [b]The magic system works so well because it’s unique and logical.[/b] Life energy isn’t created out of thin air; it’s transferred, stolen, or preserved. That single rule explains everything: why society turns feudal, why the sun-touched sit at the top, and why exploitation becomes tradition rather than villainy. Magic actively influences politics or class. What makes it especially compelling is how cleanly this mirrors Mercia’s industrial revolution: different tools, same inequality, just dressed up as progress.
✅[b] Layered story with political intrigue, magic, spies, murder mysteries, and rebels![/b] You are not just a simple secret agent, like I thought. You're a doctor and a fighter. You're a spy and a magic user. You can even be [spoiler]a killer.[/spoiler] You treat the powerful and the powerless, rub shoulders with the royal family, then turn around and patch up the poor, all while navigating conspiracies that feel much bigger than you. Depending on your actions, your friends will support or abandon you. You might gain new allies or enemies. I genuinely couldn't tell where the plot was heading because I could not stop reading!
✅[b] Choices that matter.[/b] For an early CoG title, the story will veer sharply off the rails if you like. You can get your grubby hands [i]everywhere.[/i] I went in expecting something fairly shallow, but I came away so emotionally affected by the events that happened to my character. Most games only emphasize the divergent paths at the climax, but in this game, Albano manages to weave three or four different factions to side with. And the choices are not easy, either. Does the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few? Would you kill to protect someone you love? What is the main goal of a doctor? I also appreciated how the author gave a wide variety of responses, so you don't feel forced into extremes like many other titles.
✅[b] Emotional.[/b] I swear I'm not affected by sad events in games that much—but this one got me. Not in a big, dramatic way, but in that quiet, lingering way where you keep thinking about your choices after you’ve put the game down. Because [i]A Study in Steampunk: Choice by Gaslight[/i] gives you so much agency, the consequences feel personal. When things go wrong, it doesn’t feel like “the plot being tragic”; it feels like you messed up, or at least accepted a cost you knew was coming. It made me sit there for a bit and just process what I’d done, which is not something I can say about most games in this genre.
✅[b] Checkpoint system.[/b] A genuine QOL blessing! Being able to roll back without replaying half the game makes experimenting with choices feel encouraged rather than punished. More IF games should take notes here.
[b][h2]Mixed:[/h2][/b]
🟨[b] Male-only protagonist.[/b] This didn’t completely ruin the experience for me, but it’s noticeable. The story is written with a male protagonist, and it does affect your relationship with others and your class status. While the characterization is strong enough that I could roll with it, the lack of gender choice might feel limiting to other players. It’s understandable for an older CoG title, but it’s something to be aware of going in.
[b][h2]Cons:[/h2][/b]
🟥[b] Limited ROs.[/b] As far as I could tell, you must side with the corresponding faction to romance two out of three ROs. It makes sense narratively, but I was interested in Alexandra and did not have any content with her.
🟥[b] Grace treatment.[/b] This is my biggest con. First, Grace is an absolutely wonderful RO, a strong woman with a brilliant mind and caring side. The romance was a bit fast—you skip to courting, then proposing, then living together. No big deal, I can live with that because the narrative is so strong. MAJOR SPOILERS, but I was honestly [i]outraged[/i] by Grace's role after the halfway mark. [spoiler] So Grace gets ill with cholera. F*ck me, I guess. I use my life-eating magic to, ya know. Eat some bum's life to heal her. She survives, yay! But because I killed someone, she divorces me by letter and ups and leaves?????[/spoiler]. I don't mind that my actions have consequences at all, but that choice feels so rushed and abrupt. There’s no real confrontation, no space for argument or grief—just a sudden exit that flattens what had been a nuanced, meaningful relationship into a shock beat. It made me feel like the other ROs were the more "canon" choice. [spoiler]I would have loved an actual scene trying to explain, or a later scene where you win her back.[/spoiler]
🟥[b] Older game design.[/b] Because the game was published in 2015, it doesn't have the usual bells and whistles I'm used to. The stats page only has personality traits, and there are no relationship bars or banners.
[hr]
If you enjoyed this review, please check out my curator page to find more: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45814768-Verdict-Play-or-Pass/]Verdict: Play or Pass. [/url] Also, please leave a like and visit [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Indie_Gems]IndieGems[/url] and our YouTube channel for more reviews like this one.
[/hr]
The greatest game I've ever played!
主角很有个人魅力，叙事描写优秀，强烈推荐
Oh. My. God. If anyone here is even remotely considering buying this game. Do it. I've only played through it once, but this game has made me do the following with only text on a screen;
-cry
-scream
-rant about it for 3 hours straight
-want to throw my computer at my wall
10000/10 recommend.
还不错，好歹是个完整的故事，这在这么多HG里已经算好的了。。
各方面都属于优秀的一部作品。而且难度很低，最好结局也不难
故事是非常非常好的！角色都很丰满很有魅力，刚走完芬奇线HE，狠狠吃了一口甜甜小情侣，看到求婚和最后的为明天碰杯直接欣慰落泪。
If you enjoy Sherlock Holmes, interactive choice games, and good writing, this may be the game for you. It is set in a quasi-Victorian era not-England, where magic is real (and possibly very dangerous), and it tasks you as Doctor not-Watson to serve the crown in resolving some very peculiar cases. That's right, you are not the Sherlock Holmes stand-in here, you're actually playing the confidant. Although how you go about it, and how the roles eventually turn out, is really up to you. This game is up there on my favorites list along with A Choice of Robots and the Infinity series, highly recommended.
Haven't finished it yet but overall its a very well-written game, though I do think the author tells far more than they show. Having more dialogue from the various characters would really do a lot here and its a shame there's not more character building that way.
Edit: Gotta say this one actually surprised me, at first I didn't really care for it, it felt very episodic and a bit uninteresting since the first 2 or 3 chapters were very unrelated. However, after that the story really picks up and by the 3rd act you really do feel like you've made some pretty important choices. I personally loved the cast of characters and I appreciated how different things could go.
That said there are some big issues with the game, number 1 is that the player has very little understanding as to what choices will increase or decrease stats and I feel like the inclusion of choices that improve stats also leads to a weird pigeon holing where the player has to act or do certain things just to improve a skill.
Also my original thoughts about the game having too much telling instead of showing was accurate, there's a lot of handwaving in the text which I think really undermines stuff that could've been more powerful. Instead of handwaving the dialogue away into a single sentence or 2, delving deeply into the characters and their interactions as well as the various events in the story would've really heightened the emotional moments through the book. As it stands its still good but its painfully obvious how much better it could've been.
I also would've liked to see more information for the player, stats on how good the secret service are doing, or Free Mercia, or the mood of the public, etc. I think there was a lot of opportunity here to allow the player greater choice and change in the world and information like this would've been interesting if it'd been introduced into the narrative.
Finally, the amount of choice here does seem a bit slim, there are certainly alternate paths and there's plenty of replay value. These paths and choices exist in a very binary way though, you either save a person or you don't, you either stop a thing from happening or you don't with very little wiggle room or nuance which tends to make these paths feel a bit simplistic, even if they are interesting in their own way.
!Some spoilers in this review so be aware!
This CyoA is basically Sherlock Holmes mixed with other tales set in Victorian London. While it starts out interesting it quickly devolves into trying to do multiple stories in one game and seems rather haphazard. The added drama of your spouses death, if you choose one, to cholera seems both forced and only there to create drama. You help stop the whole outbreak as you find out people kept drinking a specific contaminated water source, yet for some stupid reason your spouse drinks from it almost immediately after the outbreak starts to clear up. But instead of recovering from it, like everyone else is stated to in game, they straight up die. And you CAN'T do anything to save them. No matter what they will die.
Long story short this had potential and wasn't able to fulfil it, which is a shame. The fact you also do not get to choose your gender or even your appearance is also just not something I enjoy. More often than not I lost interest in what I was doing and just skim read most stuff to just finish the game, which rarely happens with these kinds of games for me. So unfortunately I don't recommend this. 2/10
that fake death kinda ruined my ability to give a ♥♥♥♥ about anything that happend afterwards ngl
Одна из лучших историй от Choice of Games. Даже жаль, что руки до нее дошли только сейчас. Крайне интригующий сеттинг: не просто стимпанк (хотя он сам по себе хорош), тут тебе и политические интриги, и тема религиозного фанатизма и ксенофобии (притом показано адекватно, а не как глупая повесточка), и выбор между чувствами и долгом. Мироустройство прописано очень подробно и не скучно. Герои живые и харизматичные. Однозначно лайк.
非常好，福华代餐大满足！
唯一美中不足的是怎么存档，我连大存档点（章节存档）都找不到，help！
[strike] 被评论区说的福华代餐吸引了当场购买 [/strike]
然后懒人如我都为了Finch的剧情打完了四条线
[spoiler] 对我就是想看四遍空屋归来 [/spoiler] [spoiler] 最后都没舍得hit him [/spoiler]
[spoiler] 但Ripper线和Free Mercia线扭得真的很爽谁看谁懂！ [/spoiler]
剧本的话非常优秀，就是感觉蒸汽朋克的要素虽然有但也没那么重要（……？）
每次游玩的文本量还算可以，当然再多点会更好（理直气壮
总的来说瑕不掩瑜，如果要推荐朋友玩Choice of game类作品的话这作肯定在我的list上！
Great story. Easy to use interface.
really fun and great story :)
首通之后立刻激动地来写评价，真的是非常好的游戏！文本量大，逻辑通顺合理，主角博学冷静有头脑 ，最难能可贵的是各个选项都贴心地涵盖了玩家的各种心理，并不是一般文字冒险游戏那些非此即彼的选择，而是能贴合你矛盾心理的选项，这真是太赞了，毕竟人类本身就是复杂又矛盾的不是吗？
主角原型明显来自华生，但比原著或者各种改编里的华生都更有魅力，你能看到他丰富的内心描写，当然最终养成什么样是由玩家来决定的，但至少我的华生已经把我迷倒了（？
唯一一个让我感到无法选择的地方就是让你一定要选择一个阵营（政府、起义军、自己单杀之类的）的时候，因为每个阵营都有自己好和不好的地方，即使作为个人有不同的想法，但你总得选一个大体的前进路线——这也非常契合我们的现实生活，总是不能十全十美的。不过好消息是，即便你选择了阵营，在接下来的行动中，选项都还是可以遵从自己内心那种矛盾的情绪，并非就不能回头——实在是非常人性化了。
说真的我都想自己建一个组织了，可是游戏没有这个选项哈哈。
[spoiler] 实际上冲着福华来的，但首通做选择的时候都是发自内心，也就导致了并没有太多的恋爱路线情节——听说这个福很会，在我看到的描写中也确实挺会的，二刷就全选恋爱情节让我看看你到底有多会（？[/spoiler]
Good
One of my favourite CYOA games ever. The storylines are great and it really feels like your choices have an impact on the path you follow. I've replayed it many times already and will likely play through it a bunch more in the future. It really is a comfort game/story I can keep coming back to.
This is one of the best Hosted/Choices of games ever.
A very well written COYA, that takes you through an interesting steampunk setting based on Victorian-era Britain. Surprisingly lengthly, with tons of choices and consequences, really enjoyed it!
[h1] One Of The Best Text Games Out There[/h1]
This game starts off a bit slow but is one of the best I have played. The atmosphere is steampunk, the characters are reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes, and the choices matter. The short stories are great and your choices feel like that matter, with your character not feeling cut-and-pasted onto the next page. The choices feel similar to Sir Brante, which each choice seeming to lead to others but not in a extremely controlled manner -- more like the natural flow of a story.
Without spoiling the story, you are essentially a Dr. Watson type serving as an agent for the Crown. Your adventures range from airships to high-society balls. The writing is top-notch, neither dragging on and yet still keeping you reading along deciding what you will do. Your choices lead to a head and it seems there are multiple endings, each dependent on your own choices and path, meaning there is a lot of replay in this game for the price.
Overall, this is a great game and a gem. Top-notch writing, complex decisions, and an atmosphere only found in the pages of a good book. I can only recommend this
Oops, I accidentally caused a vampire invasion!
It's basically a game where you play an expy of Dr Watson in a fantasy/steampunk setting. I'm not a fan of the fact the game punishes you for being evil but other than that it's got some interesting world building that I enjoyed.
I wanted to love this game.
It's been on my wishlist since 6 years, and now I finally bought it, only to find out, that understanding of "Steampunk" can differ severely from person to person.
I expected a nearly realistic, retrofuturistic setting without any magic and fantasy. I looked forward to exploring those gas-lit alleyways and maybe spend some time onboard a zeppelin. What I didnt expect was "light-eaters", witchlike healers and non-human races, but exactly this was given to me, so it kind of threw me off track...
This is not a critique of the game per se, since I can see how other players enjoy it! But sadly, my expectations were completely different, so I ended up disappointed.
Why I am recommending it I am do so only because I liked it. Think a Sherlock Holmes novel, mixed with BattleTech, and stories by Gail Carriger. In other words robots, steampunk, and....vampires. It is a interesting setting and might not be to everybody's liking. The first play-through took me five hours and I am not too sure about the ending I got. Because I think it was a bad ending but I am not sure HOW I could have gotten a good ending. I was trying to play a balanced character - between being honorable but also realistically reasonable and good.
It's a pretty decent game! I got annoyed at some parts because it seemed like I was being offered choices that didn't really change much or matter, but overall, it was still an enjoyable story. I've only done one route so far, but I'd totally be willing to play a couple more to see how things could be different from my first playthrough
其实是搜索化身博士进来的，一看评论感觉无意中发现了宝藏。
Finch线真的好香，其他人物还没攻略，毕竟游戏的存档机制…（头秃）
不过玩完其实感觉当不了代餐，也许是因为Finch与军医实在让我没法认定他俩和福尔摩斯华生是一种人…
以下是通关开膛手线的瞎扯与一点剧透：
[spoiler]救命，我为什么要先打开膛手线，为什么，孩子被刀傻了呜呜…[spoiler]
[spoiler]于是我跑去跟媳妇分享悲伤两人一起痛苦（？[spoiler]
[spoiler]鬼知道为什么军医的25魅力被我拉到了77[spoiler]
[spoiler]文本可复制真好，英语白痴人一边看翻译一边过剧情[spoiler]
live laugh love
I actually really enjoy the game! I keep forgetting to play it until I remember that I have a save file, restart to the beginning, play like 2 hours in, close out to play tomorrow, and then repeat lol. I do really enjoy this game since I grew up reading the Choose Your Own Adventure Books :)
FREE MERCIA
Played through this for the first time years ago and still no interactive fiction story has beaten Choice By Gaslight for me. So, so fantastic!
If you're only ever going to play one CYOA game, let it be this one.
10/10 I want a Sequel
Very well written.
I've only played through it once so I can't say yet flexible the story is but regardless I really enjoyed it.
Good pacing, good action, and logical consequences.
There are two types of "decisions" in this game; those that consist of internal dialogue used to clarify your motivations and viewpoints on various subjects, and choices that actually have consequences. While some may argue that decisions without consequences serve no real use, I was surprised how successful those kinds of choices were at helping you define the role-playing aspect of the adventure.
Overall, great fun and I look forward to a sequel.
So far the story is really getting to me and it seems the choices you make cause well thought ramifications.
I really recommend this game to readers.
it good
My character went through an amazing story arc from war veteran with PTSD to secret agent to community doctor to secret agent again and the choices made felt like they really impacted the storyline.
The game involves a lot of reading but is not linear and the story could have gone so many different ways.
I was happy with the ending I achieved but re-playability is high and I will certainly try this again.
很棒的游戏，在蒸汽朋克世界中掺入了很多现实主义的社会问题，世界观宏大，不同选择会触发多种结局，重要的是可以选择攻略室友（愉快地代餐了福尔摩斯同人，这条线真实甚合我意.......
主角扮演戰後特工的一員，和你聰明和獨具魅力的室友Finch(沒錯，和相似Sherlock的味道w)一起搭檔來阻止敵國和帝國內暗湧的陰謀，這款的厲害之處是幾乎每個選擇都是有意義的，不會有那種一堆不明所以的選項，而角色的帶入感也寫作的十分良好。
我玩過的Choice of game其實不多，但個人真的覺得這款<A study in Steampunk>和<choice of robot>算上其中的佼佼之作，喜歡蒸氣龐克和奇幻魔法要素的人值得一試，它致敬了諸如<Sherlock Holmes>、<Jack the Ripper>等經典作品，文筆優秀的讓我這個英文渣也能硬著皮頭看下去XD
Atmospheric, moody, and well-written, this game offers many paths to explore and personalities you can express. It's all of the good stuff you want from a ChoiceScript game, and the author is generous in fleshing out small byways and unlikely routes. This is a ChoiceScript classic.
I'm not good at writing reviews, so I'll leave it at this game is severely underpriced for how much enjoyment I got from it.
One of the best "Choice of" games I played so far.
For every fan of those: It's at least as good as Choice of Robots or Choice of Rebels.
For everyone new to the genre:
- If you ever liked "Choose your own adventure" books? Play it, it's like those, but better
- If you just want to read an interesting novel or experience an interesting story? Play it, it easily holds up to most novels. And with different paths, it's almost as long as a long novel.
Some paths you can take make no sense and feel undeveloped.
You can get two, maybe three mildly interesting variations of the same route.
Other endings are not really great, to put it somewhat politely
[ + ]
• Visual Novel/Text-Adventure, mit starkem Einfluss der persönlichen Entscheidungen
• Man sollte der englischen Sprache mehr als nur mächtig sein, Visual Novels sind größtenteils in dieser Sprache verfasst
• Hohen Wieder-Spiel-Wert da man sich in jedem Durchlauf anders entscheiden kann mit jeweils anderen Konsequenzen
• Charaktere zeigen Tiefgang
• Auch gut für Sherlock Holmes-Fans, mit Hang zu Mystery und Crime
• Romance-Optionen vorhanden
[ - ]
• du kannst nur einen männlichen Protagonisten spielen
• die Länge ist durchaus beträchtlich, Augenpausen sind zwischendurch ganz angenehm
• ein Text-Adventure braucht nicht unbedingt visuelle Grafiken, aber durch den massiven Text fühlt man sich manchmal doch erschlagen, etwas visuellem hätte dem ganzen nicht geschadet (aus persönlichem Empfinden heraus)
我枯了，这什么神仙同人
我终于（在某位的不间断强烈安利下）通关了（游戏时长只是因为我之前看几个字就切出去了，还经常忘了关它，不要在意）
以下，涉嫌剧透
可选择的攻略线路真的很丰富，你可以选择攻略好心的军官女儿（请带入梅丽），自己的同居室友（请代入福尔摩斯）或是起义军的参与者（不知道该带入啥，但是我觉得可能部分参考了艾琳），甚至还能和一个很明显原型是艾琳的女歌手调情
好吧我这是玩儿成恋爱冒险游戏了不是
那说完恋爱就来说冒险吧
可选择的冒险线路也很多，你可以选择继续跟在一个原型明显是麦哥的人手下为政府工作解决国内外存在的种种威胁，或者跟着起义军试图用激进手段推翻腐败的政府换取一个全新的未来，或者加入太阳神庙成为治愈者治愈受难的东区民众并加入他们的和平示威游行试图一点点改变现状，要是以上都不符合你的胃口，你甚至还可以成为开膛手杰克，亲自处理在东区滋生的黑暗
总之玩就是了，不亏的，我只花了两天时间就通了一条线
唯一的缺点就是只有文字和每章节前的插图，跟玩阅读理解一样，低配橙光吧。但是剧情真的，太精彩了
This was amazing!! It is the first Choice Of game I have played and it was so immersive. The characters were very well written and the complexities of this world were well developed. I like how most things are not black and white. It makes the choices the protagonist can choose from more compelling. It is hard to describe why I like the game so much, but check it out and support the amazing author!
Very good game overall, but I feel like it could have gone on for significantly longer, and the story feels very stunted because of that. There was also a pretty important oversight where your partner asks you if you want to open a clinic so you can settle down with her and further your relationship. I chose no because I didn't want to stay in one place for an extended period of time, but in the next scene you get forced into opening a clinic anyways, without my girlfriend.
One of my favorite CYOA game. Some might complain the gender-locked feature, but I enjoyed the game. I wish there's more romantic interaction with the RO because Finch stole my heart. Anyway, would totally recommend this game
I *really* enjoyed this game. I kind of went in expecting something fairly shallow, but I came away actually... emotionally affected by the events that happened to my character. Most CYOA games I've come across only really emphasize the divergent paths right by the climax, but in this game there were so many branching paths that it felt like any of my (even insignificant) choices mattered.
Overall, a very strong recommendation, one of the better CYOA games and I haven't yet encountered another quite close to it. The game gives a rich, full life to your character, and the connections made with other characters are really meaningful and touching. I've been affected to the point where I'm somewhat reluctant to start another game, simply because I'm just so attached to my previous one. If that ain't high praise, I don't know what is.
Over the years, I've read quite a few Choose Your Own Adventure style books. This one is by far my favorite. The Victorian/Steampunk/Sherlock Holmes mish-mash scratched an itch I didn't know I had. I've read this over and over to find each nook and cranny and I'm still left wanting more. If you even suspect this might be in your wheelhouse, definitely give it a try.
Truly the greatest game of its genre that I have played. It is incredibly compelling and thoughtful, with a beautifully dizzing scope. I could not recommend this game more.
Absolutely fantastic. Top-notch writing, great array of choices (or at least well-concealed illusions of choice), and a strong sense of immersion. Time very well spent.
Well-written, excellently paced adventure. Wanted something to get me into the steampunk genre, and this is an excellent entry point. Highly recommend.
Rich, deep, complicated story. Another awesome game made by Choice Of. Love how it combined steampunk and magic with politics and social issues. A really delightful experience that is going to hook you up instantly.
This is a good one--the different paths all seem equally attractive, and different character builds seem viable. It's a great setting, and the story does it justice. Also, the obligatory political pandering is less obtrusive in this one, which is another minor plus.
You can't choose to play as a woman. If the "ABOUT THIS GAME" section on steam had said you could only play as a man I would not have purchased it. I am reading through the story anyways since I did purchase it, and I am not enjoying it as much as I had hoped, but it is still a well written story.
This is an amazingly good book. Not just a game, it's a good book. This is very well written not just as a book but as a game. Every choice you make actually does count. Branching storyline aside, every choice helps you build a character that feels very organic.
It's also strikingly accurate to the period without boring you to death with the details. The usual choices of sexuality are less prevelent in the more descrtionary aditudes of the Victrian-esque setting. And you can't be a woman or chose your background, likely because this is a setting where women are bared from a good number of things. Whether your character is okay with such things is up to you. As is whether you try to change them.
Your love interests are a heroine of her own story, a radiacal fighting for the common factory worker. The conventional, but opinionated young teacher who is always prepared to rise to challenge. And there is the sole male love interest, your partner: quick, witty, a send up to anyone who ever thought sherlock and watson would be cute together, while be a character unto himself.
You can join a group of radical reformers with an explosive deidcation, the unjustly maligned church and help the common man owning your hidden a misunderstood powers to do so, you can stay doing secret work for the government, you can sometimes even change sides. It is possible to end the game having been a part of all three major factions. Because people are more than just one thing and this game understands that immensely.
The best text-based "choices-matter" RPG that I've played so far. Great victorian steampunk atmosphere, a creative plot with deep characters. The writer always manages to hit the right notes, nicely done.
You play as a doctor Watson in a magic Sherlock Holmes universe. Yep. It's written by the same people as the ones from Choice of Romance: Affairs of the Court (another great buy), so if you liked that one, definitely get this one. I will say that Study in Steampunk felt more refined and that your choices carry more weight here.
You don't get to customize your character completely. You will always start out as a male army doctor. However, I don't think it retracts too much from the gameplay, as your choices definitely matter and will shape your character to your liking.
The romance options in this game were pretty nice. Since Study in Steampunk draws heavily from the Sherlock Holmes series, it was interesting to see how the Holmes character archetypes played out in this universe. However, I will say that for those who have not read those books, the romance options will not be too interesting, with only one (in my opinion) really fleshed out for you, another only to a limited degree (development is nonexistent), and the last going... well.
The story is wow-good. It reads like a detective novel and you can see some plot points coming from miles away, but it's so nicely written that it doesn't matter. I don't want to talk about it too much because I'll end up giving stuff away, but just know that it's very good. It will take you on a feels trip.
Overall good game, must buy. Great writing and story, but I have some beef with romance option equality.
I love this game and its characters too much.
Wow this game was good, decisions that matter, interesting characters and a solid length to boot. This game is well worth the price and one of Choice of Games best works.
One of my favorite CYOA games! Great writing, characters, and replay value.
One of the better CYOA titles. It isn't especially original - you will recognise most of the plot beats in advance if you've read classic books of the late-Victorian era. But the game does a wonderful job of blending sources together into something very playable and responsive to the choices of the protagonist.
Choice by Gaslight has a morally grey world which makes each playthough feel grounded and evenly weighted. There's some good replay value, with about four main arcs ([spoiler]establishment, revolutionary, monk and monster[/spoiler]) in addition to some shipping.
Easily one of the best CYOA games I've played (and I've played quite a lot of these.) The characters are engaging and memorable, the story is fun, and your choices actually affect the course of it. Of course, the main events are set in stone, but that's always the case in almost any game; but they can play out in a lot of different ways, and even on my fifth or so playthrough, I found branches that I hadn't even knewn were there before.
If you're still not sure, just look at how the playtimes of most reviewers are over 10 hours; usually, these games don't get more than 6, maybe 8 out of them.
A solid CYOA that mixes steampunk with a touch of magic. Excellently done.
Fantastic writing, great characters, an engaging plot, and choices that not only matter but are truly moral conundrums. Easily one of the best Choice of Games/Hosted Games available.
Out of all the text based/ choose your own adventure stories I've played this has been one of the best. Multiple paths, A decent length story, etc. It actually has multiple arcs which is already a huge plus. Only complaint is the lack of "Relationship" bars in the stats screen showing how your "companions" feel about you. But on the whole, just a very enjoyable experience.
If I am not mistaken, this might very well be the first review I have ever written... and this story deserves it! I was skeptical at first, as I hadn't really ever played any text-based adventures (odd, since i I am an aspiring author), but this little epic left me pleasantly surprised. I remained enthralled for hours, enjoying every moment of this steampunk world with its unique yet familiar historical elements, and characters you could really feel like you have gotten to know. The only issue I had was the end. NO, not the ENDING, which was as masterfully constructed as the rest of the story, I mean the fact that, like any story, it had to come to an end. I could have easily spent hours, if not DAYS more with this story. I can honestly say that A Study in Steampunk may have just given me a new obsession with text-based adventures.
A Study in Steampunk: Choice by Gaslight delivers on its claim to cmnbine classic elements of Gaslight literature into something new, but still familiar. The story of the former battlefield surgeon who works for the goverment of a technology-based society which struggles with a magic using enemy is shaped by the choices you make.
The game often gives your the freedom to define the motivation of your character, asks you why to story progessed in certain directions and gives you choices that not only are quite different, but sometimes make the decision which path to follow quite tough. So it creates tension even if all you have to do is clicking a button.
It's well written in an gracceful style that fits the theme of Steampunk. The action scenes are quick and suspenseful, the game gives you more ways to handle them then just firing a gun. The romance scenes - at least the gay one I played - were neat, sweet and well crafted. I actually was invested in the ups and downs of that part of the story, because the game doesn't shy away from the fact that in this fictional victorian-based era this kind of love had to be a secret one. That strengthened my ambition to find a way for a happy ending.
At the end the story worked for me and gave me goosebumps in its final chapter when all my character did and did not had a share on the outcome of the story.
One minor flaw is that theere is no recap after a finished chapter like in other Choice by- or Choice of- games. I'd have like that as a reminder of what went well and what went wrong during my time I played the heroic ex-battlefield surgeon.
Great adventure novel! I've completed it before, but you really get a solid amount of replay ability. I would definitly recommed playing if your not turned-off by a lack of pictures. Which to be honest I usually am, but this is just really good.
A decent CYOA game but it could have been better. It felt more linear and weaker in terms of writing and narrative compared to the other CYOA games I have played and the game made a few decisions for you instead of the other way around and at times the writing just felt a little off at times.
Has decent replayability though even if you'll always start the game as a 'suntouched' male army surgeon no matter what. Overall, not bad but not that great.
A Study In Steampunk is probabbly my second favorite C.O.Y.A. story. It features many choices that matter and a lengthy story compared to others. Lots of replay value. And it uses save points, which is rare in a C.O.Y.A. game. My only quibble is the story itself. It was well written but too different from the standard settings I was expecting. I would still recommend it for the price and overall quality though. Just be aware the story is different from what you might expect.
Never was a fan of the Steampunk vibe, I am now.
Heey, you can play as Watson-like and bang Sherlock-like with Steampunk and magic. Welcome to fanfiction
哇这根本就是一个蒸汽朋克AU的福尔摩斯同人嘛！！！！！简直是让冷圈没粮吃的我捡到大宝藏了！！！！！
而且游戏里面还可以选择性取向走Johnlock线是怎么回事？？？？？这不是……正中下怀吗！！！【笑得花枝乱颤.jpg
哇这个剧情好紧张好虐，走了Johnlock线的我虽然早已习惯一切套路但还是哭成狗了好吗！
那个假死的在外面受苦三年，怎么还忍心像正剧里一样打他！当然是选择原谅他啦！【快乐
感情线结局有点草率的9/10
A very unique game where you play a Watson-analoge helping a Holmes-analoge hunt down spies in a sprawling city. Unlike other games given the 'steampunk' label, this one has clearly fictional geography, so if you are going to get a game in the genere I'd recommend this one the most for that reason. The more worldbuildg an interactive fiction game does, the better.
目前几款choice of games中最喜欢的一款。。故事性很强，而且背景是我最喜欢的维多利亚时期的伦敦，游戏时间也会很长（
I was surprised that there was no option as to your gender. Let's say they only allowed men in the army within the setting, even woman had been known to pose as men during the war so they could join up. If choosing your gender is important to you, I don't recommend this game. Otherwise, feel free, it's good enough.
Of all the "Choice of" games I've played this one has to be my favorite. While it draws inspiration from classic tales, it succesfully weaves in creative and original storylines that keep you hooked. I usually just do a single playthrough of a game and go back to quickly change my choices and skim through the different outcomes, but I actually felt compelled to take my time and enjoyed replaying Choice by Gaslight. The characters feel real and their personalities and views make them enjoyable to interact with. They're people and have certain opinions set in stone, but they aren't as prone to flipping out on you if you do one thing wrong like a lot of the other games seem to do. The author was thoughtful enough to give you a whole list of dialogue options to choose from so you don't feel as penciled in or as forced into a strong opinion when you mean to be moderate like many other Choice Of games often do. The characters and story as easy to get invested in and fall in love with (i don't want to admit how many times i've replayed this to re-romance one character *cough* Alexandra *cough*) and the game gives you many chances to develop your MC. It also, thankfully, has opportunities to save your progress as the end of each act. It's a shame that they gender-lock your MC and have no character relationship meter like some other Choice Of games have, but I can't recommend this game enough and only pray that there's hopefully a sequel for it someday.
At the end of the game, there's an option to get email updates about future games from the developer.
Here's a thought: SEQUEL, PLEASE!
Amazing game, beautiful story. As someone who really needs to get hooked on something to get into reading, this game was perfect. The choices were tough, I cried, but there was just enough guidance throughout the game to help me achieve what i wanted, and enough wiggle room to follow the paths at my own free will. My Silvertongued Doctor has gone on many adventures- and my grilfriend's build, the Bad-At-Doctoring but Good-At-Shooting has been just as enjoyable.
The storyline was great. The characters were really interesting, which I know can sometimes be difficult for multiple-choice games. There were a lot of choices that had really significant impact on the overall story, which I know is another difficult thing for multiple-choice games: usually where there's a lot of choice, there's not a lot of story or character development; and where there is a lot of story and character development, there's not a lot of real choices. That had the perfect mix, and because of that there was a lot of reply value. Overall, it was definitely worth the price, and I spent a lot of time enjoying this game
While not as emotionally poignant as Choice of Robots, the amount of fun I had playing this game is impossible for me to downplay. Unravelling conspiracies while forging who I was in this engrossing world was so satisfying to me.
*SPOILERS*
I played the game as a smooth-talker, through and through. And the feeling of satisfaction I got from dismantling The Professor's uprising by subtly dissuading his troops was one of the most satisfying things I've done in a video game. There's still much more for me to do, as well! Become a healer, become a light-eater, bring the Empire to it's downfall, the variety here is astonishing. 9/10, only loses a point because I found myself accidentally romancing someone, though that may be my fault. On Par, if not better than Choice of Robots, in my mind.
Basically, you're Doctor Watson to Sherlock Holmes in choose-your-own-adventure steampunk London, solving crimes, dealing with vampyric sorcery, and forging relationships, in the context of a clash of empires. Satisfying range of mysteries and engaging option of responses. What's not to like?
I do believe the story here is more intricate due to the politics and plots surrounding you. Another point of reinforcement is that there are multiple endings and just a single mistake on your part can lead to an ending that you wouldn't wish.
Plus, epic plot twist. Like man, really great. Try it out for yourself to see what it feels like.
I tried to waltz but failed miserably because of my leg injury . This game is very realistic.
This game was enjoyable, and I think it would be whether or not you're a Holmes fan in general.
HOLY CRAP!! i just finshed the game, what a game! absalutly briliant! man i almost shed a tear at some parts, i got way to involved in this, and its easy to open and it looks like work so i can just pull it up in class and it basically reading abook, but nothing like ive ever read! Although my ending did end were it began, i ened in a time of "peace" but still tenssion, single, working as a spy, and being roommates with Finch. During my run this was drastically different but they all came back to its original state. that was the only fault i would say. Other than that, you got to get this suprisingly amazing game! And i dont really read books unless im forced too!
Short version : this is a top-notch adventure book. I felt compelled to go back to try out alternate endings, some of them completely hidden and unexpected even once the general structure of the book starts to be clear (after the 2nd complete playthrough).
Long version : up until now, this is the only book I read in the choice of games batch that approaches the level of Guns of Infinity (even though the Infinity series definitely is superior to Gaslight). The pros are the beautiful setting, the replayability, the well fleshed-out characters, and the social/political scenery (which is rare enough to mention, since most games talk about elves and giants, not about labour law reforms and religious freedoms). The neutral are the writing (decent but not great), the difficulty (can be easy after some playthrough, the difficulty rests in unlocking all achievements). The cons are non.
I'm always a fan of a good choose-your-own-adventure game, but this one I found to be truly outstanding. I just finished my first playthrough, and the first thing I did, just before writing this review, was to email the author to ask about a sequel. The world she has crafted is complex, interesting, and believable. The magic she has added to this world is minimal, but she has used it to astounding effect. What I enjoyed most though were her characters. Pretty much everyone I met eveolved to be more than just an extra to fill space. I have in fact fallen so in love with my own character that I hesitate to replay the game, as I feel I would lose the connection that was created. And because I was able to do exactly what I wanted at nearly every turn, and so that character really feels like me. It could just be that the autor and myself think in much the same way, but I think it's more likely she has a great talent for this. I will be playing more of her games post haste.
I absolutely love this game! Although I did miss that it doesn't have graphics or drawings, the writing is so wonderful and detailed! I think there was only one instance that a decision I wanted to make wasn't already listed, and I usually want to make odd choices! So I was quite happy with what they had! There is also the replay value! So many avenues you can take your stories and try again to see where they lead! This is a highly recommended game!
Probably the best of the ten or so Choice of Games offerings I have played.
The greatest thing about this game, is that it doesn't end at where you expect it to end, which is truely remarkable compared to other games in this genre. Besides that it has a really solid content, and a lot of references to the Sherlock holmes series. I believe this game is worthing playing for at least a while.
This game made me cry. Twice.
It's a unique take on Sherlock Holmes in a world with magic and a war born of severe cultural divide. Unlike most Holmes stories with magic, it approaches the subject in a concrete way that doesn't trivialize the detective work. It isn't strictly a detective story, though - it's really more about deciding how your character views his own abilities, the political conflict in the world, and his role in the ongoing conflict.
If you're looking for a game where you get to discover the evidence and come to your own conclusions, this isn't it, but if you want to see some very interesting world-building and make choices - often morally grey ones - about how you fit into that world, you should give this a try.
Probably the element that impacted me the most, though, is one of the romance options. All games by this publisher (to my knowledge) allow you to pursue relationships with certain characters regardless of their and your gender. Unlike other games by this publisher, you can only play a male character in this game (in my opinion, the quality of the writing still puts this one head and shoulders over the others, but I am a man, so I'm probably biased). There is a gay romance option that occurs so beautifully and naturally that I became very invested in it. As a gay man, I'd love it if more games had relationships like this one.
I love this precious gem to bits. The choices do matter, the reactions feel believable and the characters are well-rounded and real. I hope the author would write a sequel, and eagerly await her future games. Among all the CoG games I've played, I would put this one at least on an equal footing with The Choice of Robots. Highly recommended.
One of the better of these types of games on steam
While it took me a little while to grasp the story in the beginning, I loved how it all played out. From start to finish, it was a total joy to read through. I would easily give this a 10/10.
This was a great choice game. You truely feel the impact of your choices and cannot help but wounder how different things would be if you had made a different choice. A++ I would strongly recommend this to anyone that enjoy's choice games, and to the person that made this THANK YOU! I really enjoyed it.
This is the most involving book I have read (played?) through in a while. The characters are quite personable and I found myself restarting each part, just to make sure the characters I liked stayed around another day. At one point in my story, the main character (you, sorta - it's written in 2nd person POV) goes through a depression and it truly felt as though I experienced the same exasperating situation and loss. It's certainly been a while since I've read a serious, quality choose-your-own-adventure novel, and I'm glad I chose this one.
The immersion I experienced had my heart beating when things looked grim but turned out better than expected, waves of relief when there's a moment of safety, and the weight of the empire on my shoulders when a traitor or Vlaski spy is trying to ruin my perfect balance of action and respite.
The only problem for me was there were a few more typing errors than I'd like to see, but honestly, it's 277,000 words with intricate branching paths and lots of replay value, so it's not that big of a deal. This is a book that captured the attention of a person who hasn't read for pleasure in years due to depression, and that includes required reading selections for courses. This is definitely worth the $3.99 USD, and I'd buy it again in a heartbeat if something happened to it in my game library.
TL;DR: Quality writing, highly immersive, action, drama, romance options, worth more than some $15 books I have.
A choose your own adventure game that I enjoyed more than any of the choose your own adventure books. I felt sadness, amusement, loss, apathy, and genuine surprise from a story with decent pacing told in an intriguing fleshed outworld where people struggle over political and religious differences.
I didn't play this game, i've just loaded it and then heard a fight in neighbourhood. One drunk man fighted with 3 teenagers. i wasn't interfering, just recording video on cam when cops arrived and take me with fighters as witnesser. 2h30m later i came back and didn't want to play anything.
But feelings were great. Definitely would reccommend this game.
