The Play's the Thing (2021)

Developer: Choice of Games
Genres: Action, Adventure, Casual, Indie, RPG
Rating: 4.2 of 5, 13 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 6.0 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.

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How it feels

A text-based interactive novel where you craft plays and navigate political intrigue, romance, and fantasy elements through choices.

text-basedinteractive fictionchoice-drivenstory richnarrativedramaticpoliticalromantic

What players say

Players praise the writing and how choices affect the story, but many find the game too short and feel the climax rushes to an unsatisfying end. Others note that actions often have little impact on the plot, with some consequences reversed quickly.

Screenshots

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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.