We typically cover lots of interactive fiction and gamebooks, partly because the medium fits so well on the mobile platform but mostly because our own Shaun Musgrave is pretty obsessed with them. He is the GO TO gamebook expert in these parts. However, the latest release from prominent interactive fiction developer Choice of Games has an added wrinkle that’s brought it to our attention: It’s written by former TouchArcade freelancer Nissa Campbell. Longtime TouchArcadians will likely remember Nissa for writing circles around the rest of us, with her comprehensive and entertaining reviews and news stories. It’s no surprise to me that she’s gone on to create even bigger and better things in the years since being at TouchArcade, and the latest example of that is the whopping 350,000 word novel Heart of the House ($6.99) which just released earlier today. Here’s the official description:
Destroy the evil at the heart of a haunted manor! As an orphan, you discovered your ability to commune with the spirit world and ghosts. When your uncle Kent mysteriously disappears, you’ll embark on a journey find out what really happened. With your trusty companion Devanand at your side, you make your way to Darnecroy Manor, where Kent was last seen. It is…The House.
Within the manor, you’ll encounter the master, Lord Bastian Reaves; his mysterious servants, Oriana and Loren; and the thousands of spirits teeming around and in this haunted mansion. But will you shatter the power that binds the ghosts to the House, or claim it for yourself? Can love bloom in a haunted house? Most importantly, how will you escape, when the House comes for you?
Sounds like the perfect thing to turn out all the lights and cuddle up with heading into the Halloween weekend, no? You can expect to find a review for Heart of the House from our own gamebook afficianado Shaun just as soon as he can find the dang time for it, but if you generally enjoy interactive fiction or the previous releases from Choice of Games it seems like a pretty safe bet to check this one out. Also, if you weren’t around during the Nissa days at TouchArcade, check out her archive of stories she wrote for us between 2011 and 2014, nearly 350 in total! She was one of the most universally loved writers both by readers and our staff, and we’re thrilled to see her latest project come to fruition with Heart of the House. Finally, if you want to talk about this latest release or just swap your favorite Nissa stories, you can do so in the discussion thread in our forums.
