Fallen Hero: Rebirth

Fallen Hero: Rebirth
N/A
Metacritic
96
Steam
83.286
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$3.99
Release date
15 March 2018
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
96 (358 votes)

They called you a hero; you call them fools. Use your telepathy romance old friends and fight new enemies as you become the greatest villain Los Diablos has ever known!

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Fallen Hero: Rebirth system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: Windows 7

Recommended:

Recommended requirements are not yet specified.
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Lazyman310
Lazyman310

A fun villain origin story type game, I'm only sad that it seemed to end right when I was ready to see how things went. Luckily there is a sequel estimated for release in Febuary of 2023, which I eagerly look forward to.

afxr
afxr

It feels a little like a long introduction but there is a lot of promising threads and from the book 2 demo it only gets better.

Chill
Chill

A rather excellent interactive fiction book. Really well written! My only major critique is that it ends a bit suddenly and since I am a bit blurred on some elements of the backstory - I feel like I am missing info - I do question my characters motivations for becoming a Villain. They seem insufficient. But still, this is very good stuff. I look forward to the sequel.

ufalien
ufalien

Even with the "very positive" feedback this exceeded my expectations. Interesting characters, an engrossing story, just enough customization to make it feel like you're really shaping the kind of villain you want to be. Unlike some of these games it doesn't railroad you into being an antihero - there's a good range along the sliding scale of villainy you can occupy. Several of the decisions were hard to make, showing how enthralled I ultimately was, and looking over the achievements - including how many I didn't get - it seems like there's a lot more branching and variation than I expected.

This is an origin story, not a whole saga, and so there are a lot of questions left unanswered and I understand some people having the feeling it "ends just as it's getting good," but I went in knowing it was the setup for something bigger and found myself very satisfied with the amount of content. It also doesn't feel like it stops abruptly; it plays out through a suitable, exciting climax and offers a reasonably meaty epilogue to show some of the effects of your choices while teasing future consequences.

I'm pretty glad I just found this now, with the release of the first sequel scheduled for "just" half a year away. I'm very excited to dive into the continuation and I can't imagine having to wait the full five-year gap, but if the next one really is almost three times the size as the store page suggests I can certainly understand the delay.

Thistle
Thistle

Absolutely best 3€ you will ever spend.

fieryace
fieryace

Sat down today to replay this for the Nth time and realized I've never written a review for it. Easily my favorite Choice Of style game, even above Choice of Robots. This story is not going to click for everyone, but the people that it works for will love it.

The thing is, I'm not sure how to explain it without massive spoilers.

I can say, this game is NOT a power-trip fantasy, though it can have elements of that at times. It's NOT a tongue-in-cheek "what if superheroes were real?" comedy story or a serious speculative work of the same question, though again it can feel that way in parts. What it is... is an exploration of identity, trauma, free will, self-determination, the desire to fit in and to find a place in the world, and the struggle to understand ourselves and other people and to be understood by them. In the context of rebranding yourself as a super villain.

Indomitable
Indomitable

Why is choosing a normal gender so complicated. Anyway the story is cheeks, it is insanely boring.

chazmorris
chazmorris

great story, many choices, very entertaining, body swapping superpowered fun

Mars2025
Mars2025

Doesn't hold you back from being a total monster.

americanegg
americanegg

The writing is literally God Tier. If you enjoy the concept of a soon-to-be villain main character and everything they go through to make it happen, this game is for you.

thespartandolphin
thespartandolphin

A truly engaging story with wonderful characters. The choices never seem constricting and the character creation is incredibly indepth and fun.

LadyCapulet
LadyCapulet

Great game and storyline. I have played through it multiple times now and am still uncovering new achievements and text options. This game allows you to customize most everything about your character, from their gender (or if they even follow the gender norms) to their sexuality. I'm seriously looking forward to the next installment.

Kiko
Kiko

Amazing game, worth the cost many times over.
Probably the best "choose your own adventure" game out there. With some great replay value too.
The style is dark-mysterious-superhero, along the style of darker Comics and Watchmen.
The characters are nuanced and extremely likeable.
warning: Its the first instalment in a trilogy. You can play the beta of the 2nd one online if interested.

dodds
dodds

Extremely well written with great characters. Its great to do multiple playthroughs and you can find something different each time. Would absolutely recommend it to anyone.

XION
XION

I enjoyed the game but felt that it could have been even better.

The premise is that you had a prior traumatic experience as a superhero and you decide to become a villain.

But the story never actually makes clear what specifically about your prior experience motivated you to not only stop being a hero but to actually believe that becoming a villain is the "right" thing to do.

There were references and hints at possible reasons but none of this was ever fleshed out. Without knowing why I was becoming a villain I wasn't able to relate to the main character. If the character simply had a hard time of being a superhero and then just decided to become a villain then he's quite the moronic character. And just because the main character is a telepath as opposed to someone with more generic powers, why does he have such an inferiority complex? Lots of things about the character are unanswered and it's not satisfying to guess.

I did enjoy the clever way the game explores gender identity.

I will also say that this is not a game that truly wants you to be a villain. That's not to say you can't be, but given that you were previously a super-hero, this game doesn't give people who really want to play a full-on baddie the room to do so.

My only main complaint other than the incomplete backstory, however, is that this is clearly just the beginning of a much longer story.

I look forward to the sequel.

SuperSecretUsername
SuperSecretUsername

Super Hero Romance Simulator: Depression Edition is a game I'd wholeheartedly recommend to everyone.

PK_Ultra
PK_Ultra

not impressed. Your choices dont really affect the story and it plays more as an interactive novel.

alexacen
alexacen

It quickly became one of my most favorite games. Can't wait for the sequel!

Spartan10k
Spartan10k

I'm not sure I'd classify it as a game. It's much more a novel that you interact with. The story is exceptional, and the interactive parts are enough to keep you pulled in as if your choices do matter. How much they do I'm not sure since I've only done 1 play through so far, but honestly it doesn't matter because I really enjoyed myself and I can't wait to read the next one.

General Concern
General Concern

I have never wanted a sequel more in any CYOAG.

Vulnavia Phibes
Vulnavia Phibes

One of the top CYOAs on Steam, for sure. Emotionally gripping, thoughtful, and extremely exciting! It explores its themes really beautifully and the character of the MC is deep and intense, even while you as the player get to guide the exploration and development of their personality. I can't wait for the sequel! My only complaint is that it has too much fun slowly teasing out the details of your backstory. It's a great backstory, but you need to know what you're working with earlier in the story if you want to give good answers to the questions it asks about your motivation. My advice is to find something thematically resonant and stick with it. The backstory is broad enough to accommodate.

Revolutionary Girl Miluda
Revolutionary …

i am very gay, it was fantastic, amazing, i gotta go play it five more times
can't wait for the sequelllllll

ahnkra
ahnkra

This is a tough call. I was wondering why I hadnt left a review for this game the first time I played it a while back, and so I played it again. And after having finished it a second time, with many months between play throughs, I still came away heavily undecided.
First the easy to say good stuff. This is very well written. Story pacing, character development, interesting events, its all there in an easy to read enjoyable form. You get to make all the important decisions, and all the consequences make sense. You are given a lot of color and back story. More than enough to let you know that you as the MC are a suffering and seriously messed up individual. Which leads to my less positive observation.
Simply put you are not given enough of that back history to know why you are doing what you are doing. You as the MC are tormented by nightmares about what all has happened, but most of the nightmares revolve only around the moment that seperated you from your hero past. But its clear that your not angry and trying to get revenge on the people you worked with as a hero, that you had a past you were running from even before you joined up with them. And nothing that you are planning or do in anyway allows you to confront / deal with this hinted at past. The MCs focus is all wrong, and instead of playing dress up, a pointless robbery, and beatting up their old friends, it would have made alot more sense for the MC to be targeting people and places that matter to the real bad guys (you know the ones who hurt you, and rescued you from certain death only to hurt you some more?) In that reguard the whole becoming a super villian and showing off your grand entrance to the world just makes no sense, and I feel like the writer totally missed the mark on where the story should have gone. I mean sure the MC gets their attention that way (and you as the player get an achievement for it) but that does nothing but put you on their radar again without actually doing anything to them. Its kind of like tying a tourniquet around your arm, because a snake bit your ankle?!

So yes it is mechanically a very sound story, but plot wise it misses the mark. I imagine book two is going to have to be very contorted to try to explain how becoming a super villain was necessary to go up against the real villains, rather than trying to get your hero friends to help, or even just go Rambo and do it yourself.

harry626
harry626

sad this is only the first part but there is no denial that the writing is amazing!

Ghostboi Koi
Ghostboi Koi

It's very immersive and I love being able to go in various directions with each time I play it. The writing is very well done and keeps me interested enough to always come back and replay it, each outcome always being different with the choices I make on how I want to be during the game. I still haven't unlocked all the achievements or endings despite playing it many times.

10/10 would recommend if you love interactive story games and in for a good read. :)

Freezer272
Freezer272

I'm screaming I just finished it and I want the sequel so bad!! Srsly this is so much fun and is very immersive! I highly recommend

Latatun
Latatun

Even when wielding a superpower such as telepathy, I'm still a fucking loser. I liked it.

Lysis
Lysis

I don't think I've ever been so intrigued by reading the achievements list for a game ever. After 3 playthroughs, I am flabbergasted by some of the things that apparently are possible. Will be absorbed by this game for a while.

Need the sequel to come out yesterday.

biggest loser
biggest loser

Enjoy playing as an eternal dumpster fire where failure to keep your secrets is the winstate, allowing your compulsive liar of a character to learn that people do indeed care about them. In this tale of your villainous debut you don't so much as progress towards villainy greatness as you do succeed irreparably downwards.

I wasn't expecting much from this. Choicescript games are something I indulge in from time to time but they're normally junkie-ish bits of fiction. They're extremely fun, but not usually up to this level of quality. I was hooked from the get go and found myself making bad choices just to better fit the character and cause as much unnecessary, messy drama as possible. By the end I'd wound up in a set of circumstances that made me genuinely believe my character was in way too deep to start telling the truth.

Also you can be nonbinary hell yeah!

MoonDog
MoonDog

Excellent writing and engaging story. Feels like a breath of fresh air for the superhero genre

Eternal_Fear
Eternal_Fear

I love this game! It's extremely entertaining and I want more. I love characters and this wonderful game. If you want to be a bad guy of the story (while developing your relationships with one nice caring hero) this game is exactly for you. (And for psycho me as I clearly loved beating shit out of his just to give him our first kiss after that.)

Smol-Clementine
Smol-Clementine

**I wish steam gave us an IDK/yellow option**
So: the game is amazing, written incredibly well and it will leave you wanting to promise your first born child like a fairy tale king would to a witch in order to know what happens next. The build up is That Good.
I have mixed feelings about this game's fandom that are seriously taking a nose dive with new secrets coming into the light. This is not under the author's control, and Malin is really busy because they work.
Made Edits. Time's passed, idk when book 2 is coming out. The demo is killer though, as is this first book.

guild_hunter
guild_hunter

loved it. very well written. a few minor errors, but a very engaging story with wonderfully deep characters.

VAL
VAL

I really can't recommend this game enough.

I've been following choice of games for several years now, but none of the stories they've released holds a candle to this one.
Fallen Hero is a dark and gritty story about the anti-hero and totally enthralls the reader into its world and characters.
+ This game by far has the best choice mechanics of any text based choice games that I've played.

I only have ~14 hours on steam but I have this game on mobile and I've dumped double that time there.

10/10
play it replay it then replay it again

green
green

This is the best Choose Your Own Adventure Game I've ever played. It's very well written, the characters have a lot of development/depth/detail/actual personality, and are never bland or overly-simplistic. Totally worth buying.

10/10

Manslender
Manslender

This was honestly the best choose your own adventure game that I have played to date. Your choices are meaningful and change how things play out. When you decide what you're going to rely on to succeed as a villain that is what you're going to use from brute strength to cunning intellect you are never locked into a bad ending or decision because your numbers weren't good enough or the writer decided that was the wrong choice.

PBW
PBW

If you are interested in brooding, self-destructive, self-punishing, and overall depressing/tired/bleak MC with a troubled past, this one is for you.

For those who can't bring themselves to choose villain paths in Choose Your Own Adventure type of games without breaking their own inner-character, this one might be for you, because the game already choose it for you. It can't be help if you are forced into it, right? And the game does it well, with great atmosphere, and reasonable, believable narration. You can let loose a bit of your inner darkness here you cannot do so anywhere else. There's enough justification in turning yourself to the dark side...

Of course, you can still choose to hold on to your moral and justice...for as long as you can anyway.

And you can still lead a saucy life to a limited degree if you want to.

All in all, despite setting the main path and backstory for you, this game presents wide enough choices to build your own personality.

And the drama. Seriously. The climatic battle is good enough to go with some appropriate music.

Play the demo. The quality doesn't drop off. It delivers until the end.

SpookyGhost
SpookyGhost

I've had this game on my phone since it came out (bought on steam so I can have all achievements in an official sorta way) and honestly the only bad thing has been waiting for the sequel.

You know most of the time I end up falling in love with the other characters than the Main Character (the character you've created) but in one of those rare moments I end up loving the MC. This is one of those rare moments. This monumental trash heap of an MC has and will do everything wrong and I love them. Like SURE you can do the things with the least amount of damage and the least amount of people hurting but this MC will still do them. I love that. I love this MC. They need a hug and therapy and lots of friends.

Supreme Leader Terry
Supreme Leader Terry

Fallen Hero is top 2 with the Wayhaven Chronicles series. Lots of variety and great MC.

The Safe and Sterile Bread-Tan
The Safe and S…

A pretty neato one. Fun setting, fun characters, and I like the concept of the main character's power. I like the interesting way it's used to create a quadruple life.

The rise to becoming the anti-hero/villain is a cool one. Definitely worth a try, especially if you like hero stuff.

yikes
yikes

I saw a lot about this game on the internet and for a long time had no idea what it was. I bought it during a sale and immediately fell in love. Creating your own character, the riveting plot, getting to visualize the story in your mind, your decisions forming the events, and the lovable and complex characters are just a few things I love about this game. I cannot wait for the next installment!

gingergen
gingergen

Fantastic story, deep world building, great character development. A psychological thriller in comic book clothing. Recommended to me by someone on Tumblr and once I started I couldn't put it down. Can't wait to play it again and make different choices to see if I can scrape up new information. Loved it.

Cummerou1
Cummerou1

Fun to play, well written, would definitely like a sequel

Tagerun
Tagerun

I got caught Monologuing, I always wondered how villains would get caught monologuing, but sure enough, it happened to me.
I cant count how many times I chuckled to myself evilly. I felt like a real villain.
This game is great

Eggyway
Eggyway

Okay, this was an epic adventure! So many choices!

Thedummyboyo
Thedummyboyo

This is one of the best choose your own adventure games I've played. The plot is great, and you choices matter in a way that you typically don't see in rpg. I loved it, and am really sad that the sequel isn't out yet.

Richard Cortez
Richard Cortez

One of the best choice your own adventure so far, most of the choices actually have both small and huge impart and seeing how it all add up to something big make every choices feel meaningful, and each characters feel mult-dimensional and their story help make the world feel more alive, but it kinda end where things was getting interesting, I hope the other parts of the story get release soon.

amlovelies
amlovelies

This was my first experience playing a game like this and wow did it knock my socks off. The story is super engaging, the characters are interesting, and I was hooked at the edge of my seat. This is the first part of what is planned to be a trilogy, the next game is still in development so bear that in mind. Lots of replay value and totally worth the low cost.

kingdumbkey
kingdumbkey

such a unique game, and LGBT friendly!! i loved this game, i can't wait for more

Arranir7
Arranir7

I played Fallen Hero before on mobile, before i got it on steam, thus the small hour mark. Story, characters, plot, the MC are all on point here. And don't get me starting on a branching of the story and the possibilities. While i am not into superhero stuff, this game can be played either as a hero or villian. It doesn't force you to play one role, and inner conflict MC has can be relatable to many people, and maybe even help someone find that peace alongside MC.

Sam
Sam

An incredible interactive novel, about, at its heart, trauma, and what it can turn you into. But it's also funny, and exciting, and pensive, with some interesting, tucked-away scenes to find and enough choices for play-throughs to be a different experience.

Belphemon
Belphemon

Of the various choose your story games from the developer based on super heroes and villains, this one is by far the best. Even the civilian part of the life was smooth as there was no need to balance a bunch of stats and money. Just strait story. The game Hero and Villain annoyed me as it had the stats and money aspect, and just getting any use out of the things like engineering requires solely focusing on that subject. Then there is the mandatory fight with the psychic that always leaves the best stat get nerfed, unless one focuses in psychic powers. This game leaves out the strength and money to focus more on story. I wish there was a possibility to max out the armor, or even fight all members of the hero team and take them out. The ending makes it clear that there is room for a second, if not, third game. If so, I eagerly await. A surprise gem among the plastic buttons the company tends to offer.

TheGallantGallstone
TheGallantGallstone

This may very well be my favorite interactive novel I have played so far. The MC, the other main characters, and the story all blend together into something special. I think perhaps its because the MC is unique from other novels I've played in that hes a terrible mess with an intriguing back story to boot. The inner turmoil and destructive personality the MC displays is something I found myself intrigued by. Would recommend; especially if you always wanted to play the villain and enjoy a dark story with hero overtones.

Patch
Patch

Outstanding interactive fiction! The story will stay with you for such a long time.

Squired
Squired

I love CYOAs and they're pretty much a rarity to me as there's only a couple that are popularized to recognition. Fortunately one of the artists I follow did some fan art for this one, so I was lucky enough to learn about Fallen Hero Rebirth. This novel let's you have it all, angst, sappy former friends, lovers, and the whole package - You can pretty much indulge yourself to the biggest tropes and the story delivers it to you on a plate.

I've replayed this CYOA a bunch of times and I still haven't unlocked all the achievements, so define replay value for completionists and those who want to see the several outcomes.

Ahzidal
Ahzidal

Very good but the reason the MC becomes a villain is not really explained well at all so it seems very stupid of the character.

Anilomu
Anilomu

This game is a masterpiece! This whole story builds the foundation of yourself and how you become a villain. Your special super power is awesome and I absolutely love the inclusion of another main character you control, its such an awesome perspective and I am in love with this whole idea.

Building up your character and learning about your past, forming rivalries, seeing every ones reaction to your choices as you sit in the sidelines maniacally laughing to yourself is so sweet and addicting. The romance is very solid, there is was so much emotional conflict. You truly shape the story how you want, you wont feel like something is going completely out of your control as your choices help keep the story in the line you want, its perfect.

The whole game was very lengthy in an amazing way, i was entirely hooked and never felt that things were going too slow or too fast. The ending was also great, it did not feel like a cliffhanger and I felt like this was a proper ending to this first part of the story. I have no regrets on my choices and I am extremely excited to try the second part!

YT BonesMcJones
YT BonesMcJones

A very good game with a interesting story, hopefully the sequel will be done in my life time

Kiric / Emlin
Kiric / Emlin

In Fallen Hero: Rebirth, you take on the role of a former hero, codename: Sidestep, in this interactive novel about a hero turned villain.

Although the description for this title states that this is a story about a former superhero turned villain, it is so much more than that! The plot revolves around an extremely traumatized individual with a very dark past. Snippets of what happened to this character are teased throughout the novel but you are certainly never given the full story. This adds a nice layer of mystery that can continue into the second book of the series, but, let's not get ahead of myself here.

Right at the start of the story, you are given some base information about the world and how superheroes and villain came to be (which can be skipped if you aren't interested or have already read through the game before), very quickly after this, you are thrust straight into the middle of the action without a clue of what's going on. In a way, this can be confusing but oh so exciting at the same time. As you make your way through this scene, your immediate situation comes to light.

You are formerly "Sidestep", a masked hero who helped fight the good fight alongside the top heroes of the city. You are also an extremely powerful telepathy. Extremely powerful! So advanced in fact, that you have worked out how to control the minds of weak-willed people. A very useful talent in your quest to stay under the radar, while you complete the final stages of your long-planned villain debut. You've also found yourself a "puppet"; a comatose patient, that you use as a second body and forefront face while interacting with other morally flexible individuals. No criminal would want to deal with a known hero after all.

Both the main character and their puppet have customizable names, genders, eye colour, hair colour and style, race, and a few other minor details. The fun part: they don't even need to share the same gender.

As briefly mentioned earlier, Sidestep is an extremely traumatized individual, which leads to Fallen Hero: Rebirth being a more mature read. There are a few sensitive topics explored throughout this novel as they struggle with their fear, undiagnosed mental health issues, and general safety.

Although you pick up the story towards the end of Sidestep's preparations into becoming a villain, that doesn't mean you are forced to be "a bad guy". You can control how much damage you want to do and how you want to deal with the people in your way. Fights are inevitable, obviously, but that doesn't mean you have to drag unnamed civilians into your path of destruction; unless you want to.

Of course, Sidestep isn't the only character you'll get to know. Your former teammates: "The Rangers" just love to pop up, especially the one you used to be the closest with. Ortega, whom you used to work alongside (and potentially had a relationship of sorts with), is determined to force themselves into your life, whether you want that or not. This only complicates things for our MC as they have to play the balancing game and not slip up on their villainous plans.

Side characters that add to the cast are also former hero companions. Each having fleshed-out backgrounds and strong personalities. Marshal Steel, for instance, is the closed-off, suspicious type that never fully trusted the main character, even when they worked together. He's a hardened war veteran that's certainly seen his fair share of painful events. On the opposite side of the spectrum, there is Herald. He joined The Rangers after Sidestep left but has always been a big fan of theirs. He's way too open, honest, and trusting. As the newest member of the team, he's not been through the same hardships that tied together the rest of the group and so, he feels somewhat on the outside. Clearly, a great person for a manipulative villain to get close to.

Ortega is one of the two love interests you can choose from if you so wish. The other being one, Doctor Mortum. You may pick your gender preference for both of them. While Ortega is the popular, flirtatious, and well-known hero, the good doctor plays for the opposite team. Mortum is a genius scientist and nothing gets him quite as excited as advanced technology and his desire to create: well, maybe apart from the MCs puppet should you choose a flirtatious route with him.

The romance in this title is a bit of a mixed bucket. The flirtation can be quite fun and is written well, but with it not being the main focus of the story, it's a bit more on the rarer side. Having said that, what you do experience compliments the character's personalities very nicely. It's also pretty interesting playing as a character who has two different bodies. This gives a combination of three romances to explore. One of the love interests being able to know both of the MCs personas, while being clueless to the fact that it's the same person. Why you'd want to do this? Villain, remember?

Overall, I found Fallen Hero: Rebirth to be an outstanding read! The writing style and details were very well presented. The characters were interesting and I really connected to the MC and their struggles. I loved the deeper story and although it has its minor flaws, I would highly, highly recommend it.

𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐎𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐤𝐚𝐢'𝐬 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐑𝐏𝐆 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬

Femboy
Femboy

Fun and decently written Choose Your Own Adventure you can slip through in 4-20 hours. There are few aspects to the plot that either seem contrived or unexplained though for the most part you can pen that up to it being the first game in a planned trilogy.

Courier_69
Courier_69

Fantastic writing as your decisions feel like they carry weight, as they change both yourself and affect the people around you. No choice is a wrong choice and although your options may become limited later, it fits your MC's current mentality. Which is chef kiss MWAH! Love it.

Alpha
Alpha

This was amazing!
I was a little reluctant to play this at first, but I tried the demo and man, this is so cool!
As per usual - no save system and well, it's the first in a series (demo for the second one is available). So there are loose ends, things left without explanation and all that but the ending doesn't feel bad, it feels OK. These are my only two sort of gripes, but I seem to write these for every single IF I review.
The characters are amazing and you have a lot of options, but the way I picked my choices everything felt heartbreaking. I'm so mental turmoil of the main character, I love it! Sure, you can play it differently, you can take revenge and hurt people but I just couldn't, I tried on a second replay and halfway through I ended up doing the same choice. What I mean to say is that I felt really... connected? In a way that doesn't make me feel like an outsider playing a game, so I couldn't juts pick all choices jut to get achievements like I usually do.

The MC is a telepath and the one super unique gimmick here is that he/she can control bodies, having a main "puppet". This is super unique, super well done, and my choices brought me to even more heartbreaking moments, to the point of getting jealous of the puppet even if it was still the MC. I usually romance all chars until I have to make a choice, but wow was it getting to me to the point I said "no, I can't do this anymore". Also, I usually go for the more aggressive romance options, but because of the main char / puppet interaction I just let others take action to gauge their feelings. Ended up having a thing with everyone, but not kissing anyone, not sleeping with anyone and somehow, this still felt right. I couldn't even sleep around wit the puppet even though I sort of wanted to, because I want to keep my MC's firsts with his real body. So complicated and unique, I love this game, don't think I've ever had so much trouble getting fictional characters involved in a game.
The two romance options can be either male or female, depending on your choice for each. As a side note, going for a gay romance is acknowledged as such, not just your usual pronoun change without making any difference. I like it when the author takes the time to include things like this, makes all the difference.

Can't wait for the next game (Fallen Hero: Retribution).

Van
Van

One of their best. Lots of unique abilities and story choices. Ends on kind of a cliffhanger though.

michaeldonaldkyle44
michaeldonaldkyle44

It's honestly really interesting and well written. If you can get into the plot and the role of the protagonist, you're in for a great time.

Rock
Rock

This game is just amazing. Extremely good story and writting with memorable characters. Really can't wait for the rest of the story.

SigurdCi
SigurdCi

Really cool story, you can tell that a lot of effort went into this. I'm waiting for a sequal if it ever comes out.

Sirensgroom
Sirensgroom

Playtime really depends on what choices you make, so replay ability is quite high! this is a game in a series- which I didnt realize. So be prepared for that. Other than that? 10/10 would get my heart broken again.

Pandas1022
Pandas1022

Great game with a sequel on the way. Definitely worth playing. just be prepared for some heavy themes

Khaos1111
Khaos1111

Best interactive game I've ever played. If you like superheroes and character-driven stories exploring dark themes, you'll love this one.

greebin
greebin

i dont remember playing this game for 257 hours but its very good.

Socucius Ergalla
Socucius Ergalla

Absolutely fantastic writing that really draws you in, this is the first game in a long while that was able to keep me from going to bed at a reasonable hour.

Like a well written novel, this narrative is very "show don't tell." It has consistent pacing and doesn't reveal any more than it needs to keep you engaged and guessing at what's left out. There's enough bread-crumbs to give you an idea of what to expect of a future plot twist it while still leaving enough uncertainty to make it interesting, with enough cliff hangers to tease future developments to explore.

While the narrative is great, there are a few things I didn't like:

First, there seems to be no way to see your saves within the game. Short of digging through save files, there's not much reassurance my place is being saved when I exit the game or that my first play-through isn't being overwritten by another.

Second, I can't find any way to view previous pages or re-read something after continuing on to the next part. I once had to restart from the beginning just because I accidentally clicked to go to the next page without being able to finish reading the current page. Other than that it makes it difficult to remember where exactly you left off with your character in between sessions,

Lastly, there is no way to undo a decision, or load a save. I can understand how, from a design perspective, this ensures the player commits to decisions and makes choices matter more, but there are more than a few instances where a choice is too far from what I expected it to be - not in terms of the choice's consequences, but in terms of how that choice represented the character's thoughts.

When consequences for a choice diverge radically from expectations, that can be a useful narrative tool, but when the intent behind the choice is sorely misread you feel more like you were cheated out of the decision with no recourse but to start it all over.

Beyond that I personally think reloading and exploring other avenues of choice is a valid way to play a CYOA story and not having that ability makes it much harder to explore and enjoy the story to it's fullest. I think a good compromise between allowing or preventing any sort of save scumming would be to only allow players to save/load or undo a choice once they have played all the way to the end once.

Overall though these are minor gripes and I think the storytelling here more than makes up for it.

Sanjuro Sanjo
Sanjuro Sanjo

So, I never, ever, did a review on any game I have ever played. But this one... This deserves it.
For those people who just wanna know if its good: Yes. It is the best cyoa game I have ever played. Go buy it.

And for those who want to know more...

Story

In a world where Superheroes are real, you were a member of the Justice League Avengers Titans Rangers, a team of heroes to protect the innocent. But after a failed mission that left you assumed dead, you return seven years later to become the greatest villain Los Diabolos has ever known.
What kind of villain do you want to be, what are your goals, and can you outrun your past that is slowly catching up with you? That is up to your decisions.

What I Like

The story is really well written, the worldbuilding is solid, and the characters are phenomenal! I will go into greater detail later, but they are the best part of the game. Aside from that, i love that the writer Malin Rydén takes his time with the story. In many choice-of-games the writer jumps several YEARS into the future, which totally negates many decisions i made and at the same time ruins my immersion. Here, it is slower and maybe some decisions may seem arbitrary (they aren't!) but that helps to always feel in control, like you ARE the main character instead of just playing one.
In other games, when a choice comes up to let your character say something, to take part in a conversation or something, you choose an answer an click it, and that's it. Your character has spoken. In this game however, your answer will be worked into the text of the following page, getting described in great detail how you say it and how the people nearby react to it, again making the characters and your MC feel alive.
For the LGBTQ+ people out there, i think it's worth mentioning that love interests actually react to your gender and talk about your same sex relationships (if you should choose to pursue one) instead of the usual pronoun change that other games do.
But lets talk about the characters some more:
Like i said, they are the best part of the game. Every single one feels real, like they live a life in this world that goes on, even when you are not around. They aren't just stereotypes for your character to react to, they are your allies, friends or enemies. From the love interests to the smallest one-time side character, each feels hand crafted and alive. It actually hurt when i finished the game and realised they weren't real. I would love to talk about them individually, but that would take forever, and i don't wanna spoil you.

What i didn't like

Only one thing really, but that was probably only me being stupid and not adding things up. Unfortunately i can't mention exactly what it is, because it's a spoiler, but... it took me playing this game 2 times to figure out whats the "secret" with my MC, because it is only hinted at and never said flat out (until Fallen Hero: Retribution, that is). But like i said, i'm stupid, so maybe that's on me.

Conclusion

Ever since i found this ...genre of text based cyoa games, i am a sucker for them. I played give or take, around 40 of them by now, and maybe only 1 of them comes even close to this one (It is Wayhaven Chronicles if you must know. Go get that one too.). The writing, world and characters, all are top notch and i cant wait for the next part to immerse myself in.

Testerson1
Testerson1

A well written and engaging, if short, interactive novel.

ᔑᓭ∴ᔑリ⊣
ᔑᓭ∴ᔑリ⊣

if i discovered this in a library it would've become one of my favourite books

Side note: if you search for it, you can read the [unfinished] sequel online. Both are long and good

dabiturso
dabiturso

insane this is only $3.99. absolutely loved it.

Embersarehot
Embersarehot

Perhaps my favourite choose your own adventure yet,
every play through feels fresh and unique

laser_beam02
laser_beam02

This game is incredible, I have played multiple times and loved every minute of the story, I love how it drip feeds you your backstory through nightmares and bad memories.

Their is an alpha version of the sequel to this on DashingDon where you can get a preview of what is to come. The sequel will be ~1.3 million words, which is insane, and the sequel has heaps of massive revelations about the story and your characters backstory.

In my opinion this is one of the best choose your own adventure stories I have read and I cannot wait for the sequel I am so excited for it.

nocforweb
nocforweb

This is an absolutely fantastically written game. The characters feel unique, deep, there's an incredible feel of ennui, you get to be a villain (but don't have to be a cartoonish one), emotions.. this is fantastic. And it is actually well priced for a text-based radio-button-choices game. Props, can't wait for a sequal.

Oh, from what I can tell all the games under this 'developer/publisher' are entirely different aside from the platform. And none of them list the author without some digging, and not all authors are created equal. This one in particular seems to be Malin Rydén, and at the time of this comment this is the only game published by this author.

Cheeseboi
Cheeseboi

tl;dr: if you like this genre of game at all, or are interested in it, buy this game.

Easily one of the best choice-of games on the market. It has such an interesting premise—the perspective of a newly-born super villain with legitimate reasons to operate outside the bounds of the law and remain in hiding—and such a wide scope in which to flesh out your character. If you want to go thru this story for the sake of being a true, overly-violent and arrogant supervillain, it has that. If you want to go thru this story for the sake of feeling like an anti-hero reluctant to break the law (but doing it out of a sense of personal necessity), avoiding innocent collateral damage, and using your new platform to deliver a message to the world, it has that.

My favorite aspect of this story is how well it handles portraying PTSD in an avoidant personality. Your character has experienced trauma, but avoids revisiting the memories as much as possible, pushing it away and choosing flight over fight when confronting it for as long as possible. Your flashbacks operate on a system of foreshadowing, playing with your perception of time in such a natural, believable way, and building up to a great climax in both past and present. The romance options are also suitably complicated, but not frustratingly so.

The author is a self-described "queer aspec author," and the "gay content" is a selling point on his twitter, so I was worried the story might slip into virtue signaling or social justice ramblings, but he treats representation perfectly, without ever falling into pandering: by simply having queer people exist, and treating them like any other characters. It only explores themes of queer sexuality if you opt-in at character creation (by choosing the gender of your character and that of the romance options—you can very much go thru a straight romance if you prefer) and only at times when the romance is at the forefront, which you can also entirely avoid if you're not interested. He proves that actually-good romance writing is universal, and separate from the genders/sexualities involved.

It's a fantastic story, and it has a THICK sequel in the pipe (at time of writing he's done editing 23/24 chapters, which means it'll be out soon, and supposedly there's more than 1,000,000 words in the sequel). Hard recommend if you like this style of game at all.

Morbius
Morbius

okay, so the writing is good. the story has an interesting concept.
and i should have read more carefully that i am the villain, in this game/story.
however, being a villain does not necessarily mean that you have to be a totally insecure emotionally unstable (hiding ones feelings deep down while seeing this as a strength) wreck that treats ones former friends as well as all others as scum.
i get it, it is an evil place. but whenever i chose to act "naturally" / "be myself" the main character turns sociopath.
dont get me wrong, he smiles a lot. but it is stressed time and again that the smiles are practically all fake in order to manipulate people - including ones friends.
i am not sure whether the author wants to make a point with this or ... or if there is another problem here.
i cannot connect to the main character, though.
way too psychologically unstable.
maybe that is part of the fun, but not for me.
and here is my main point: it feels like i dont have a choice. there are times where i can go in a direction of regret. away from black and white thinking. where i act out of necessity or desperation whithout wanting to be destructive per se.
but then, i choose the "be myself" option instead of manipulating people with false smiles and there he is again: a total psychopath.
i cannot connect to that.
i could imagine, though that others like this story/game. and lots of people do, in fact. i am not saying these people have a problem, dont get me wrong. far from it. and i dont want to play a shining hero, i just like the shades of grey.

edit: i "played" it again, and i dont think you could theoretically "lose" in this "game". there is no real choice. all the important parts seem to be pre-determined. this is really bad.

try choice of robots or choice of magics instead if you want real choice ... seriously. try those instead.

Langre
Langre

One of my favourite IFs of all time. It's very branched, choices have an impact and failure sometimes as interesting as success. It one of a few games where I just played to see outcome of all possible choices.

Cutato-sama
Cutato-sama

This story can be twisted in ways i couldnt even imagine, and i love it for it. The hurt, the pain, the confusion, the trauma...I need more and i cant wait for the next book.

DiscoNemesis
DiscoNemesis

The reviews are good for a reason; it's an amazingly written Cyoa game and has plenty of choice and consequences to it. My only critique is that it's effectively Act 1 of a three-act story that ends on a cliffhanger.

ChronicDpression
ChronicDpression

This is the best CYOA I have ever played! I have no idea how many times I have replayed it. The story is so involving and makes you want to try every option!

hazanjack96
hazanjack96

I've only played through this game a single time, and it really was a decision made after finishing the Demo version and stepping away to do other things before noticing that I legitimately wanted to spend money to finish this story and immerse myself in the world. Seriously, it's *that* good.

Malin Ryden's writing is incredibly engaging and it kept me invested the entire time. The story highlights in the "About this Game" tab of the store page initially came off as very trope-y, but the actual narrative more than exceeds that expectation and it breaks up the idea of superhero settings by choosing a new perspective that's unreliable and emotionally complex while using the more trope-y conventions to springboard into an entirely worthwhile story.

The customization options in this game were a huge surprise, because the "About the game" portion of the store page oversimplifies a system that is incredibly inclusive and in conversation with the world. There are multiple ethinicity options (as opposed to skin color) and, more importantly, a gender identity customization that allowed me to make a character that I could truly immerse myself in. The customization also extends to a few of the NPC's (and a special player-character alongside your initial character, which I won't say more on so I don't spoil an excellent narrative and game mechanic), and the romanceable characters exist outside of your decisions to romance them. They feel complicated and have a layer of depth that engaged me, and even though I only pursued one of them, I really want to follow this relationship further because the choices I selected created a really interesting romantic arc that BEGS for further development.

Your choices affect the world, and the world also affects your choices, which is sometimes missing from CYOA games like this. The setting doesn't give everything away, and it introduces new information at times when it would make sense for your character to recall it. Your customization options (specifically gender) *do* actually factor into the world and it addresses things like being trans, POC, or mentally/emotionally traumatized very smoothly and in a way that further fleshes out the world, rather than as an add-on. All of the side characters and minor characters are ones you want to keep running into, and the story doesn't end by putting all of its cards on the table-- in fact, there is a significant amount that is hinted at and not elaborated on, and the arc ends in a satisfying place that serves as the perfect springboard into a potential sequel. Knowing that there is one in development is really exciting and I cannot wait to see how this story continues.

This is an engaging, thought-provoking, and immensely enjoyable experience among a sea of relatively inoffensive counterparts, and that has so much to do with Malin Ryden's excellent writing. I would love to see this adapted into a series of some kind, or, at the very least, it is easy to imagine it as a series because of the strength of its writing, its world, and its characters.

Jilly
Jilly

Read through this lightning quick with a friend of mine who had already read this and the alpha-test for the next game over Discord, which was quite a fun time! The level of prose here is great and the range of options that lead to your character taking a downward spiral into anti-hero or even monstrous/villainous behavior is quite well told. Most of your 'canon' for your character is already established as other reviews have pointed out, too. I look forward to doing a more sympathetic run next go around as I couldn't help but fall in love with a good few characters who... admittedly my character treated less than great lmao (likely after finishing the sequel, which is soon to come out!). Suffice to say, this RPG is really captivating and characterful in its range of options--I'd highly recommend it.

Gorogs
Gorogs

This was the first interactive novel I ever played, and I have to say it opened up a treasure trove of experiences that I wish I had discovered so, so much sooner. Obviously, I was a little unsure at the start, but this title was SO good that all hesitation was gone by the end of it. I have played many Choice of Games since, but this one remains my favorite.

You play a deeply damaged individual with telepathic powers who used to be a superhero, but after a traumatic event they were taken away from their former life and have since decided to turn to villainy. You'd think this plot would shoehorn you into playing a specific kind of character, but I was surprised by how well the story and options allow you to become essentially anyone; My first character was empathetic, discreet and conflicted, hating that she had to turn to villainy and lie to her friends but seeing no other way to show the world the truth. My second character was brash, hot tempered and more ruthless, bent on taking revenge on those who wronged her. You get to choose your character's gender and appearance, but you also get to choose their "scar", which sets the stage for your descent to villainy. You're a villain, but you can truly be any villain you want.

The story is really well written, with a pleasing balance between angsty drama and bombastic action scenes which you can approach according to your liking. My first character was stealthier and more tactical, while my second character was more hard-headed and action-oriented. It's worth replaying the game at least once to experience the variety of results, character interactions and even relationship impact that comes from picking different options. The telepathic powers add a unique twist to it all, as you navigate what it means to read people's thoughts all the time, as well as the moral quandaries of mind control.

Though the customization and writing are great, I'd say the best part about this story is the characters. They're all so well written, easy to love and empathize with but also flawed. It adds a lot of depth to the story and relationships, how everyone's damage is different and you all coexist in this cutthroat world. The romance options in the first book include Dr. Mortum, a secretive scientist who helps you make your villain suit, and Ortega, your former superhero best friend, the only person whose mind you can't read. While I love Dr. Mortum, it's hard for me not to say that Ortega is my favorite character in the story, and no matter what relationship you choose to have with them (romance, reconnect as besties, distant, antagonistic, or pretending to care for them to use them for your plans) it always creates such a delicious tension in the story. I also hear there's new romance options in the next game, so there's more variety if it's what you want.

I also love the double plot, split between the protagonist's complicated double life, and the life of their puppet, a (seemingly?) lifeless body they are mind controlling to pose as their assistant and representative in the underworld. If you love complicated stories with meaningful decisions and moral greyness, this is a must-read, and it's incredibly cheap for how good it is.

I will add a word of warning: Due to the nature of the plot, there's a big secret about the protagonist which explains a lot of things, but it's only revealed towards the end of the story. This might make your first playthrough feel a little confusing as there's multiple hints of you hiding from something that is the cause of your descent to villainy, whether it is making you thirst for revenge, desire to expose the truth or just feel numb and resigned. The reveal is gradual and constantly hinted at, so it's not like you don't know there's something going on, but you might struggle a little to identify your character's motivations until you have uncovered the secret. My advice is to either google it if you don't mind spoilers, or to push ahead even if you don't understand at first. The payoff is really worth it, and replaying the game afterwards is that much more enjoyable.

All in all, it's my favorite CoG franchise (alongside Relics of the Lost Age) and I would recommend it full-heartedly to anyone who likes superheroes (and supervillains), intrigue, morally complex choices and emotional angst. It's just really good you guys.

add
add

good book i find myself re-reading from time to time, waiting for the sequelllll

•҉ Val
•҉ Val

One of my absolute favorite superhero/villain stories of all time, its also interactive so its just that much better. the characters have depth, mystery and complication to them that i love, definitely replayable.

topagae
topagae

A game where you get to watch yourself downward spiral in a bad or great way.

The Honkler
The Honkler

The BEST text based game on steam