Down Among the Dead Men app good for
You cant go wrong getting this game for 99¢, but it was just a little short for my taste. Overall, though, the story is quite nice and the plot engaging.
Fabulous game love it and cheap compared to their other book-games!
Great presentation, easy to read the story, yet also feel like choices are being made. Clean interface, looking for more from these guys!
Some bad moments
Interesting stories but all too often the end of a paragraph is cut off. Unacceptable for an app based entirely around text.
Great atmosphere and writing. Can be read in one sitting, which encourages multiple readings to explore different story paths. Good content and production values for the relatively low cost.
Unfortunately, there are a few bugs in the final chapter which, depending on your choices, will either loop you back to an earlier point in the story or prevent the story from ending at all. This spoils the immersion and ruins what could have otherwise been a 5-star experience.
The "text is cut off" bug mentioned by an earlier reviewer is present on the iPad in one of the orientations; orienting the device the other way mitigates this issue.
If the bugs in the final chapter will be addressed I will update my review and rating; the story begins strong, keeps you interested, but the bugs in the final chapter ruin the experience that was built up so well up to that point.
Be aware this is a book -- a choose your own adventure book. You read a paragraph, then you make a decision -- for example, do you fight, hide, or run away? You then get a bit more of the story based on what you chose, then you make another decision, etc.
Its well done, and a bargain at this price. If you like CYOA, or Inkle, this is a very safe purchase. Im really glad I bought it.
This feels like a classic choose-your-own-adventure book updated for iPad. Which is exactly what it is. All the reading & decisions without the fiddly bits.
I don’t recall seeing any of the illustrations shown on the Twitter feed, which would have helped the atmosphere a bit.
Most of the options are uninteresting or verbose, and since most of the time there are only two options, the text and verbiage gets old quickly.
Plot is roughly acceptable, but only barely. Descriptions lack a degree of interest and detail to spark real curiosity about people, places, or events.
I think the whole thing would have benefited overall from a little less adventure (which is what I assume they were trying to do with the combat and daunting situations at every conceivable turn) and a little more effort into the literary side of things.
Yes, I uninstalled it as soon as I got the end screen.
Overall: worth the dollar I paid to save me what I might have invested in inkle games otherwise, but only that.
((Personal nitpick: I pick witch and you give me a wand?! The amulet was a good choice, then you ruined it with a wand! A wand bearing pirate witch at sea? Urgh.))
This game pales in comparison to their previous work. Unless you are absolutely dead set on a pirate theme, do yourself a favor an pick up Sorcery instead.
