Old people like me grew up with Choose Your Own Adventure books. This occasionally ridiculous series introduced an entire generation of children to both the importance of choice and the oddball nuances of second-person narrative.
Category: iOS Games
Works With: iPhone, iPad
Price: $5.99
Following in that tradition is the Gamebook Adventures franchise, which adds a dice-driven, role-playing-style combat system to its branching fantasy storyline. The eighth entry, Curse of the Assassin, is out now; it’s a slow-paced, text-heavy, epic beast of an experience.
So basically, it’s everything people love about those books.
I haven’t played any of the other Gamebook Adventures titles, but it felt like Curse of the Assassin opened with everything I needed to know to be up to speed. You play as a famous adventurer who has just finished up a big quest. But before you can sit back and reap the rewards of your success, someone murders your childhood friend, and you set off on a mission of investigation and revenge.
It’s basically the plot of Beverly Hills Cop, but with way more swords. Also, it has a talking coyote, and everyone knows that they cut that scene from the movie.
It’s everything people love about Choose Your Own Adventure books.
Most of what you’ll do in Curse of the Assassin is read–it is primarily a book, after all. You’ll go a few pages, decide which path you want to take, and then click over to the next section of reading. Every once in a while, you’ll have to fight a ruffian or a monster or that damned coyote, and then the gaming part begins.
Attacking and defending occurs via dice rolls; the game actually animates these on top of the book, which is a nice touch. You have a “Vitality” statistic which you’re trying to keep above zero, and on higher difficulties, this remains persistent between fights unless you use a healing item or the book says you rested or took a bath or something. Yes, my character took a bath and regained health.
Has that never happened to you?

 Game Name: : Gamebook Adventures 8: Curse of the AssassinThe Good: Sharp production values, good writing, and a lot of replay value. The Bad: Its slower pace might put a few players off. The Verdict: If the App Store’s myriad puzzle and word games feel a bit too fast for you and you’d just like to settle in with a story that you help to write, it’s definitely worth a try. Buy from: App Store |
