Unsupervised

A very cool game that was greatly improved by the latest update that added a lot of stuff. All the different power sets get their own special mentors and the storylines are influenced by it, with some really neat moments for all of them, even if the game's last act is greatly influenced by time travel and thus fit Chronomancy best, Elementalist is still my favorite power set personally. Would love a sequel. Just a shame that COG run their business like a discord server or a subreddit.

the game is literally so good and they had a huge build up just to... finish so suddenly. man that was dissapointing I want to play more.

[b]TL;DR [/b] Recommended: this is an enjoyable, ambitious and well made game. Note that it's part 1 of a story and written with a sequel in mind, though even so with the recently updated ending the game feels like a relatively complete experience that you can enjoy on its own. Full review below. This game has a lot going for it. Where do I even start? [b]Choices![/b] The name of the game. Unsupervised offer ‘em in spades. Right out of the gate you can take your pick between 3 separate superpowers (2 of which offer an extra 7 powersets within them) which will give you vastly different content in terms of the mentors you can have, the ways you can use your powers, additional exclusive storylines, dialogue options and flavor text, etc. That’s not even getting into the choices in the actual story – the majority of them will leave an impact, big or small. Scenes often will have a surprising amount of variation influenced by both the choices made before and within them. Be prepared for random stuff you did or said to be referenced chapters later, because the game just tracks your decisions that closely. I’m pretty sure a few scenes are larger than entire games COG has published before, due to the branching alone. It runs deep and there are a TON of secret pathways and hidden content you couldn’t begin to guess at even after a 2nd or 3rd playthrough. Also, aside from the average options for roleplaying and customization, a lot of the choices run the gamut of being unexpected, interesting, and just plain fun. Want to talk to an imaginary walrus? Go on an impromptu heist? Run for mayor? Accept that your existence is fictional and break the fourth wall? You can do all that and more. Seriously, you’ll be surprised by the options this game allows you. It’s a delight to replay, because it rewards your sense of curiosity and exploration in a way few other CYOAs do. Also because of the save system, which is a neat rarity for COG games. To get a taste, I recommend trying for some of the achievements after a first playthrough. [b]Story, setting, and secrets.[/b] And of course, what makes those aforementioned choices feel particularly worthwhile is the writing itself. Unsupervised’s story has compelled and engaged me at every turn, thanks to the crisp, snappy prose and the eclectic setting. Taking its cues from the best of superhero and SF tropes (and also subversions thereof), the game crafts a fully developed original world with its own alternate history and a fair share of mysteries, which has been a joy to learn about as the plot unfolds. There’s always a sense that you’re getting glimpses into an epic saga, and it’ll for sure leave you wanting more. The game’s structure and mechanics also add a fascinating layer to the experience of the story in turn. Ludonarrative resonance, and all that. The devs peppered in a lot of intriguing tidbits about the plot and the setting across many different scenes, sometimes in mutually exclusive and even obscure branches. The story doesn’t show its cards right away; instead, much of it is spread out and revealed non-linearly after successive playthroughs. In part because of this, the game makes exploration feel very rewarding as I said above - discovering the hints to the various mysteries that’s been set up is comparable to the thrill of uncovering a grand conspiracy. Trying to connect the dots and come up with theories about the story is pretty fun, as is either finding out you were right, or seeing the pieces satisfactorily click together in ways you didn’t expect later on. I’d even go so far as to say you should take your time exploring the different routes and getting more of the plot before committing to an ending. [b]Characters.[/b] I am admittedly more of a plot guy than a character guy. But I can say that I enjoyed almost all of the characters here (even some that people seem to dislike). The game plays around with a varied bunch of archetypes and concepts, sometimes taking them in quite interesting directions – you’re bound to find at least one character you like. They all bring to the table vivid personalities and agendas, making for some unique dynamics between each other and the MC. Reading through the banter among the characters is always a treat, regardless of whether they like you or hate your guts. MC can be a pretty compelling character in their own right as well, with the secrets surrounding them and the character arcs they can have. (Narration from a high Quipping MC is a 10/10 btw) So there you go. This is one of my favorite Choicescript games – it basically represents my personal ideal in how these games should be designed for the most part. I’m sure when I go to sleep and wake up again tomorrow I’ll think of even more good things to say about Unsupervised. <3

I have a few problems with Unsupervised. Don't really feel like meandering around, so here they are: 1. Stat checks don't apply in situations where they should matter most. Building a character up to fight supervillains and not allowing any stat-checks in combat with these people sucks big time. The game doesn't have smart enough writing to negate the need for this like Fallen Hero's more limited usage of checks. 2. The game has too many endings with too much variation. When creating an IF with a clear sequel in mind like Unsupervised, you gotta limit your scope in what you allow the player to do, so that the sequel doesn't necessitate double the wordcount whilst giving the player roughly the same amount of time in-game as the original. IF authors already have to write at much higher word counts, spare your players the need to wait an extra three years on the sequel and just remove some branching in favor of more covert factions and storytelling. 3. This game absolutely NEEDS a sequel, not in that I loved this one or found it unique, but to give us the rest of the story. So many things are built up to in this game without satisfying payoff. The villains just attack, there's a quick variation on the ending depending on your actions throughout the game and what power you have, and the plot threads are just sort of swept under the rug in favor of telling the player what happened because of their actions. With the threat the author built up from the opposing forces, I highly suspect we will get a sequel to this game, but until then I have to mention that until then it's just the opening act of a much greater story. I still gave a recommendation for this game because despite its faults, I enjoyed the foundation built here. Everything is competent. Sure the ROs got scenes way too late and time powers are the only *real* choice, but hey, you can be a cool superhero. I respect that the author executed that fun little premise and let us do some superhero stuff for a bit. Even if it does end at the first game, I enjoyed what was here.

Previously my complaint with the game was that it abruptly ended on a cliffhanger without any indication that the story you purchased was seemingly the set up of a multiparter. Following the update I can say that this issue has been heard and clearly resolved for an experience I can say I thoroughly enjoyed, where I felt I got more than my money's worth and a far more natural ending point that answers more questions than it raises. Left me wanting more, but not because I was unsatisfied.

Great writing, albeit with some inconsistency when playing as a villain character. I would like to hear about a sequel or further expansion of the story soon, even through DLC. Expanding the story through DLC will pay for itself faster, fans will get a sequel faster and everyone will be happy.