Pendragon Rising

Unlike the first couple of Choice of Games series I tried, this one is actually well-written and evocative of place and character. I'll be continuing the story.

I enjoyed it a lot. It focuses on war and gaining support from other kingdoms rather than romance. For now, it's my favourite from the games made by this studio. Will definitely replay this.

A rich and immersive take on the Arthurian legend, and a worthy addition to Choice of Games' library.

I enjoyed my first play through of it well enough. The ending left something to be desired though. Maybe it was just the choices I made but the epilogue was literally a sentence. Nothing about the consequences of certain actions or how people fared the past year under my rulership as the High Queen. No real wrap up to the romance for Morgan either. So overall I like the story but the ending was like "that's it?".

Choice of Games can really be hit or miss, but, of the ones I have played, I would rank this near or at the top. Well written, and unique setting. If you are looking for a text based CYOA style game in a fantasy setting, this is a good one to pick.

A really good choice-based game, interesting story. I'm hoping for Pendragon Rising 2! Pros: +Good plot +Good choices, it's actually difficult to get some of the achievements (I like a little challenge sometimes) +Definitely rewards multiple playthroughs Cons: -Definitely needs a sequel--it's not quite a cliffhanger ending, but it's clear that there's more story to tell, so if you're looking for a game that's totally complete at the end, maybe wait?

[h1]TERRIBLE PACING[/h1] Pendragon Rising is an interactive text-based novel (or interactive fiction, if you prefer) heavily inspired by the Arthurian legends. It isn’t exactly "just" another retelling of King Arthur’s story, but it draws heavily from well-known myths. As much as I liked the initial idea, the execution falls short. The pacing is extremely rushed, pushing you through major events without giving anything time to develop. Honestly, Pendragon Rising is one of the weaker IF titles I’ve read recently. It’s not that the writing itself is bad - [b]it’s simply bland and too fast-paced to leave any real impact.[/b] The story barely lasts four hours, and even then it feels like it’s hurrying you to the finish line. [b]I can’t recommend it.[/b] [b]Story[/b] You play as a young Arthur or Arta - a bastard child of the aging ruler Pendragon. There’s a bit of appearance customization, but that’s about it when it comes to shaping your character. There’s not much point in going into detail about the plot. At its core, it’s about the war between the Britons and the Saxons, eventually leading to [spoiler]a decision about who will become the new queen[/spoiler]. The choices feel mostly shallow. From the very beginning, you’re essentially railroaded into [spoiler]becoming a Warleader for your people and then seeking out allies[/spoiler]. You can make decisions along the way, but they tend to lead to the same - or very similar - outcomes. Everything moves far too quickly. Even the [spoiler]final battle is incredibly underwhelming - we win it in just a few lines of text[/spoiler]. If you’re here for the romance, don’t bother. The available options aren’t particularly engaging, and even if they were, there’s barely any flirting or intimacy to speak of. [b]Audio & Visuals[/b] This game is purely text-based, so there’s not much to comment on in terms of audio or visuals. Still, I’ll leave my usual note for interactive fiction: even basic visuals and audio could make these games more accessible and appealing to a wider audience, similar to what Roadwarden or Wayfarer have done. [b]Technicalities[/b] The lack of a save system - or at least a "back to the previous page" button - is just incredibly frustrating. I can’t stress enough how much I dislike it when interactive fiction games do this. It’s all too easy to misclick on a choice you didn’t intend, especially in longer games, so give players a way to fix it. I only noticed two typos. No bugs or other problems.