Make the movie of your dreams amid the glamor and romance of 1950s Hollywood! Hire Alfred Hitchcock, seduce Greta Garbo, or build your studio into a powerhouse.
Very Positive
90 Steam reviews
| LANGUAGE | AUDIO | SUBTITLES | INTERFACE |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | — | Y | Y |
Original and enjoyable. More A choose path game than a real rpg, but with considerable rpg potential. A littlle on the progressive preachy side, which restrains the ending from replayability.
Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 190:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ (8/10)
[i]Hollywood Visionary[/i] completely caught me off guard in the best way. I expected a short, quirky sim about making a 1950s movie, but what I found was a heartfelt, politically-charged, character-rich narrative wrapped in a surprisingly tight gameplay loop. Despite being one of Choice of Games’ older titles, it still holds up thanks to strong writing, nuanced choices, and an unexpectedly powerful emotional core.
🎬 [b]Pros:[/b]
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[*] You really do get to make your own movie—and it matters. The game lets you choose your film’s genre, themes, casting choices, director, and production focus (technical polish vs. star power, for example). These aren’t cosmetic choices either: they ripple through your budget, PR, critical reception, and how your story ends. For example, if you’re making a mystery movie, you don’t want to hire actors known for romance. And you don’t want the pacing to be quick either. You can make a total flop, as well: a French, artistic silent film with A-list actors. There’s a lot of choices.
[*] Stat management that’s actually fun, not overwhelming. You’re not just a director; you’re a businessperson, a boss, and a public figure. You have to manage your reputation, charisma, technical skills, people-pleasing abilities, your crew, and financial oversight. The stat system is clear and flexible, as well.
[*] A shockingly sharp and grounded Red Scare subplot. Just when you think you’ve settled into a fun Hollywood production sim, the game pivots into heavier territory: the McCarthy-era blacklists, HUAC hearings, and political paranoia. This storyline is woven into your relationships, your film, and your personal ethics. You’ll have to make decisions about loyalty, safety, and survival in a climate where being different—or simply principled—can cost you everything. For example, [spoiler]I chose to betray a close friend to preserve my career after being accused of being a communist. I mean, I WAS, but … oopsie. This, in turn, made my friend blacklisted and poor. Yikes.[/spoiler]
[*] Romance options that feel natural. I believe there's only three: the Actor, Grip, or your assistant (and an option to romance the Actor and Grip!). They’re not overly dramatic, but they do feel meaningful, especially since the world around you doesn’t always make space for love, especially LGBT love. They react to your choices as well. If you ignore your assistant, you can't romance them. Betray a trusted friend, and the Actor will break up with you.
[*] Your niece. One of the most touching elements of the game is your relationship with your young niece. Whether you play a parental role or take a step back, your choices impact her growth, outlook, and future. She’s more than just a side character; she becomes a reflection of the values you’ve modeled. I found myself liking her spunk and charm!
[*] Clean, confident writing. Despite being an older Choice of Games title, the writing is refreshingly polished. There are little to no typos, and the prose strikes a balance between era-appropriate flair and clear emotional tone. Dialogues feel natural. Scenes are long yet don’t drag on.
[*] Quietly inclusive with strong LGBT+ support. The game lets you define your gender identity, pronouns, and romantic interests freely, without fanfare or awkwardness. It’s baked into the story’s structure rather than treated as a “feature.” The way it handles being gay or trans—especially in a 1950s setting—is affirming, and while there are some comments about your appearance, it’s not made a big deal.
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🎥 [b]Cons:[/b]
[list]
[*] The ending feels a bit rushed, especially after such a strong build-up. For a game that gives you this much control over your choices and stats, the finale can feel sudden. Important emotional and narrative arcs—like the political fallout or the success of your film—wrap up quickly, sometimes in just a few scenes. It’s not bad, but it feels like the final act needed more time to show the consequences of your actions.
[*] Can be tough to get the exact ending you’re aiming for. Between the overlapping systems (stats, money, relationships, production decisions), it’s sometimes hard to know what exactly leads to a "successful" or fulfilling ending. If you didn’t carefully min-max or replay certain scenes, you might end up with an unsatisfying outcome that doesn't feel earned, even if you made strong narrative choices. It’s a little opaque in that sense.
[*] It shows its age as an early Choice of Games title. Compared to newer CoG releases, [i]Hollywood Visionary[/i] lacks some quality-of-life features and mechanical nuance. There’s no visible stat-testing feedback, no detailed relationship breakdowns, and the UI is basic. If you’re used to the more complex or dynamic scripting of newer IFs, this one might feel slightly dated. But its strengths in writing and structure still carry it.
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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.
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A great experience, worthy of multiple playthroughs. While the writing may not have been entirely immersive for the time period, I appreciated the dive into real world historical politics, with regards to queerness and censorship in the film industry.
This game is fantastic! I do love the classic Hollywood setting, and perhaps that's a bias of mine, but it's executed really well. Creating a script outline and establishing my character intuitively through the early interactions really felt like I had a hand in establishing some of the tone. I resisted the urge to restart after a couple of choices I regretted making, but decided to push forward. I'm glad I did. Living with these choices is what really seemed to bring the drama to life. I was very emotionally invested by the end.
The writing is great. It situates you fully in the world and captures your imagination and there's not a lot of fat on the prose, which keeps the momentum up.
Definite recommend for those who love a classic Hollywood setting. Good suspense/thriller elements.
I loved this game! It really captures the vibe of vintage Hollywood, and some of the choices hurt to make (in a good way). I've read a lot about the movie industry, and I even wrote my own interactive fiction game about it (Last Chance in Xollywood), so I really appreciated all the small details in this game. The writer really knows his stuff!
Really fun! Captures Hollywood in the 1950's very well.
This is a banger narrative choice game set in the Red Scare of Hollywood. If your computer exists, it can probably run this game. I've beaten it a few times, it's a very quick play. Still love it. Full endorse if you like the genre, 10/10.
Fish is the man.
If you want a simple managment style game with very little character focus and a simple story then this would be great for you. I however, don't tend to enjoy these kinds of CYOA books since they provide a lot of choice but don't make you actually care about anything you do. The romantic interests are very fine, not great and certainly bland, the other characters either lack detail or feel boring even with it. Honestly its just not my thing, but I'm sure someone who loves hollywood history and stuff would love it.
Enjoyable game, from an interesting time period. Lots of neat little tidbits for those who love Hollywood's Golden Age. Could have done with a bit more of an epilogue to round the story out, but altogether, very good.
This is a 'Choice Of' game, which is essentially a choose-your-own-adventure program. Some mild resource management like "stress" or "funds" affects outcomes, but otherwise the entire game is writing. And it is well-written. Hollywood Visionary is a good story, and you do get a diverse array of choices.
I was happy to see that these games are available on PC. They might be better for mobile formats, where you can pick them up and enjoy them for short bursts, but it's nice to have them for a big, distraction-free computer screen as well.
At 4.99, they're the cost of a slightly pricey coffee drink. It's worth it to try one out, and Hollywood Visionary is as good as any to start with. If it doesn't sound good on PC, they should be available on mobile devices, as well.
Très Très bon. Il faut savoir lire l'anglais. Mais Quelle surprise à l'époque où l'on voit de moins en moins de profondeur dans toutes les productions, de découvrir un jeu "dont vous êtes le héro" dans sa forme la plus commune, celle d'un livre numérique. Aucun artifice, juste le talent de conteur de l'auteur et surtout, le désir de re-découvrir l'époque du maccarthysme dans l'univers flamboyant d'un Hollywood où les artistes n'étaient pas encore tous au service du Grand Capital. Ca fait du bien de trouver une narration intelligente.
Fun story, great customization, interesting scenes. Nothing life-changing but a game worth playing if you like to read and customize your stories.
Hollywood Visionary is a masterful example of choose your own adventure. While I've only played once, I was left thinking back to the many directions my story would have taken if I had made different choices. I found myself on the edge of my seat with the twists and turns that the story went in, even often finding myself staring at the screen, wondering what the best decision was to make. This is such a fun experience and I could not recommend it more.
Entertaining and fun read
不愧是我，无论什么游戏都会完美避开恋爱支线的事业人士（太惨了我也想谈甜甜的恋爱啊）
再：不支持中文，但是对词汇量要求不是很大。
再再：我肯定玩了不止这么久，一切都是离线游戏的锅
[spoiler]第一个档的结局：被blacklist封杀的疑似共产党支持者的才华电影制作人[/spoiler]bkswbksw
总的来说还很好玩的，不过因为我对好莱坞涉猎不深，都是玩的时候即时查资料去了解人物的，所以对一些情节人物可能没啥感触……
good
Very enjoyable, especially if you're a movie aficionado. Competent writing. Relatively short, but with a very high replay value due to the multiple choices that change the outcomes of events.
Not much replay value here. The story is pretty much the exact same every time. It's neat seeing some of the old Hollywood name drops, but the effect quickly wears off.
This is a great game and I played many times. One playthrough, I went over-budget, had quite a few thing go wrong, revealed myself to be a former communist, got blacklisted, got arrested and I still got the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award. Once again, great game, I recommend it to anyone who likes text based games.
Engrossing, very well-written interactive story with many, many choices throughout which customize your journey from starting up a film studio to screening and reading a review of your first independent film.
You have control over almost all of the details involved, and keep track of stats to see what your film is becoming and how you're treating your crew as well as yourself.
It's like reading a really good book being written while you get to control its writer. Highly recommended!
Edit, a long time later: there are no crazy story branches that take it to a completely different section, it's more a case of there being enough choices along the linear path to make it really interesting, even worth multiple play-throughs. I find myself coming back to this one.
Disappointing... I was expecting some classic Hollywood hijinx, the kind of craziness depicted in "Moonlight and Magnolias", or "The Producers", but instead it's a bog-standard choice-of with a Hollywood skin. A great setting, completely squandered. Here's how:
1. You only get to make one film, and the details of that film don't seem to affect the story in any way (they can unlock some achievements, though!). Just nudge up the quality number to ensure it's a classic.
2. It's frustratingly one-sided in its politics. (I know, it's a choice-of, but still...) Rather than setting it in the golden era (surely the obvious choice?), it's in the 50s, and I think this is purely to bring in McCarthyism. Why do this? Well, you can maybe guess... still, it could theoretically have been made fun, but here the choice is between being an imaginative, freethinking pinko martyr or a creatively-bankrupt establishmentarian sellout. There should have been another axis, imho (or let my cigar-chomping oppressor-of-the-masses bribe the senator, or something). However, I suspect fun was lower priority than The Message. I could say more, but I'll leave it... just know that, for some, this will be an irritant throughout.
3. The relationship stuff seemed a bit rubbish. (To be fair, I wasn't massively gung-ho in pursuing one, since neither option seemed that interesting, but I can't be bothered playing again to say more.)
4. The writing is adequate, but no more.
5. The scenarios are lacklustre. None really stand out.
In the tradition of games like Executive Suite and Hidden Agenda, Hollywood Visionary was an absolute joy to play. Plenty of options and paths to go down for a small game like this. (It is NOT a "visual novel" in the vein of Bible Black or England Exchange - it's much more engaging). I'm looking forward to this company's next release!
Bad writing. Indistinctive, unlikeable characters that are impossible to get attached to, besides maybe your niece, but your relationship with her is cheesy and unrealistic, bonding much too quickly. No clues to possibly know about "the twist", there needs to be atleast a bit of subtle foreshadowing, not to notice in the moment, but to notice when replaying as a clever subtle detail, and I've found many of those in tons of other choice of games. I ususally love these interactive novels, and I've played quite a few of choice of games, but I just couldn't get into this one unlike the others. Choice of Robots and Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven were my favorites if you want a better one than this. I mean, seriously, the actress/actor you meet at the resturant and the grip barely have any personality differences. No contrast, no side by side display of their personalities by having to side with one in a crisis, nothing! Very poor character development overall. Don't waste your brain cells on this game. It's trash.
i love this game! it's a good, wholesome text-based game! it's, of course, fictional, but contains a lot of factual information on censorship during the cold war and the maccarthy trials too!
i also adore the options relating to gender and romance in the game! very inclusive of lgbt identities, especially nonbinary identities which are often overlooked in good media representation.
I really hope whoever wrote this game reads this review, because I want something from you:
Make a Movie Studio sim game. Forget the story, relationships, etc. The BEST part of this game was all the choices I had to make managing the project, choices that often felt cheaped compared to the constant over the top plot contrivances. The choices for the movie were great, though. Really, everything about them.
I am recommending this, NOT for the story, but for how delightful it was to follow the development of the movie and see how it turned out.
Nope. This is just the worst, least thought out game that I have played in a long time. 1/10
Told my boss he's an a**hat, wrote/directed an original horror movie, told the commy crusader to piss off, and nearly died from an heart attack.
10/10 would tell the government to suck it again.
This is a game about you directing your own story. You control every quality element of your film from its script to its distribution. The game welcomingly features LGBTQ narratives, with choices of heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual relationships -- or romantic asexual, if you prefer.
I honestly love these games. The story is engaging, your choices HEAVILY matter and the fact that it's reading adds to the imagination in one's head.
I loved the conflicts in this game, loved the characters, the hope to be the next big thing.
10/10 easily without a doubt.
Im a big fan of the genre I would have to say this was one of the easier reads and it does a good job of making the story feel personal in some spots which I like. I would reccomend to anyone who enjoys these types of games.
I came expecting all of the classic Hollywood tropes, and I wasn't disappointed. This is a very good Choice Of game: the writing bounced along, and the story moved briskly from beat to beat. The only bit that I wasn't crazy about with the interlude with the dog, but even that is relatively quickly clicked through.
It's not especially long, but it's exactly as long as it needs to be. I played it through several times, and enjoyed messing with the movie's stats to see just how good (or bad) a movie I could make. The ending in particular was moving and unexpectedly emotional. I highly recommend this one.
Hollywood Visionary is one of my favourite entries from the Choice of Games brand. For those unfamiliar with Choice of Games, they are a series of interactive stories inspired by the old 'choose your own adventure' books. The format has been improved upon, and the presentation is both slick and intuitive.
I went into this game a fan of the brand, but not expecting to be particularly enthralled with this story or setting. I was wrong. The premise is that you have a dream movie you wish to create, and the story that follows explores whether or not you can achieve this dream, and the ups and downs you experience on your journey to this end goal. These games tend to give a nice perspective of life, but I think this one was a standout.
If you are interested, I have a video discussing Choice of Games, and some of the entries within their series. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22wAYzW_CdM
My favorite Choice of game! great era, great references, great story, great possibillities,...
Just a great game!
i was a gay commie
11/10 would hire hitchcock for an erotic sci-fi movie again
10/10. Would make Micheal Bay write and direct a "comody romantic drama" that wins the Oscar for screenwriting again.
Yes
I like the game, but there's a glitch with the name-formatting of the grip, for one - I can insert any last name I want, but it'll still inevitably say 'there's already a character with this last name' unless I pick a pre-determined one.
This bug has been around since launch (I originally got it on another platform), and I'm surprised it hasn't been fixed yet.
I loved it
Live the life of a film producer! Complete with the option of being completely incompetent at producing films, or to be incompetent at something else yet insistent on being involved anyways. Scrimp, save, and release a terrible movie, or blow your budget and make a terrible movie anyways! Mind you, I'm exaggerating the difficulty here. There's some replay value to be had in seeing how perfect a movie one can make, but producing a really terrible movie seems to require actively sabotaging your own run.
Much of the value of Hollywood Visionary comes from the imagination of the player. The player extensively customizes what kind of movie they're making, and the author relieves the burden of representing all the ramifications of this choice by writing around the events of the movie. (There's a recurrent "how the movie is progressing based on all your stats" screen that is seen several times per playthrough.) I think it works. The Auteur achievement is a great example of the spurs that the game can give to the imagination in spite of its sparse representation of the process. Gained for producing a film in which the player is also the Writer, Director, and Starring Actor, this very difficult platespinning act is easily imagined as a parody of Hollywood narcissism. There is as well an inexhaustible reservoir of imagination to be tapped in the movie customization options. If you've ever wanted to envision a particular kind of movie sweeping the box office, play Hollywood Visionary and try to realize that vision in perfection.
As for the story around the production, it weaves a very interesting tale of the main character's social life in a stressful time. It seems impossible to balance it in a way that keeps everyone involved happy, but the achievements I haven't got yet hint that there are still secrets hiding from me in the twists and turns of the game's story. For one thing, I've only been able to ignore the kid partway, which has kept me from seeing all the content in the other relationships. I adored her from the word go, because I know what it's like to have terrible parents. but my attachment was really sealed when I saw "Myna" in the list of names suggested for her. She's a bright-minded chatterbox. It was perfect.
On a less impressive side, there's also the occasionally heavy-handed portrayal of the Red Scare era of Hollywood. The author offers a few bones to a player who wants to avoid the hypocrisy of bourgouis communism that has so often held sway in Hollywood's culture, but even if the player takes up such a character the author never delves into the mindset that would motivate opposition to communism. The sympathies of the writer seem quite averse to exploring that perspective; communist agitation is simply treated as automatically more principled than communist opposition.
Still, in today's present era of liberal intolerance, the story serves as a timely reminder that we must respect tolerance as a principle and an ideal if we are to protect liberty. The prior era of conservative intolerance is no long-forgotten remnant, but a reality that people suffered under as recently as twenty years ago. At its apex in decades still farther back conservative intolerance promoted speech codes that strangled the creativity of America's artists. Threats against free speech are not solely the province of the right or the left, but rather they come from authoritarianism and hateful partisanship, failings which must be guarded against no matter which side is being tempted into it. People like Creed who insist that all opposition to them arises from evil are a real world hazard that principled idealists of every creed must be alert to defend against.
For the quality of its writing and the inclusion of appealing simulation elements, I consider Hollywood Visionary one of the finest entries in the Choice of Games catalogue. It deserves a place in the collection of every Choice of Games fan.
Absolutely amazing. Beautiful, intense and thrilling story. A real journey. I loved it.
[h1]Engaging story and well written[/h1]
I personly enjoyed th historical factors concerning the witch hunt of communists and the overall atmosphere.
You can also choose gender, appearance and name for the protagonist and almost every other character.
While your main focus is the creation of your movie you also have to navigate your relationships and the financial state of your company (while trying not end up in the hospital from exhaustion).
All in all:
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[*]awesom game
[*]fair price
[*]achivement hunting is real fun ;)
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Very well written and entertaining, with lots of choices and high level of customization. Something every fan of the moving picture and choice and consequence games should at least try.
In this text-based interactive novel, you get to be the founder of your own independent film studio and possibly write, edit, direct, produce, and even star in your own film! Navigate your way through 50s Hollywood and decide where you want to spend your film budget -- will you ask your buddies to star as actors in your film or seek out more expensive but famous options? Not to mention who might direct your film... you could always get Hitchcock if you try your best! But maybe he wouldn't be the best for a sci-fi flick with a romance subplot.
The possibilities are endless. You get to customize your film on ALL levels, and will even get the opportunity to improve it on certain (weak) points while time progresses. In the meantime, against the backdrop of the Cold War, there's a lot of discussion about in what ways independent film studios are influencing the American public through Red propaganda. Are you a Commie or not? And is your film all you think about or do you have some time left for romance? Time will tell!
[h1][b]Pros[/b][/h1]
+ Real immersion in the 50s world of Hollywood
+ Lots of customization options for your own film that affect all the different endings
+ The ability to also customize the people around you (friends, family, actors)
[h1][b]Cons[/b][/h1]
- No save points
- Pretty short, can be finished in ± 1.5 hours
- The courtcase surrounding the whole communism/blacklist angle felt forced
The most enjoyable part about [i]Hollywood Visionary[/i] was, to me, the ability to customize my film to such a great degree. You can truly create something that feels like it could be yours, and even get to enjoy the reviews/response once your film is released. The whole 50s vibe was amazing, mainly thanks to all the famous Hollywood people popping up here and there in the story. Though the Cold War angle could have worked, being pursued by an angry law-enforcing stereotype who drags you to court felt very forced (and distracted a lot from my precious film!).
If you like this kind of 50s Hollywood stuff, then this Choose Your Own Adventure game could be the one for you. I had a lot of fun directing and writing my own romance adventure film that bombed at the box office -- no hard feelings, because I eventually left Tinseltown with a happy threesome consisting of me, a handsome actor, and a stagehand.
As always, a great "Choice of Games" game. A lot of freedom in gender identification as well as sexual orientation, and the game had great replay value. I loved being able to truly play around with the outcomes of my character. The amount of variables made for a FANTASTIC gameplay experience.
Possibly one of the best games to come out of Choice Games LLC. Never before had I played a game with such freedom, many other games from Choice Games LLC simply have a few different story lines for you to stick to if you want a fluid and sensical story. Hollywood Visionary changes that though, throughout the game you can change the outcome as different drama ensues on even the characters you thought unimportant. Never before had I experienced an interactive novel that actually makes me question my political stance and mentality; Besides a single bug (or a misclick on my part) the only complaint I can say for this game is that it isn't long enough. A sequel is definately in order where I return to my production studio and depending on the events of the first game, the entire second one will be different. The games has many loving and memorable characters that I simply felt terrible for betraying. There is no bad or slow scene in this interactive novel and I believe that I have the audacity to say that this game's story trumps that of even the best AAA games outdoing Mass Effect, Dishonored, L.A noire and so forth. This game is a must have for any story lover as never since Mass Effect 3 had I felt so deeply connected to the characters and even remembered all their names. This game is beautiful this Author is one of the greatest writers in terms of character development and though I do suggest putting some sort of music in the background while you play this game (I prefer to listen to the results I get on youtube after searching: Epic uplifting music), the case stands still, this game/novel is nearly perfect and I plan to put many more hourse into it.
9.5/10
This is one of my favorites from Choice of Games. It's well-written, immersive, and gives the players a wide range choices so that they can fully develop their character how they wish. It's nice becaue I'm into history stuff, and playing a game set in a time when communism was a very predominant threat is pretty awesome. I'm not sure if it's just me and because I do a lot of reading, but the game doesn't take me as long to play as it's supposed to. I've played more than six times, exploring to get some of the achievements, but only have 5 hours logged in so far. Other than that, it's a great choose-your-own-adventure game. I'll definitely play again in the near future, when life gets less busy.
I'm going to confess straight up that while I'm definitely "a reader", it's slowly dawning on me that reading is not the main reason that I play video games. This may have something to do with the fact that I'm currently a university student, so I have quite enough reading to do as is, thank ya very much! As it stands, however, I finished this one in just a couple of sittings, thanks to how exceptionally well-written and cleverly designed it was, and it gave me a few solid chuckles along the way as well.
Now, if you're one of those people who finds themselves constantly complaining about the lack of actual CHOICES one gets to make in a lot of so-called "interactive novels", you're unlikely to complain about THIS one. In the first ten minutes alone you're forced to choose the name and gender of not only your own but other characters, and almost everything that your character does or says from then on in requires a decision, sometimes from a pick of a good five to ten options! You truly choose YOUR OWN adventure in this one. (Just to give an example, by the end of my first scene I had decided that I was a film director named Cliff Flowers - I'm a Killers fan, what can I say - who had just pitched a studio exec a horror-comedy set during the Running of the Bulls in Spain! That's exactly the kind of customisation you can expect if you give this baby a burl.)
Now whether or not the story in question is liable to set your world on fire is a slightly more subjective thing, and obviously all the non-readers out there should just LEAVE THE STORE PAGE NOW and go find themselves a Sam to get Serious with (it's literally JUST WORDS, not even any pictures or music)! Personally, I found it all rather interesting and enjoyable, but then again, I've been an amateur filmmaker myself and have always been fascinated by the dubious ins-and-outs of the movie business, and there's no denying that the McCarthy era makes an especially intriguing backdrop to a game.
I won't lie and say that I've played a whole lot of games in this style, but I'd be pretty darn surprised if this wasn't one of the better ones. Oh, and for those of you concerned with cost, you can stop fretting: The sheer multitude of choices one can make guarantees EXCEPTIONAL replayability. On my first two-hour playthrough, I've only netted 16% of available achievements, and I'm yet to even MEET Alfred Hitchcock, much less make a movie with him. I CAN confidently say, however, that Orson Welles does have one little ♥♥♥♥♥♥ of a DOG...
Verdict: 8/10.
(PS You know you've got what it takes to be a real-life film writer/director/producer when you give yourself a CORONARY! Even got the achievement to prove it!!)
I have been playing this game non-stop on my work's computer. I really love it a lot! I know text-based games aren't for everyone but if you like great stories in text-based games, you will love this. Being interested in filmmaking (Not to sound like a douche) also makes me love this game too. Overall, I strongly suggest it. It's brilliantly written and has a very high replay value. Also the Steam Achievements are great, as they make you play over and over, doing scenarios differently to obtain certain achievements. Some of the choices are actually pretty hard to decide, to the point where I kinda get worried if I made the wrong decision... But I digress. It's awesome!!!!
Was in a polyarmorous relationship with a handsome movie star and a stage hand, then my movie ended up becoming a cult classic. A++++++ 10/10
Greta Garbo nearly ruined my sci-fi horror flick, got friendzoned by everyone, and ratted on Commies to survive long enough to win an oscar. 10/10 would read again.
In all seriousness, though, the game is all reading. It's a Choose Your Own Adventure story only with fewer options that end in your death. If you can handle two hours of black text on a white screen, it really is an amazing story. Though devided into several chapters that stay roughly the same regardless of your choices, the events within the chapters do have a lot of room for change. The story is very well-written and engaging; I felt my heart rate go up every time my picture started to fall apart. Definitely has some replay value, though you'll find yourself skimming text once you've read it a few times. All in all a great buy at $5.
All Choice of Games let you choose your gender and sexual preferences, which I think is a nice touch. However, Hollywood Visionary takes it waaaay too far. This game goes on and on and on and on asking you "Are you male/female/non-gendered?" "Do you wear a male/female/non-gendered outfit ?" "Do people call you with a male/female/non-gendered pronoun ?" This is '50s America for Pete's sake, not a 2050 Politically Correct utopia. It got so omnipresent and so obnoxious that I couldn't enjoy the actual story about making a film, which is a real shame.
I've never written a Steam review before, but I've also never really felt this way about a game on Steam before.
If you love movies and if you've ever dreamed about movies then PLAY THIS game.
It really made me feel like I was on set. Making one hard decision after the next felt emotionally draining but when I reached the ending I found it hard to read between the tears in my eyes and the involuntary laughter. I really felt like I had achieved something, that my choices meant something and that it was all worth it.
I can only think of a few other pieces of artwork that have come close to this feeling. I'll admit I'm biased as a film buff and artist in my own right, your experience probably won't be the same if you don't have the same attachement to the subject matter.
I'll put it this way, if this game sounds interesting at all then GET IT. Or at least play the demo, just don't let the chance slip by.
I feel as if it wasn't fair that I had to make very impactful choices, in terms of my movies sucess, which in fact had NOTHING to do with the production of the movie..Didn't seemm fair. Either way, I won an Oscar for it in the end :>]
The BEST text interactive game on Steam. Worth every penny.
Love it.. Truly excellent writing.. My only complaint at the moment is that its too short.. Would love to be able to develop my studio further & form better personal relationships.
It was that time of year when a young woman forgets she has more important things to buy and instead buys a bunch of games from Steam. It was the Steam summer sale and I picked up this "game" for a fairly cheap price. It is a book, a grown up electronic choose your own adventure one.
I have very much enjoy this book. This book has the reader be a 1950s wanna be movie maker! It was very entertaining. On the first run through, my movie flopped but I ended up with two boy friends. I have "play" this for roughly six hours trying to get the different ending. I still haven't seen all this book has to offer.
There is one part in the book that I don't care how it is set up and that is the post production party. I have ran through the game several times and that is the point that drags, where nothing new is uncovered.
Did I like this book? Very much so. I am going to try Aaron A. Reed other book and poke my nose around the Choice of Games section in Amazon and Steam for some more of these gems.
If you are a reader, take a chance on Hollywood Visionary!
Solid game but it gives you a lot to take care of. I'd like to see something along these lines but with writing a book instead of making a movie.
just like the movie i ended up making this game fell just short of greatness but its worth 5$
Wonderful. Real plot twists that I didn't see coming. If you're a fan of these kind of games, this is a must buy. I've played alot of what they have to offer, but this is the best of them all. A masterpiece of the choose your own adventure game.
Won the Oscar with a Horror flick, my debut movie, threw some commie rats under the bus, had a torrid roller coaster love affair with the star of my movie - and did I mention I almost killed Orson Welles puppy dog?
At an average length of 3-4 hours per playthrough you get a glimpse into what Hollywood (and the US as a whole) was like in the 50s, if you can immerse yourself into this time (that was a whole lot different than today's world) you will have a lot of fun with this game - if you prefer modern times you might get the impression some things feel forced. Personally, I enjoyed my time with Hollywood Visionary and would recommend it if you're either interested in the movie biz and/or that time period.
I actually really enjoyed this game - my favorite so far as far as this type is concerned. It was fun, interesting and definitely replayable. I think I played it through six times in about 2 or 3 days. Definitely recommended.
After "Choice of robots", this is second of the "choice" games I played. I have only played it once so far, but there seems to be ample replay value here as well.
It's well written and rather expansive.
What I like about this game (as well as "Choice of robots") is that it allows you to fail. Your choices will impact what happens, and often you'll find yourself wondering if the choices you made were the right ones - or if there even were right choices to begin with. This creates a degree of suspense which few games match.
So if you
- like a decent story
- like choice-based gameplay
- are interested in cinema/making movies
buying this is a no-brainer.
If you're a fan of the cold war, american pop culture, movies and film history, and the mccarthy trails. play this game...
10/10 would make an oscar winning movie about Communist Superman being played by myself with a fat black man being Lex Luthor again
Loving this game, it is so easy to immerse yourself in
10/10
Supported communism, told off it's haters, got blacklisted, and still got an Oscar winning movie.
12/10
Let me start by stating I jumped straight from "Tin Star" and on to this. I like movies, I enjoy the process around creating a movie, so I had sky high expectations going in to play this game. The first 10 minutes gave me the impression that the author seems quite fixated on sexuality, what I mean by that is that after you have chosen what gender title you would like to be, mr or ms or that/they, it then goes on about would you like your staff to adress you by mr or ms, it seems absurd. The only people I can see that this would be fitting for is transexuals.
The rest of the game felt quite predictable, and I must say I got disappointed when I realised I had just played through the game, making one movie. What about including the possibillity to go on making movie with a few random scripted events happening?
All in all, I was entertained for 1.5 hours, 5/10
bad game. CS:GO is better. NO OFFENCE U GOTTA MAKE IT BETTER...
Ever had to watch an obviousley forced aspect of a movie? Like when Padme cries in Star Wars Episode III : The Revenge of the Sith?
This game is somewhat of the same. Two points in particular seem very blunt and in the eye, distracting from the good points. Firstly, the Fish Grundy character was pretty stereotypical and played out as one would expect. The bigger issue (which ties in to Grundy) is the focus on the House of Un-American Activities Committee. The whole drama around that seemed really forced (to overuse a word). I never could convince myself that I was being prosecuted by a government agency- it always felt like I was on trial by the game makers themselves. They wanted me before the Committee, and they put me before the committee.
The length of the game is certainly not worth five dollars, especially when up against the much longer and more entertaining "Tin Star." I played this one on the heels of "Tin Star" and wanted to like "Hollywood Visionary," but it just fell flat. Good character interactions (like with your neice, actors, etc.) seemed hampered by the looming Committee. In the opening, the game makers seem more intent on catering to the player's preferred sex pronoun than helping them become a movie studio exec. This ate up a little time which could have been given to more movie-oriented aspects. The story, length, and price just do not place it in the same category as "Tin Star."
Skip this one at the box office, kiddies.
Became a gay communist sympathizing writer who fought the law and won. Oh, and maybe made some movie about a cyborg athlete as well.
I love this game!!!!!! I love choice of games like these too. I won an oscar while dating both an Actor named Vincent and my hot little grip Drake. (Threesomes all day erryday.lol Jk!) and fawning over my adorbale little niece.
10/10 I just love this game soooo much already!!
Amazing text-based game, without a doubt one of my favorite from this developer. Story is really good at it's own, but in addition to that, this game is an actual movie maker simulator. You truly feel like you have control over your project and have so much freedom in terms of genre, style, characters, director and scenario that it's beyond awesome. Many choices, many variations, lots of fun. Try it out.
It's fun.
It's a great concept and a decent format but there are plenty of times where the game clinches you into a certain decision point irrespective of your previous choices. It would be more interesting to see your earlier choices lead to more diverse outcomes. But all told, not a bad story.
Great story. It's worth every penny. I hope they make more games like this.
A wonderful tale that is fun from start to finish.
Grammatically competent, but incredibly short, running about one to two hours in the first playthrough and half or less in subsequent ones. Title is a misnomer, as the player is only really involved in the creation of one film. Some of the story turns are forced and/or nonsensical. UI is minimalist, as can be seen in the screen shots. Overall, very flat. 6/10
Only played 25 minutes so far, I realized this was the best game in my library when I read this.
"So we've got a contemplative, middlebrow, occasionally risky horror drama as the first release from BRAZZERS."
Fun game with a great story of 1950s Hollywood, it's on the short side, but it's still alright.
Parece un buen juego innovador y original. Hay que leer mucho y necesta una urgente traducción al castellano.
Got called a communist.
10/10
Wow, what a story, Mark!
Got rave reviews with a romanctic/dramatic story between a male good hearted doctor and a male heart-stricken heir ...in the 50's 10/10
Loved this game.
Kept me captivated until the early hours of Monday morning.
Bravo to Choice Of Games.
10/10
I've completed only one playthrough so far, but plan on doing another one sometime soon.
+ Very well written in terms of story and characters
+ There really are so many choices that do affect how the story unfolds
+ I like that you can personally name characters, and even set their gender
+ An extensive knowledge of film history is shown here
+ Planning exactly how your movie gets made, and what type of movie it is, is extremely fun and satisfying
- It was a bit shorter than I thought it would be, but the very reasonable price balances that out.
I don't usually (well, ever) play choose-your-own-path text games, but I had fun with this one and recommend it for a good two hour experience. I'm looking forward to replaying it as an extremely arrogant egomaniac to contrast with my calm, reserved and polite character I used in my first playthrough.
7/10, would hide an unconcious dog in a fake penguin again
I have to say that this was a lot more fun than the premise suggested. Excellently written with a ton of various options; I lucked out and managed to make a hit film that won an academy award (although my character did have a heart attack in the process!) Definitely worth a try, especially if it's on sale.
This is not just a game about making a movie. Although there's plenty of creative outlet to be found, this is a story about a fledgling movie studio and its founder, the player. It's a well written story with many interesting twists and plenty of customization along the way. If you like CYOA games or even just have a passing interest in the film industry of the 50s, this game is a great investment.
Crea tu propia película en Hollywood. Todo va a ir bien. Podrás crear el film que siempre has querido hacer...
...o al menos eso es lo que intentarás lograr.
La industria hollywoodiense siempre ha sido muy "conservadora" incluso a día de hoy, y es algo que queda plasmado en el juego. Tendremos que pasar por el aro, o por el contrario, enfrentarnos a las consecuencias que acarreará el luchar contra una industria gigante movida por la censura del capitalismo salvaje.
He disfrutado jugando esta historia, eligiendo lo que he creído correcto en todo momento, y aunque no haya obtenido los mejores resultados he podido disfrutar de una buena obra. Aún le puedo sacar unas cuantas horas de juego, y oh, estoy seguro de que lo haré.
Una pena que "Choice of Games" no contrate a gente que traduzca ficción interactiva, porque aunque no llegue a tener demasiada fama en el mundo de los hispanohablantes estoy seguro de que obtendría un séquito de fieles seguidores. En fin, la recomiendo siempre y cuando tengáis un buen nivel de inglés. Por lo demás, todo genial.
I'm loving it so far. I would recommend you check it out.
The game is excellently written (As I've come to expect from Choice of Games' authors), the storyline is interesting and the the choices are varied enough to entertain you for several playthroughs, though it is cut short when it had the potential to get truly interesting.
I've played several Choice of Games (7) and this is one of the best written ones, though it isn't quite at the level of Choice of Robots in my humble opinion. It is, however, as engaging, perhaps because of the subject matter which I'm very interested in!
Saying it is short would be unfair, but compared to Choice of Robots it falls into the shorter end of the spectrum.
But honestly, for €/$3 at launch (or a bit more afterwards) you'll get at least 3 hours of very entertaining writing, and if you compare that to the prices of triple A games that leave you disappointed, or to a $30 cinema evening, there is A LOT of value here, just like there is in most of these games.
Definitely one of the more succesfully written CYOA/Interactive novels that have come out recently, and it is more than worth your time!
8/10
I've just completed my first playthrough, and I must say I enjoyed it immensely: the writing was truly engaging at all stages and actually quite affecting in some specific scenes, the stat-based mechanics constantly keeping the pressure on, making the balancing of the development of the movie and maintaining the more story-involved character relationships precarious at best. Although the game sells itself as a 'Be a Hollywood movie-maker!' type of story, it actually goes in-depth about the atmosphere of fear and paranoia surrounding the McCarthy witch-hunts that happened around that time, lending an unexpectedly serious tone to an otherwise fairly light-hearted piece. That isn't to say that the part of the story to do with the film itself is unremarkable: the writer clearly has a great love and knowledge of the old way of making films and manages to capture quite a few moments of that old movie magic in a couple of scenes, especially in the super-dramatic and witty conversations. They just don't make 'em like they used to.
And what happened on my first playthrough with Johnny Wheeler of the company Wheeler's Reelers? I played according to my conscience: honesty, loyalty, and above all, integrity. Although holding true to his convictions got Johnny blacklisted and forced him to make movies abroad or otherwise in secret, years later after the fear of Communism fades Johnny's films are discovered by a new generation, his faith in humanity upheld as they recognise his work and his bravery with a Lifetime Achievement Award - plus Johnny gets to hook up with the secretary, for whom I was secretly gunning since the beginning. Best. Ending. Ever.
Looking back on it now, I must say the story reminded me a lot of The Crucible. Only with a happy ending, in my case.
