Evertree Inn

I focused my stats, being a thief, on persuasion and "doing unethical things". I couldn’t pick locks, I literally failed three out of three times which made absolutely no sense to me. I wasn't a nice person, I wasn't committing "ethical acts" and yet being a thief was useless as hell. That's no way to have fun. Needless to say, I didn't find it fun to keep playing. I thought the first time might've been an accident, but then when I failed to pick locks a third time AND wasn't able to dodge attacks either (I thought being a thief was about being nimble and stealthy wtf) I just had to drop the game and seriously regret giving the game a chance.

The whole "uncovering clues" system was neat and I found it very fun, but either you don't give me the option to "shape my character" at all or you commit to the act. Seriously threw me off my game.

I wanted a more challenging / involved CYA story, so I have read through all the books of the Evertree Saga with a few blind playthroughs each (no guides, obviously I used my own memory on the latter ones). It's a contiguous story (think episodes of a mystery show), not as much a continuous one like Lord of the Rings, but the books do significantly influence one another and many characters, relationships, and some ongoing story points carry through, so I believe a joint review is more appropriate than reviewing each in tandem.

Overall thoughts:

These books, at their core, are mystery RPG books. There is an answer to who committed the main events, and from what I have found, that does not change during each playthrough. There are many clues to follow in the books, both real insights on characters and red herrings. However, from what I have found, you always find out in the end. (This may not be true in the second book; I guessed the person correctly the first time)

I love this. There is an answer to the mystery, smaller mysteries along the way to be explored / solved, and you can be dead wrong in your estimations on who did the deeds. However, if you are wrong, there's no "Game over, moron" screen. The story adapts and allows you to continue.

BUT! that doesn't mean getting the answer right has no meaning. You receive more skill points, to be invested in your character's skills, if you discover more clues, succeed at more things, and guess who perpetrated the main / side mysteries. Side and main characters can die, be seriously changed, and come to love/hate you based on your actions. Also, you can't just brute force the mysteries from a guide. If you know the answer, because you cheated, and pick it without having evidence gathered to support your theory, you won't get many skill points to work with. You are also usually put in better positions, story wise, if you successfully puzzle it out.

Speaking of puzzles, there are genuine ciphers, memory tests, math puzzle (very easy if you get the right sub-clues). Most of these are either open text (you have to type the right answers in), or they have a large variety of options to pick from, most of which are wrong. Again, I love this because it rewards careful reading and memory.

The author has also done an excellent job with MC character building. You can pick from many different races, which have different traits and some characters will react to them differently. The game allows you to solve events in many different ways, so there is no single way to build your character stat wise (though I think magic is incredibly strong in these games).

The "companions", both ROs and people who help you solve the mysteries, are memorable and interesting, at least over the course of two games. Evertree Inn was quite short, and it didn't give enough screen time to fully flesh them out, especially since you can't spend significant time with all of them in one playthrough, but I didn't care that much about that because I liked the mystery and RPG elements so much that I was buying the second game anyway.

The second game was significantly better than the first, with more options, characters, skills, and a more satisfying mystery.

The third book was only half a book. It seemed like Act 1 of a 3 part story, so . It also wasn't as good. I only encountered one mystery which was completed, and it was just a deduction puzzle. It also has much harsher pathing. You can only see around 1/2, maybe even 1/3 of the paths on a given playthrough, which is fine but a bit frustrating since I wasn't even able to keep up on the stories of 2 main companions + the main quest, even while ignoring my career entirely.

Final Score:

Evertree Inn: 7/10 - good experience while it lasted, but a tad short for the price

Sordwin: 9/10 - genuinely excellent game, only thing keeping it from 10/10 is that the world isn't as built out & interesting as a series like Infinity.

Overall experience for the first two: 9/10. Very highly recommended

Lux City of Secrets: incomplete / 10. I don't recommend it unless you want to support the author (which I do, personally)

This was quite enjoyable. It's a somewhat short game, but it has good replayability in terms of what character you focus on as it will determine the companion you'll have in the next game. It has a feeling of being the introduction to a larger story, being nontheless a complete game with a clear ending.

Interesting twist. This games has a auto-journal feature that collates the clues you've found in your detective work. It is a bit clunking because of the menu system, but interesting to see what the developer had done. Hope to see more of such detective mysteries in future.

It's a little short, but I really enjoyed the story and writing. I'll definitely play it a few more times to experience the different choices and character archetypes.

A good Choice of Games/Hosted Games entry. You can finish this is in two hours, one sitting, so if you are in the mood for a short mystery, this one's for you. This is part of the Evertree saga, but this is a complete story. The sequel is more of an "another story by the same protagonist" thing, this gives you a satisfactory conclusion to the events it introduces.

Traveling from point A to point B, you stop to spend the night on an inn. In 3 hours time, you will find a body. How you want to spend those 3 hours is up to you, and will heavily influence what happens. You can try to get closer to a particular guest or staff member, try to solve a mystery you stumble upon, or just keep to yourself. As the evening moves on, you may discover different clues. Do well enough, and after each segment you'll be treated to a nice stats bonus. Once you discover the body, you'll have to make an educated guess at who (or what) is behind the incident. What I like here is that it seems the game doesn't reward you for making the one correct answer, but by making one that makes sense according to the clues you have gathered up to that point. Afterwards, you have to deal with the incident to the best of your abilities, and fight for the best outcome, whatever that is to you.

I like how straightforward the stats are. You only have 4: Combat (melee weapon and intimidation related), Guile (Stealth and deception), Perception (ability to read situations, surroundings, and Bow use), and Magic (self explanatory).

I think the story was clever and the writing was good. I feel quite satisfied with this game, and it gets a strong recommendation from me, definetly worth experiencing if you are a fan of interactive fiction, or want to try it out for the first time.

On the way to the big city of Lux you have to stay at the Evertree Inn. Rest is going to be neglected, though, because as soon as you walk inside you find yourself dragged into murder mystery. Or, should I say 'murders', some of which are pretty fresh?..

Short, but charming detective story with good character customization and very nice writing. Fantasy genre allows you to choose a race and be, for example, a halfling, which is refreshing. I personally enjoyed looking for clues and using magic; perception/magic was a fitting combo for my run. The romance path I went was very sweet in the best way possible. Overall, it was quite a good read.

As far as I know, it's the first installment in the Evertree Saga series. The sequel, Sordwin, is already out there and features the protagonist from the Evertree Inn.

I enjoyed this game a lot. It is a lot like playing DnD, but text-based. You get to build your backstory and stats. I enjoyed both romance options, as well as the non-romance npcs. It is short, but fun and each time I play through it, I find something new, uncover a different clue (I have played through 3 times fully). Yes, once you solve it, it takes the mystery out of it, but it is like a book that way, it then becomes about the journey. I like it and its sequel. 4/5.

I liked this. I picked it up because Part 2 came out and I thought it would be fun to start at the beginning. Based on the reviews, this is "love it or hate it" story. The story is basically a murder mystery wrapped in a Fantasy setting and once you reach a certain point, things conclude quickly. Some people didn't like that but I took into consideration that there is a Part 2 which you can import your character(and their RO if applicable) into. Replay value depends on whether you are willing to try different combinations or if you have one path you prefer or not.

Played this game quite long time ago. Reminds me of old CoG games. The plot is interesting, although a bit short. The interaction with ROs is really fun to play. Replayed the game again after the sequel (Sordwin) came out and boy i missed lots of stuff.

Well. I am disappointed. What seemed like the first act of a really wonderful murder mystery was cut short by one of the most lame twists that I have ever encountered in a piece of fiction. Which is really a shame considering that it starts out so strong with really fabulous and dark characters and atmosphere. The mystery was laid out, I had gathered information and clues from all of the characters, I was beginning to piece it together in my head and then - none of it mattered. The game was far too short, and it really felt like a huge chunk of the narrative was missing - it had the beginning and it had the end, but nothing in the middle.

I first tinkered around with the demo and liked what it did with the character, there is a scene where you get to select equipment and also clothing and amusingly the choice of clothing does matter, so bought the game. The narrative is a kind of detective story in a fantasy setting and it also caters to LBQT, if you want it to, which is nice. You can import your save from this game into Sordwin : The Evertree Saga and it has an interesting effect on the subsequent narrative. I look forwards to the third sequel in this setting.

so this game is all text and choise brilliant! I have to say i douthed that i would like this game but it is awesome you can make your own story with limitles ways i reccomend this game to everyone of you who is reading this buy it! it is cheaper then books and you can make your own ending and choises! good luck guys!

The game is great at the start. I enjoyed meeting and talking to the various people that were staying at the inn, but everything starts going downhill once the murder happens. Although you're gathering clues all the time, it lacks any sort of mystery, and the gameplay is just far too linear.

Are you boredly waiting for something? Anything? This is the perfect time killer game. You will get more out of it if you sit down, take your time and fully commit. But if you need something to pick up for a few minutes and then again when your next bored this is it.

Make pretty much literally any generic fantasy insert you want and rp them around an inn on the brink of disaster. Bad things come and you must save the day. Mind you that's not always easy, and you can lose characters you've fallen in love with. There are a million ways to play this and try and keep as many peope alive as possible. Also solve the mystery, which sadly doesn't have a lot of replay unless you delve into every last clue. The romance subplots are charming though (also optional, if you'd rather not).

That was a really interesting story, but I do have a couple of complaints. First and foremost, the story was incredibly short. The second issue I have is that it seemed like every single choice I made had absolutely no bearing on the end whatsoever, minus my romance choices. On the other side, I did have fun going through it, and Daisy definitely got me going. I'd recommend it for the reading, but it had so much more potential. I'd give this a 7/10.

A bit hard to rate this purely on a yes or no spectrum. It's written well enough and mechanic wise seems to be well put together. Smaller choices like your choice in race were relevant without completely controlling aspects of the story

Really the biggest negative and why I put down a no is the ending. Almost all of the investigation. The mystery. The entire basis of the plot is irrelevant. Incoming spoilers, turns out a magic tree did it. That's it. Literally just a left ball thrown at you from almost nowhere with the only hint of it being that the dad found something magic and that's why he made the inn. Every other clue is completely pointless.

I love a mystery and I found the demo intriguing, I dont regret paying the small fee to buy the game and complete the story.

I would say that the story isnt the longest or most elaborate, it is rather linear, but its enjoyable for people who just like the aspect of interacting with a little story.

I would probably rate it 6/10 overall. Again, its not really an elaborate game but you might get some enjoyment from the first playthrough as I did.

You know, I enjoyed this a lot? It was a nice twist on the usual Hosted Games. However, I wish it were longer. There's also not much in the way of replayability. That said, this game has a lot of charm. If you aren't sure you'll like the game, I'd wait until it was on sale. Still, 3.99 is less than a Starbucks cup of coffee. You don't have a lot to lose!

I've played a few of these in the past, most of which were pretty good. Evertree Inn, however, I found to be disappointing.

- One nice thing is that you receive lots of customization for your character, but you barely any time to use it. There is one large encounter, and that's about it. I boosted my combat skill twice, only to use it a couple times.

- The magic is terrible. Even having over 50% dedication to magic, my spells only worked once the entire game.

- Many decisions are forced. Either you're stuck with people you don't want to be with, or one mistake you made a while ago causes everyone to hate you for some reason.

- Characters are bland. I had no real attachment to any of them.

- No replay value. The ending is practically the same regardless, so why even bother if I successfully completed the game once?

- The length is way too short. Other, similar games may last me 3-4 hours per novel. This one took me less than 2, which is a bit of a waste in my opinion.

As much as I would like to recommend this game/story, it just didn't live up to similarly released content.

First playthrough was decent, but still kind of bland due to a generic fantasy world and two dimensional characters. Sadly, most of the player's choices are shallow and don't make much impact on the increasingly linear plot, which erases any potential replay value. I love murder mysteries, but the mystery aspect is pretty much thrown out the window after you hit the midpoint of the story, and replaced by a few unexciting action scenes that lead to a disapointing finale. Based on my experience, the "killer" is the same no matter your choices, and your "skill tree" and backstory are barely important.

I wouldn't have a problem with the game if it was free, but I don't think it's worth three dollars. Choice of Games has made a lot of stories with better writing and more replay value for around the same price.