Choice of Life: Wild Islands review – “Choose your own (island) adventure”

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  • Ridiculous choices and humorous outcomes
  • All the death scenarios without the punishment
  • Quick playthroughs but with hours of replayability 

As a seasoned gamer who’s seen more than a few digital sunsets, I must say that Choice of Life: Wild Islands has been a refreshing and entertaining diversion from the usual high-stakes, epic quests that dominate the gaming landscape these days.

Imagine yourself standing on a cliffside that overlooks a rugged canyon. There’s a wobbly wooden plank near the edge, giving off an air of invitation. Are you going to take a slow and cautious approach by stepping down the cliff side, or are you going to seize the moment, leap onto the plank, and slide recklessly down the slope while shouting “You Only Live Once”?

In “Choice of Life: Wild Islands,” from Blazing Planet Studio, it’s the small, seemingly unimportant choices that make up the game – a unique blend of visual novel and card play. Can you rely on your intuition to survive when stranded on an isolated island, and live to share your adventure?

One minute you’re swabbing the deck on a ship bound for America, then struggling to stay afloat in the big angry sea the next. When a storm casts all of your crewmates out into the water, you, as the lone survivor, wash up on the shore of a mysterious island with no one else around – or so it seems.
That said, these checkpoints can open or close depending on the fork in the road you pick. Sometimes, choosing to go to the depths of a cave can close the pathway to, say, a hidden spring for you; other times, you can still retrace your steps and hit all the points of interest that you missed, albeit with different outcomes this time around.

What’s the appeal?

This, in my opinion, makes the whole thing just so darn enjoyable – the fact that I can play through it again and again and expect a different outcome each time. Previous choices will be marked, by the way, so you won’t have to memorise past decisions just to get to where you want to be. Some decision branches are a bit longer – simulating a boss fight or a big finale – and there can be many, many ways to die despite your best efforts.

At times, you might need to set aside rational thinking and embrace the absurd, such as starting to dance in the midst of an intense firefight or deciding to bond with a gorilla that’s uncomfortably close. Each choice can result in various outcomes – I’ve already uncovered some endings, yet there are still many more I feel I haven’t even begun to explore in this entire island journey.

As a fan, I must say the humor in this game is simply outstanding! It often gets surprisingly self-referential and it’s such a delightful change because it never loses its lightheartedness. I can’t help but wonder if this game somehow found its way to me at just the right moment, but I’ve been so captivated by it that I continue to play it during my daily commute, still finding enjoyment in every session.

In essence, the game “Choice of Life: Wild Islands” stands out as a fascinating addition to interactive storytelling games, offering an exceptional level of replayability. If you’re anticipating intense missions or world-saving quests, it might seem less dramatic. However, its laidback decision-making process, which is neither overly punishing nor frustrating, is quite appealing given the abundance of high-pressure decisions in everyday life.

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2024-10-01 18:18