The Daring Mermaid Expedition

About

In "The Daring Mermaid Expedition," you set sail as a researcher determined to prove mermaids exist to the Royal German Marinological Society. With text-based choices, encounter pirates, academics, and even join Lucy Smokeheart's pirate crew in this whimsical 71,000-word adventure by Andrea Phillips. Your decisions shape your path to Broken Shell Island and the mermaid kingdom, allowing you to pursue your goal with a mermaid-hating, scientific, or empathetic approach.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

The Daring Mermaid Expedition screenshot

56%

Audience ScoreBased on 36 reviews

story14 positive mentions

character development1 negative mentions

The game has a charming and quirky writing style that adds a humorous eccentricity to the story.
It offers a unique premise centered around mermaids, which can be enjoyable for fans of the genre.
Despite its short length, some players appreciate the replayability and fun of the choose-your-own-adventure format.

The game is criticized for being extremely short and feeling incomplete, with an abrupt ending that leaves players unsatisfied.
Choices in the game often feel inconsequential, leading to a lack of immersion and engagement with the story.
Many players found the writing to be subpar compared to other titles from Choice of Games, with sections feeling hastily put together.

story
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
55%
8%
The story is criticized for being overly short and feeling more like a prologue to a larger narrative rather than a complete experience, leaving players wanting more depth and development. While the premise is intriguing, the rapid transitions between locations and forced romantic choices hinder immersion and character connection. Overall, many players express disappointment in the lack of a satisfying story arc and the abrupt conclusion.
- “The premise of the story had me hooked.”
- “This game felt like a great prologue to a much larger story.”
- “An interesting premise and story of a scholar to prove or not the existence of mermaids.”
- “Unfortunately, the story is very short.”
- “As I was slowly progressing through the story, it came to an abrupt conclusion and ending.”
- “This makes for a good first act with three short scenes: establish the premise, introduce the reader to the world and how it operates, instruct them with the types of things they need to do and... we're sorry, your story is now over.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a quirky and zany sense of humor that engages players by subverting expectations, reminiscent of the eccentric styles of Terry Gilliam and early Tim Burton, though not quite reaching their heights. Its humor effectively combines lightheartedness with deeper themes, creating an entertaining experience that keeps players hooked.
- “It's not quite worthy of the likes of Terry Gilliam or early Tim Burton, but has a humorous eccentricity which kept me sufficiently hooked throughout (pun probably intended).”
- “The game has a kind of zany sense of humor that I'm all about, a good ability to play with your expectations the same way a cat plays with a ball of yarn, and some serious questions raised in a completely hands-off environment.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The gameplay is criticized for being too short, leaving players unsatisfied with the overall experience. However, the core mechanic involving the patron system is noted as intriguing, offering meaningful choices that encourage exploration of alternative paths. The correspondence aspect with the royal German marinological society is highlighted as a particularly engaging feature.
- “However, I found the game's core mechanic (patron system) interesting, and there were choices that gave me pause - I'd like to see the alternative paths.”
- “Way too short, and in the end I just completed it to see if it got any better as far as the story and gameplay were concerned.”
- “I'll leave you with this thought: the most interesting part of the Daring Mermaid Expedition was a mechanic where you would report your findings via correspondence with your patron and the Royal German Marinological Society.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Users highlight that the inherent replayability of the choose-your-own-adventure (CYOA) format significantly enhances the game's value, making it a worthwhile purchase even at full price.
- “When you factor in the replayability that's inherent in a CYOA title, it's an especially good deal even at full price.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Reviews indicate that the character development, particularly for supporting characters, is lacking and underutilized, suggesting that there was significant potential that was not fully realized.
- “The author definitely could have worked more on supporting character development, as there was a lot of potential to do so.”