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Your magic awakes in your new college town—and so does your heart! Can you discover who is trying to steal your power before it’s too late?

Spellbound: Malachite Coven is a 147,000 word interactive romance novel by Erin Rowlands. I sat down with Erin to talk about her upcoming game and the process of writing an interactive romance. Spellbound: Malachite Coven releases next Thursday, May 8th. You can wishlist it on Steam now!

This is your first time publishing interactive fiction, but certainly not your first time writing romance or longer fiction. Tell me about your background.

For many years, I wrote short stories for literary magazines and then over the pandemic, I was craving something more upbeat and I got really into romance novels. Reading and writing rom-coms has been my obsession ever since!

What inspired this extremely cozy supernatural game and its setting?

I grew up in a quaint university town and I always loved walking around the campus in the fall so it was fun and nostalgic for me to write about that kind of place. For the supernatural element, I’m a fan of shows like Charmed and The Vampire Diaries…I like when TV shows feature both magical shenanigans and smooching. I tried to bring that type of energy to this game.

What surprised you most about working with ChoiceScript?

I don’t have a coding background so it was a pretty sharp learning curve for me but once I got the hang of it, I really enjoyed it! I bought a bunch of highlighters and I have a notebook where I tracked all of the branches and I also had Post-it notes with various bits of code stuck all over the walls. For a while my office was giving a misunderstood conspiracy theorist vibe. In terms of the process, my editor Abby was so patient and awesome and the beta feedback I received was so insightful and helpful. I’m used to writing being a solitary endeavour so it was really lovely to get advice and input from more experienced folks.

Did you play any Heart’s Choice games to prepare for writing one?

I played and really enjoyed Brimstone Manor by Frances Pauli, Changeling Charade by Ruth Vincent and Their Majesties’ Pleasure by Leia Talon. The first game I ever played was Crème de la Crème by Harris Powell-Smith which is not a Heart’s Choice game but I loved the relationships in it.

Which of your NPCs would you want to go on a date with?

I love them all equally (I say diplomatically, as though they might hear me and get offended). But today it is raining in my city so I’d like to get tea and wander around a bookstore with River.

What are you working on next?

I’m writing a romantic comedy novel that incorporates two of my favourite things…the fake dating trope and board games. I also had an idea about necromancers and psychics that I always thought would be a novel but now I’m like, hmm, could this be a game?

The 2025 Hosted Games Hidden Gems Sale is here!

You’ve cast your votes and chosen five underrated Hosted Games—ChoiceScript games created by players like you and published by us—that haven’t (yet) gotten the attention they deserve! These “Hidden Gems,” selected by a highly scientific poll conducted on our forums, are on sale on all platforms this week! Pick them up for discounts up to 40% off until May 1st on the platform of your choice: Android, the Android Omnibus app, the iOS Omnibus app, the website, and on the Amazon Android Marketplace! Don’t Wake Me Up and Community College Hero: Fun and Games are also available on Steam.

• The Gray Painter
• Donor: A Vampire Victim’s Tale
• The Day After Ever After
• Don’t Wake Me Up
• Community College Hero: Fun and Games

We’re excited to announce new content for Werewolf: The Apocalypse — The Book of Hungry Names!  “Seek and Destroy” is the latest DLC addition to the sprawling epic.

“Seek and Destroy” is on sale, along with the “Book of Hungry Names” base game, the “Wardens and Furies” DLC and “Those Who Refuse to Die” DLC, until April 17th!

“Seek and Destroy” unlocks the options to play as a member of the Red Talons tribe and the nomadic Silent Striders tribe.

And, in a special mission, 175,000 words long, hunt down a vampire who feeds off the weak and the helpless. Along the way, you’ll uncover his connection to forgotten secrets of the Three Families and the bloodstained legacies they left behind.

Finally, at no additional charge, we’ve added support for poly relationships in The Book of Hungry Names. You asked for it, and you can now form a throuple with any two of Elton, Nin, Melodie, or Podge. That’s six variations in all, all with unique dating and romantic experiences.

The whole game including all DLC now comes to a whopping 2.1 million words! Enjoy!

Hosted Games has a new game for you to play!

Your life is unremarkable: you have a boring job, only one person you might call a friend, an ailing mother in an expensive hospital, and a single bedroom apartment which no-one else ever sees. The only interesting thing about your daily routine is the mysterious stranger who appears every night in your dreams. That is until you come home to find the dream-stranger in your apartment, injured and seeking your help.

Kitsune is 30% off until April 10th!

Kitsune is a 300,000-word story about love, lies and foxes, written by Thom Baylay, author of the Evertree Saga and The Grim and I. It’s entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

Many a fox grows grey but few grow good, and this one has taken a shine to you. How will you react when an agent of chaos enters your mundane life? Will you embrace the opportunity to mix things up or try to maintain some semblance of control? Will you let a supernatural spirit aid you in a divine quest for meaning or will you suspect everyone’s motives and seek the truth behind the extraordinary? 

• Step into a mundane life and watch it transform into something magical.
• Play as male, female or nonbinary.
• Play as gay, straight, bisexual or asexual.
• Uncover the mystery of the one who’s been haunting your dreams.
• Learn the shocking truths amidst the lies.
• Romance your best friend, a company royal or your mother’s nurse—or focus on your mysterious dream-stranger.
• Discover who you really are or lose yourself along the way.

Only you know how to live your life, but who even are you? Get ready to go on a journey of self-discovery, and try not to lose yourself to the whims of a mischievous fox.

Thom developed this game using ChoiceScript, a simple programming language for writing multiple-choice interactive novels like these. Writing games with ChoiceScript is easy and fun, even for authors with no programming experience. Write your own game and Hosted Games will publish it for you, giving you a share of the revenue your game produces.

Shhhhh! It’s our super secret special sale!

Thanks to a very scientific poll conducted on our forums, we’re proud to announce that our “most underrated” games, aka the Hidden Gems, are on sale on our website!

Pick them up for discounts up to 40% off until April 3rd on choiceofgames.com!

Nikola Tesla: War of the Currents, Cliffhanger: Challenger of Tomorrow, Broadsides: HMS Foraker, The Play’s the Thing, and A Squire’s Tale are all on sale now on the web.

The Steam Spring Sale is here, and you can find all of our games discounted until March 20th, including the Nebula finalist games!

We are thrilled to announce that The Ghost and the Golem, by Benjamin Rosenbaum, and Restore, Reflect, Retry by Natalia Theodoridou are finalists for Best Game Writing in the 60th Annual Nebula Awards, and both games are on sale for 40% off until March 20th!

The Ghost and the Golem is a 450,000 word historical fantasy novel by Benjamin Rosenbaum. Can your magic amulet save your Jewish village from destruction? Uncover the truth and forge alliances with soldiers, bandits, anarchists, and demons!

Restore, Reflect, Retry is a 90,000 word interactive horror novel by Natalia Theodoridou. You’ve played this game before. It’s a haunted game about a haunted game. You may not remember, but the game remembers you. I remember you.

To celebrate, we are also putting every previous Nebula Finalist game on sale:

The Bread Must Rise
Vampire: The Masquerade—Sins of the Sires
The Luminous Underground
The Road to Canterbury
The Magician’s Workshop
Rent-A-Vice
The Martian Job

Check out our Nebula Finalists bundle on Steam for an even bigger discount!

This is the seventh year that there has been a Nebula award for game writing—and the sixth year that Choice of Games authors have been finalists. Past Choice of Games Nebula finalists are: James Beamon and Stewart C. Baker for The Bread Must Rise, Natalia Theodoridou for Vampire: The Masquerade—Sins of the Sires and Rent-A-Vice, Phoebe Barton for The Luminous Underground, Kate Heartfield for The Road to Canterbury and The Magician’s Workshop, and M. Darusha Wehm for The Martian Job.

We also want to congratulate Choice of Games authors Stewart C. Baker, Phoebe Barton, James Beamon, Kate Heartfield, Naca Rat, Natalia Theodoridou, and M. Darusha Wehm for being finalists this year for their writing on the game A Death in Hyperspace.

Since 1965, the Nebula Awards have been given annually to the best works of science fiction and fantasy published that year, as voted on by the members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). The 60th Annual Nebula Awards ceremony will be streamed live during the 2025 Nebula Conference, June 7, 2025. Stay tuned for more!

Hosted Games has a new game for you to play!

Enter the desert city of Leas, where humans dwell in safety behind their walls while strange and powerful fae roam the wilds. Play as one of a rare few skilled enough to explore the outside world: an agent of Den Zarel.

Leas: City of the Sun is 40% off until March 13th!

After making a dangerous discovery, you are sent on a mission by your Den that unfolds into an adventure that will unearth more than expected, and more than you alone can handle.

Fortunately, you’ll have help along the way. A lifelong friend hiding a dangerous secret, a mysterious and taciturn rogue, and a brilliant and charming mage unite under your banner to help save your city, and possibly, the world.

Leas: City of the Sun is a 400,000-word interactive novel by Jax Ivy where your choices control the story. It’s entirely text-based — without graphics or sound effects — and fuelled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination!

• Play as female, male, or nonbinary — with options to be straight, gay, bisexual, or pansexual.
• Explore in-depth romances with your companions.
• Define relationships with family, friends, and mentors.
• Set your personality through choices.
• Brave the wilds and face off with fae, friendly and dangerous alike.
• Tour the city of Leas, from dancing at festivals to infiltrating warehouses.
• Choose your skillset: focus on combat and stealth, magic, or charisma to complete missions.
• Solve a magical mystery – and step into the world’s next cycle.

Jax developed this game using ChoiceScript, a simple programming language for writing multiple-choice interactive novels like these. Writing games with ChoiceScript is easy and fun, even for authors with no programming experience. Write your own game and Hosted Games will publish it for you, giving you a share of the revenue your game produces.

Hosted Games has a new game for you to play!

You’ve risen to the highest office in the land—the Presidency. The campaign was grueling, but the next four years promise to be even more daunting.

The People’s House is 40% off until March 13th!

The People’s House is an interactive novel by R. F. Kramer where your choices control the story. It’s entirely text-based—over 400,000 words, without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

When you take the oath of office, your life will change forever. As the Leader of the Free World, every decision you make will shape the nation—and define your legacy. With the stroke of a pen, you can alter the course of history, but power is never absolute.

Your Vice President, Cabinet, and advisors claim to have your back—but ambition is a dangerous thing. The press is hungry for a scandal, and your political enemies are eager for a shot at the White House. Can you protect your own family from the pressures of power, or will they become collateral damage in your rise to greatness?

You entered office with a strong sense of morals and a determination to cement your vision into history. Now, it’s up to you to decide if you’ll hold on to them, even if it costs you everything.

• Play as male, female, or nonbinary; gay, straight, or bi.
• Shape your presidency with choices that influence your political career and the fate of the nation.
• Keep your family happy as they’re quickly thrust into the national spotlight.
• Exercise your powers as Commander-in-Chief, for better or worse.
• Manage your staff and cabinet appointments to ensure an effective administration.
• Work to join the exclusive list of two-term Presidents, fail to sway the electorate, or resign in scandal.

You won the election. Can you handle the job?

Rob developed this game using ChoiceScript, a simple programming language for writing multiple-choice interactive novels like these. Writing games with ChoiceScript is easy and fun, even for authors with no programming experience. Write your own game and Hosted Games will publish it for you, giving you a share of the revenue your game produces.

We’re proud to announce that Devil on Your Shoulder, the latest in our “Heart’s Choice” line of multiple-choice interactive romance novels, is now available for iOS and Android in the “Heart’s Choice” app. You can also download it on Steam, or enjoy it on our website. It’s 30% off until February 20th!

See your name in lights on Broadway! Find fame, fortune, and true love! All it costs is your immortal soul.

Devil on Your Shoulder is an interactive urban fantasy romance novel by Lisa Fox, where your choices control the story. It’s entirely text-based, 300,000 words and hundreds of choices, without graphics or sound effects, and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

It’s the ’90s! You’ve just moved to New York to chase your dreams of Broadway stardom. Every day you walk past the theaters where legendary shows debuted. Rent! Les Miserables! Phantom of the Opera! Smash hits bring audiences to their feet and launch the careers of people just like you. You’ve landed an audition for a new production of Alice in Wonderland, which could be your big break, but hitting it big is harder than you ever imagined.

Meanwhile, you’re trying to make another one of your dreams come true: to find love. Will it be with your neighbor Cris? He’s an award-winning photojournalist, daring enough to go into war zones, with luxurious long dark hair, strong tattooed arms, and very sexy dance moves.

Or will you fall for Ryan, a rising politician from a fabulously wealthy family, with sparkling sapphire eyes and movie-star good looks? He’s always looking to the future, full of ideas about how to make New York a better place: will you be part of the next political dynasty with him?

But then, you and your roommate accidentally summon a powerful demon. A very [i]handsome[/i] powerful demon named Davin, who instantly turns all of his infernal might towards helping you! With a wave of his hand, he can grant your every wish. Land that starring role? Take down your rival? Save your local bookstore from gentrification? Win the lottery? It’s done!…as long as you give him a bit of your soul.

The demon is always whispering in your ear. There’s a reason the phrase ‘handsome as sin’ exists—and it might be because of his flowing golden hair and supernaturally sharp suits. He’s enormously powerful, yes—but he’s got some metaphorical demons of his own haunting his past, and with your help, he just might be able to break free.

Become everything you’ve dreamed of in the glorious, glamorous, gritty concrete jungle of 1990s New York. Dance at a star-studded gala; sing your heart out at auditions; stroll through Central Park; dive deep into the graffiti-filled subways. Will you give in to temptation so that you can achieve stardom, or try to make it on your own and risk losing it all?

• Play as a woman romancing men.
• Find love with a daring photojournalist, a visionary politician, or a tempting demon.
• Preserve your soul, or spend it freely to gain effortless rewards!
• Try to land a starring role on Broadway: choose your performance style and charm the producers!
• Mingle with the poets, dreamers, and eccentrics of the East Village! Help them resist gentrification or make way for the next millennium.
• Join a political campaign to bring in a new era in New York City politics!
• Befriend your professional rival, or do whatever it takes to cut her down.
• Dig deeper into arcane mysteries to understand your demon’s mystic powers—or to break free of the bonds that tie you together.

How far will you go to see your name in lights?

We hope you enjoy playing Devil on Your Shoulder. We encourage you to tell your friends about it, and recommend the game on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and other sites. Don’t forget: our initial download rate determines our ranking on the App Store. The more times you download in the first week, the better our games will rank.