To the City of the Clouds

The 1980s were the Golden Era of Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) novels. A child of the '80s, I fondly remember collecting and reading over a hundred of these simple books, usually during summer breaks and in between the time commitments made to Tolkien, Bradbury, and Asimov. If you're on the market for a novel with strong characters, takeaway value, intricate metaphors, and rich context, then you shouldn't be picking up a CYOA. Rather, the chief attraction of the CYOA is the reader's stake in the outcome of the narrative. That is, at various points in the story arc, the reader is given a choice, and each choice begets more options, ultimately leading to a particular conclusion. The book can then be re-read with new choices and new outcomes. Formatted for the smartphone, CYOAs are now even more interactive than their older, text-based counterparts, affording opportunities for the reader to enter story-specific information (e.g., the name of a character) as well as a much-expanded set of options and outcomes. Importantly, readers should not have high expectations for CYOAs. They were originally intended for 10-15 year-olds, meant to be light fun, and always intended to engage young imaginations. To this end, "To the City of the Clouds" does not disappoint. The subject matter is most definitely intended for an older teenager and young adult audience; several adult themes (booze, sex, etc.) are touched on in the story arc. And that's exactly why I picked it up in the first place. "To the City of the Clouds" lets me relive the lighthearted fun of a CYOA all the while lightly referencing experiences and vices I've accumulated since the 1980s.

I found this to be a bit on the short side. While I did enjoy the story the first time, I finished it in about 20 minutes. In my opinion, not worth 1.99. As with other CoG games, I think they should be free to download, but have ads instead of charging for the app.

A very well written interactive novel for young adults who enjoy a book that allows you to decide its path instead of a fixed journey. This is the next of a group of well written CYOA games on the App Store that takes you on a journey of morals and adventure for fame and fortune and I must say after playing it several times I believe it to be of high calibre and look forward to the next one. Keep up the good work and sorry for the lack of detail I don't want to spoil a good story for those who read this review.