- September 16, 2021
- Choice of Games
Wraiths of SENTINEL
Platforms
About
In "Wraiths of Sentinel," a 250,000-word interactive novel, you play as a supernatural wraith with powers of surveillance who works for a secretive government agency. Your choices will determine if you use your abilities to safeguard or exploit your nation's freedom. With no graphics or sound effects, this text-based game relies on your imagination to bring the story to life, starting from your rebirth as a near-amnesiac ghost.


- The personality trait mechanics are innovative and significantly impact the story, making choices feel meaningful and nuanced.
- The game offers a variety of choices and branching paths, enhancing replay value and allowing players to explore different outcomes.
- The main character's unique wraith powers and the intriguing plot provide an engaging experience, with a good balance of moral dilemmas.
- The romance elements are poorly developed and feel abrupt, lacking sufficient buildup and depth.
- Some players may find the story padded out, with certain choices feeling inconsequential to the overall plot.
- There is a sense of detachment from relationships due to the wraith's nature, which may leave players unsatisfied with character interactions.
story
38 mentions Positive Neutral NegativeThe story features a blend of supernatural elements and spy themes, drawing comparisons to White Wolf's World of Darkness, though it lacks some of its darker tones. Players appreciate the impact of personality trait mechanics on the narrative, allowing for branching paths and replay value, despite some criticism regarding the coherence of plot twists and the initial choices' limited influence on the overall story. While the main character is intriguing, the narrative can feel disjointed at times, leading to a loss of immersion amidst frequent shifts in direction.
“But the thing that most impressed me was how the personality trait mechanics affected the story.”
“I loved the variety of choices and the organic way the story molded itself to my personality development.”
“I felt like there were a lot of branching paths not taken in the story and so I could definitely see some replay value.”
“Then right in the middle of that, just when it looks like you might get out of this situation, tada another plot twist, and you're somewhere else again (once again without your consent or choice in the matter) having a bunch of new strange events going on, with no explanations and poor choices that have nothing to do with what you were doing before any of this chaos started.”
“But the icing on the cake comes after all that, when you suddenly find yourself somewhere else, with a drop-down list of important things you want to follow up on... gone is any meaningful storyline or immersion.”
“Like always with the writer, the decisions you make at the start of your adventure are not strong enough to change the story.”