Wayhaven Chronicles: Book One

I felt like I was playing Charlie's Angels meets Twilight, with a feeble attempt at a detective story. Because while you play as a detective, all the clues are revealed right away and you then have the option to either meta-game it and have your character figure everything out easily or play the fool and make the wrong choices willingly. The "professional" stats are there as an afterthought, not really changing how you go about guessing clues and how you fight. You have 4 teammates in [strike]Charlie's Angel's[/strike] Bravo team, each being a two-dimensional aspect of a character trait. One of them is nice, the other serious, another funny and the last one edgy. The writing could've been polished, I felt like I was correcting an essay hoping I could write [u][i] Structure?[/i][/u] in the margins. The story was simple, more like a vehicle for a drawn out romance than anything. Though I finished it, I did not enjoy it and would not recommend it.

Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 505: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆☆☆ (6/10) Hmm, this is a weird one. [i]Wayhaven Chronicles: Book One[/i] is known as one of the crown jewels of Hosted Games. Everyone knows it; virtually everyone loves it. Well, everyone except me, I guess. I mean, it has moments where its charm shines through—mainly in its dialogue. The banter is light, the exchanges flow naturally, and the tone is approachable enough that reading it feels more like binging a late-night CW show than slogging through a dense text adventure. But once the novelty fades, the cracks in its foundation become difficult to ignore. I do have Book 2, and I'll give it a go, but I am a bit unsure on how interested I'll be. [b][h2]Pros:[/h2][/b] ✅ The dialogue is easily the strongest part of the experience. It’s breezy, accessible, and playful, with a rhythm that makes interactions feel relaxed rather than stiff. The author has a good ear for character beats, and the pacing of conversations keeps scenes lively. ✅ A ... well-handled love triangle option 👀. This, I enjoyed. ✅ The occasional POV shifts are a welcome break that gives the reader insight to how our mysterious team members are feeling. Usually, I'm not a fan of such short, quick shifts, but it worked well here. ✅ Structurally sound, with little to no typos. [b][h2]Cons:[/h2][/b] 🟥 Fanfiction-y writing. Once you look past the surface-level charm, the story leans heavily into familiar YA tropes—romantic tension constantly interrupted, dramatic entrances, and archetype-driven characters who rarely develop beyond their one assigned personality trait. For example, there were at least four instances where my detective and romance option (N) would ~lovingly~ lock eyes, only to be interrupted. Couldn't the author changed this formula up a bit? The ROs in particular feel more like shorthand than people. A is :/, N is :D, F is ???, and M is 🚬 They read less like fully developed individuals and more like fanfiction archetypes waiting to be filled in later. I seriously cannot remember ANYTHING besides them besides that. I don't know if they even have any hobbies. It's quite difficult to want to get to know these integral characters when, for the whole book, I have zero desire to. Also, I found it a bit eye-rolling that A is supposed to be an immortal but has the communication or understanding of someone born yesterday. 🟥 The protagonist is the world's worst detective. For someone meant to be a senior-ranking detective, they operate with the insight of someone who wandered in off the street. They miss obvious clues, fail to pick up on blatant ~significant looks~, and have almost no meaningful agency. I mean, come on. You shoot a mysterious person who literally disappears, find their voice familiar, find them faster than you are, and you can't pick up on the fact that something's wrong? Or even the fact that they have an uncanny power to calm anyone, refer to people as "humans," and seem very interested in your blood. Perhaps the author wished to play on the irony, but I found it quite frustrating. Also, it’s difficult to feel invested in a mystery when the story refuses to let you solve anything yourself. Every major answer—culprit, motive, method—is handed to you before you even have the chance to think about it. 🟥 I didn't enjoy how each flirting option is either "blushing bride" or "I will jump your bones." 🟥 Somewhat feels like your choices don't matter, or that stats are mostly flavor text. You'll encounter the same characters, same story beats, same plot points. The only thing that changes is who you romance. [spoiler] I really did not enjoy being forced to go confront Bobby by ourselves and not bring it up to the team.[/spoiler] 🟥 I wish I could arrest Bobby for disturbing the peace. My peace, to be exact. [hr] If you enjoyed this review, please check out my curator page to find more: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45814768-Verdict-Play-or-Pass/]Verdict: Play or Pass. [/url] Also, please leave a like and visit [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Indie_Gems]IndieGems[/url] and our YouTube channel for more reviews like this one. [/hr]

移动端一周目，请忽视时长。 整体剧情比较过家家，文笔战斗描写什么的都比较小白，古早味romance。一些选项和角色说的话让我想尖叫你们是小学生吗？ 经常选项设置了七八个，但很多对剧情甚至对任何属性都没有影响。有时候又一个都选不出来，我以为是阴阳的语气结果居然是真的在好好说（令人脸酸的尴尬的）话，显得主角笨笨的。 还有个很雷的地方是，选了女同线但开头有错误地用man/him指代。

除非你非常非常非常喜欢romance环节，并且对别的方面没有任何要求，不然别买。剧情平淡如水，而且说实话我对里面这几个RO毫无任何兴趣，特点是挺鲜明但是太刻意，毫无让人进一步接触的欲望。哦喜欢代入的话也别买，根据你的性别和偏好，开局你的老妈直接给你塞给你4个美女/男和你一起工作，我就想知道谁能代入这种情况？反正我是代入不了，我第一反应就是作者你是不是太明显了，就是明摆着让你谈恋爱，给你四个让你挑，我是非常反感这种情况。 剧情方面基本就是romance oriented，如果你不romance那剧情就是贼无聊，没啥好说的，主角作为一个警探感觉就是个混饭吃的，就算你stats高基本也对剧情没有啥实质性影响（不如说这游戏根本就没多少stats check）。警探这个身份感觉就是作者为了便利搞出来的，所以不要希望你真的能解决什么问题。主角感觉有精神分裂一样，选项一堆，我想找个折中一点的选项都没有，要么就是非常友善，要么就是超级冷酷。很多时候我不想那么友善根本选不出来。 我买之前是看过评论的，也知道romance占比大，但是玩了之后才发现我还是低估了这个情况。所以，除非你玩CYOA的主要动力就是romance，否则真别买。何况对我来说，这游戏的romance也完全不吸引我。 如果喜欢类似世界观设定和解密，我推荐evertree三部曲，在我看来比wayhaven好得多。

6/10 The writing is competent, but the story is a bit disappointing. It is pretty much on the rails, with the most impactful choices revolving around relationships (whether romantic or not). I focused on building a professional detective, only to watch him make some very stupid decisions just so the plot happens. Letting a group of strangers investigate the scene without him; stopping in the middle of a deadly chase to ask some questions; letting a 'rat' into the office etc... It would have been nice for my character to arrive at some kind of truth on his own -- there were signs that it could happen. But no, the "detective" is simply handed everything when the writer decides it's time. The story is essentially about him being a desirable meat suit. However, I'm still giving this game a thumbs-up because I've enjoyed the interactions with the characters. There is a lot of cheese, some humour, and a good deal of freedom in how you can treat people around you. It isn't strictly about romance either, so in the social aspect the character does feel alive. It's a fun experience overall, as long as you don't take it too seriously.

3/5。有点像《发现女巫》《火炬木小组》那一款的故事。走了n线，我爱热情狗系。三角恋线还挺有意思的，满足了我的恶俗心情。说是slow burn，其实就是每每在各种应该有情感推进的地方被打断，而且关系真的写得太浅了一点。

评论数和好评率果然是会骗人的，槽点多到我写起来都嫌累。 -一股古早言情味，如果是女性mc+男性ro的组合还好，如果是其他组合就可能会有不少出戏和别扭的地方，且尽管有意识地避免，还是营造出了一种mc是个身娇体弱人菜瘾大的傻白甜的……类玛丽苏（？）的诡异氛围 -世界观粗糙，直接告诉你超自然生物都是存在的，相当于把各种耳熟能详的设定一锅焖再放点自己切的葱花，味道古怪不说，也尝不到食材原本的独特风味了，让人没有想要深入了解的欲望 -故事平淡如水，mc的警探身份就是个摆设，主线的探案纯粹拿来凑数的，连反派都只是mc和li两人play的一环 -人物塑造缺乏深度，ro的一切行为都是为了反复突出其代表的某个特质标签，而爱好、观念、生活习惯等细节皆没有展现 -描写方法单一，四个ro像机器人一样只有一种反应，mc和li的互动也是不断重复一套固定流程，像裹脚布一样又臭又长；表现Rebecca母爱的唯一方式就是让她动不动就流眼泪 -选项设置莫名其妙，比如在接近尾声的时候直接让你选择和谁发展浪漫关系，在极短篇幅里不断让你重复选择对Rebecca的态度等等，同时绝大多数选择对剧情也没有任何影响 -很多台词非常尴尬出戏，但我这里不打算举例子，因为我真的不想再回忆一遍甚至还自己写一遍然后把我家地板给扣穿 总的来说我觉得这部作品比较适合十几岁的青少年……大概吧……说实话文笔还不如国内初高中流行的言情小说和网文……所以非要读点轻松的东西打发时间的话，还是选后者吧…… 这是我玩的第二部if，和第一部（防拉踩就不提名字了）比起来，相近的评论数和好评率，体验却是天差地别，也不知道是刚好碰上了一款名不副实的作品还是说这就是大多数if的水平，不管怎样我会再玩一两个试试看，但是whc系列我是不会再碰了。

在COG网站上断断续续地玩完了，给七分都有点水，想玩点类《暮光之城》的可以试试，但后者剧情的跌宕起伏程度还是比本作高的。这么简单的故事居然能写这么长，悬疑感几乎没有，破案感很弱，超自然元素也没怎么展开，可以说完全没达到预期。 对文笔比较好的IF我会尽量逐字阅读，这作可以直接一键翻译。太多重复用词和复制粘贴般的交互了，包括romance剧情，到后面都能猜出每段会怎么写，惊喜感实在有限，像几个人设而非角色在一套固定框架内互动。 作者不太喜欢留钩子，经常把情节掰开来切换着视角写，几乎不剩可遐想的空间，本来也不多的悬念感就这样被玩没了。从开头到MC和RO们的第一次碰面都把我胃口吊的很足，直到后一章角色身份和世界观揭晓，剧情开始一路流水账水到大结局。 小说可以俗可以土但不能无聊，打完第一本已经把期待值降到最低了，希望后几本能好点

I liked the game and story but the 440k words is very misleading. I'm guessing it's a combined count for all routes and choices, but it only took me about 4 hours to complete which I'm guessing means I read about 30k words? I was expecting to be able to take more time reading the story. I'd be interested in looking into other routes but I wished this was longer!

不错，是份好游戏，有很多办案中添加情趣的环节。我喜欢这种感情描写细腻的书籍。 主线过度很自然，节奏适度，把玩家背景和故事交代的很清楚。反派也给玩家足够的动机来探究主线内容。 案件侦查的主要目的是为了让玩家能合理的与其它人进行接触，所以看上去并不悬疑，来这里和四位帅哥美女摩擦出的感情还是很不错的。不过玩家有时候是作为第三人来做出对于当时角色来说比较符合情绪的对话，不能完全把自己代入，但这种情况非常少. 游戏中也用了很多讽刺性对话句子给玩家选择，非英文母语的玩家容易理解成正常礼貌的交流方式。有很多对话非常有趣。 角色特性鲜明，比较有趣，也有三角恋可以选择。 评论区里说过，看过“暮光之城”影视作品的，也一定会喜欢上这个游戏。