A Wise Use of Time (2015)

Developer: Choice of Games
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Genres: Indie, RPG
Rating: 4.0 of 5, 122 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 6.2 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More games like this

How it feels

You read and decide your way through a branching sci-fi story where pausing time lets you shape events through written choices.

text-basedinteractive fictionchoice-drivensci-fitime manipulationnarrative-focusedcontemplativeimagination-fueled

What players say

Players complain that key choices are taken away, with the game forcing the protagonist to act against their decisions and then criticizing them for it. The story begins strong but loses momentum, and the abrupt ending leaves many unsatisfied, especially since no sequel has appeared after years.

Screenshots

More games like this

More by Choice of Games

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.