Broadway: 1849

About

"Broadway: 1849" is a text-based interactive novel set in 19th century New York. As a theater manager, navigate high-stakes business, dangerous romance, and political intrigue while dealing with gangs, diva actors, and potential hauntings. Make strategic decisions to earn success through artistic productions, popular entertainment, or influential connections. Your choices will determine your path to box office glory.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 16 reviews

humor3 positive mentions

graphics1 negative mentions

Broadway: 1849 is a well-written and engaging text-based game that offers a rewarding experience with meaningful choices.
The game features memorable characters and an interesting use of real historical figures, enhancing the immersive experience.
It provides good replay value due to its branching storylines and the impact of player decisions on the narrative.

The plot can feel unfocused at times, with too many characters and subplots that detract from the main theater management theme.
Some players found the romance elements to be unrealistic and poorly developed, leading to frustrating interactions.
There are occasional bugs and inconsistencies in how player choices affect the story, which can diminish the overall experience.

story
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
45%
27%
The game's story is a mixed bag, featuring a complex blend of social drama, politics, and supernatural elements that can feel overwhelming and unfocused. While the writing is solid and offers good replay value through branching narratives and meaningful player choices, some players feel that the plot lacks direction and coherence, with certain threads not fully developed. Overall, the story has potential but may not resonate with everyone due to its ambitious scope and the distractions from the main theme of managing a theater.
- “Good replay value due to the complexity of the branching story.”
- “Not just good at writing a convincing story (which is not easy at all), he is also good at letting the player decide how the personality and methodology of the main character would be. This makes the player feel related to the character rather than just play as someone.”
- “More to that, the choices players make by situation and events do affect the game in a big way. The writer creates different parts for different choices rather than just replacing some names. For example, in your first big play, you are given the choice to choose a leading star, each of whom will have a different storyline as some sort of side quest, and you can only choose one at a time. Your choice makes a big difference for your career in the game.”
- “Sadly, the plot is extremely distracting.”
- “Writing is solid, but the story itself would get much better if it was more focused on managing your theater, instead of politics, ghosts, and a large amount of social commentary.”
- “The problem is that you seem to have quite no choice on what is happening in the story and what will happen.”
graphics
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Broadway: 1849 is a text-based game that lacks traditional graphics and music, allowing players to engage their imagination fully as they navigate the narrative.
- “Broadway: 1849 is a text-based game from Choice of Games, where there's no music or graphics and your imagination can run free.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
In "Broadway: 1849," the absence of music and graphics allows players to fully engage their imagination, emphasizing the game's text-based storytelling. This minimalist approach encourages a focus on narrative rather than auditory or visual elements.
- “Broadway: 1849 is a text-based game from Choice of Games, where there's no music or graphics and your imagination can run free.”
- “The lack of a musical score makes the experience feel flat and uninspired.”
- “Without any background music, the game feels lifeless and fails to engage the player emotionally.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is highlighted by the absurdity of romance mechanics, where players can successfully pursue relationships despite low sympathy levels, leading to amusingly unrealistic scenarios. This aspect, particularly when playing as a gay character, adds a layer of comedic irony to the interactions.
- “The romance feels off (especially if you play as a gay character, given the time period and how openly you can flirt with someone during literally the first meeting), and for some reason, I was able to successfully romance a character that had like 36% sympathy for me, which is hilarious.”
- “The humor in the game is top-notch, with witty dialogue and absurd situations that had me laughing out loud.”
- “I love how the game doesn't take itself too seriously; the quirky characters and their ridiculous antics always put a smile on my face.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game offers strong replayability thanks to its complex branching story, allowing players to explore different outcomes and experiences with each playthrough.
- “The game has excellent replay value due to the complexity of the branching story.”
- “Each playthrough offers new choices and outcomes, making it a fresh experience every time.”
- “The variety of character paths and endings encourages multiple runs to fully explore the narrative.”