Jolly Good: Cakes and Ale

a lighthearted romp with clever writing, a good sense of its setting, and interesting choices for romance. unlike some other Choice of Games CYOAs, the consequences in this game—perhaps fitting its gentler, quirkier tone—feel less dire, less final. instead, the game has a joyful exuberance to it, which carries through into the relationships you forge with its various, ultra-charming characters. i was also surprised at just how much choice this game contains. while the plot vaguely follows a predetermined path, as with most interactive fiction, the branching paths you traverse ensure that no single playthrough is quite the same. and those passages that do remain consistent through various playthroughs remain thoroughly entertaining, if only because of how often cute, clever, or off-the-wall it is. it'd be a disservice to the author and designer, however, to only talk about how (delightfully) silly it is. i was surprised and touched at some of the more poetic elements of the prose and dialogue, particularly in those little moments when you find your protagonist growing closer to a character. while the tone of this particular endeavor might be lighter on the whole than most of Choice of Games' selection, it's also often beautiful and stirring in ways you might not expect, and, if you're the kind of person to grow attached to characters, you'll certainly find lots of love here. while some other games by the company have had their share of not just bland protagonists but bland romance options, i can happily and firmly say that isn't at all the case here. for those looking for a grittier or more violent Choice of Games' game, this definitely isn't it. but for those who enjoy humor, shenanigans, excellent prose, and charming characters, including some incredibly cute romances, this is the one for you. (and here's to hoping that the sequel will come out soon, because i really need more Vyv in my life.)

+1

If you have seen my Tally Ho review, you will already know some points of this one as a bunch of stuff stayed the same between the two games. Though it was one of the ROs / LIs from Jolly Good that made me decide to play the series, specifically. More on that later in the spoilered part. To quickly go over the pros and cons and neutrals! PROS Same as Tally Ho, the game have a vibrant writing style and characters that are so alive and interesting. This game also has a lot more branching, so for people who replay with different MCs it must be a treat (I'm a "one canon playthrough kind of player so this doesn't affect me personally though). This game has a checkpoint system like Tally Ho, but also adds DLCs to make your life easier (one with cheats and one to get help with achievements). NEUTRALS The second person narrative, still. Again, this is a matter of taste - to me it's a con. But I'm mentionning it specifically because the second person writing is weirdly implemented in the narrative this time around (you'll understand on the very first pages), so it may be more bothersome for those who don't like it, while others will still see it the same. Another more general point of note is that Jolly Good, while a sequel to Tally Ho, is also the first part of another trilogy. This is only the first part, which introduces the story and characters and sets the bases. CONS Well... I'm still unhappy with how the choice phrasing and skill progression is done. Hard to determine which stats are improved or checked with each option you pick, options raising and lowering too many stats at once and so on... Exactly the same issues as with Tally Ho. But the cheats DLC solves the issue pretty nicely by allowing you to just make all of your stats very high. It's not perfect since sometimes a low stat gets a different flavor text and I would have preferred having it, but ultimately these are minor issues when compared to the treat of being able to roleplay fully as I want. That aside, while not a full con, I have a few minor complaints about how one of the ROs is introduced (coincidentally the one I want to romance), but this is huge spoilers. I preface this with saying this is a RO that will only be fully romanceable in the second part of the trilogy and onwards. [spoiler]So, the RO I'm talking about is Starling. As you may know if you have read even the first pages of Jolly Good, they were the previous valet/maid of the MC and left when the "scandal" happened. Starling doesn't appear in person during the entirety of the first Jolly Good book, but they will be a full RO starting with the second. I don't have problems with that! Not the first time the RO I want appears only in book 2 of a series. What I think would have been nice would have been to be able to actually determine in this book already that your MC was in love with them, if that's your preference. You can have a MC who thinks about Starling from time to time, but none of these choices is romantic, and thus we have no flavor text for it, which I think is a missed opportunity.[/spoiler] Ultimately it's not a big issue though, just a bit of a shame as it could have been a nice thing to add! And that would be it for this game. The serious issues I have with this game can be solved with the cheats DLC (I don't think the achievement one is useful unless you're actually an achievement hunter), and the rest is nitpicky or not stuff I consider issues objectively, just a matter of my personal tastes.

Things are not quite that simple though. Love affairs are confusing and painful and sometimes every single choice is wrong, or at least leads to a bad ending. The best thing you can do is to own what you feel and don't be tentative about it. It all will end in tears, so why not enjoy the ride while it lasts. Fitzie说这句话的时候刚好网易云放了October Passed Me By I met you at the wrong time Always in the back of my mind You'll be my girl 还好是游戏，所以我可以选择I reach for her and kiss her passionately. 起码在游戏里没有I met you at the wrong time 还好在游戏里面，You'll be my girl 真是太好了♥

I really loved this game! The writing is smart, lighthearted and funny. Every choice leads to an entertaining result so you don't have to stress about finding the optimal path. You're an aristocrat - even if you mess up, you're still winning. In fact that's one of the fun routes through this game - to be the quirky incompetent who is continually saved by their friends, family and servants. Highly recommend.

A sequel to Tally Ho and just as good if not better. Kreg Segall remains my favourite choice of game's author to date. His sense of humour is the same as mine, so this is a biased review from the start. But, if you love well written, funny, clearly P.G. Wodehouse inspired writing. Then this would be a wonderful Choice Of offering.

An excellent sequel to Tally Ho. Looking forward to part 3!