Let me make one thing clear: I was extremely uncertain about The Soul Stone War when I saw the first reviews. Many of them were negative and pointed at some concerning downsides. I was particularly displeased by the idea of playing as a useless dimwit or – oh God, no! – as a dreaded Mary Sue who is loved and cared for ‘just because’.

But reading positive reviews, which came out later, brought me hope, and I decided to give the game a try at last. I should say, I am very happy I did.

• Story and writing

The story is dark and mature, but not as depressing as Death Collector, in my opinion. There is an interesting world on the verge of a major conflict; ruled by a ruthless Lord of All, there is hardly any place for a fairy tale. And yet, the mythical Soul Stones are also real and promise unlimited power. But what will they take from you for such a generous gift? This intrigue goes through the whole plot line and is an important part of the world building. You are constantly chased by one enemy or another, so the adventure is quite thrilling and tales surprising turns at times. While being quite linear with some events, the story is engaging enough to warrant several playthroughs, even if just to experience different romances.

I think the writing has a nice pacing and does not feel either rushed or sluggish for the most part; it was a smooth read and I noticed only several small typos here and there. Speaking of the fantasy world, it is really vast and unusual. I cannot say that the author gives us a lot of lore in general, but there is enough information to create a picture of this universe in your head. I just really, really hope that we will learn more about various races and places in the future books. Or it will be such a disappointment! And a missed opportunity.

• The main character and their issues

Now, to address the main complaint about the game voiced by many reviewers. They said that the main character is always useless, afraid and helpless. But just think about it: you follow someone’s life from the very bottom to the very top. You do not start as the all-powerful being, you have to earn your place and titles; what is more, you are constantly chased by people who want you dead. There is nothing bad in being helpless or afraid – not all of us are superheroes flying around and killing enemies with laser beams from the eyes. The main character acts exactly as they should: our protagonist is a simple person from a secluded village in the middle of nowhere, a person who has never properly trained either in combat or magic, a person who does not even have their own house or money. You start at the very bottom of the ladder, so expect to be overpowered and outsmarted – this is normal, you are not a prodigy! I do agree that sometimes it can be frustrating, but imagine yourself in a situation like this. Also, your character actually helps from time to time. I guess they will continue developing their skills and special ability in the next part of the story, which is very intriguing. And the last but not least: your character will notice their flaws themself. They understand that they can be a burden for their companions and want to become better and grow a spine.

Also, some reviewers mentioned that other characters tend to fawn over the main one. This is partially true, but is also understandable. They are seasoned adventurers who have been through all kind of problems – they have experience and skills to survive. You, on the other hand, are clueless about a lot of things, have no money and are half dead at the very beginning of the story. And, as far as I understood, the protagonist looks really young no matter what age you choose for them (at some point they can joke about being underage and other character will believe them). There is also the second reason (can be considered as a minor spoiler, so read this part at your own risk): as you will find out in the middle of the game, your whole company of adventurers is going to become Soul Stone wielders. And these stones can actually feel each other and their owners. My guess here is that you and your partners in crime subconsciously understand that you are important to each other – this is supported by protagonist’s thoughts about Morkai and Straasa in the first chapters. Daelynn and Eledwen are old by human standards, so they might see your character as a child who they need to protect. Or maybe this is the way other races treat humans. These are all just my assumptions, and I agree that sometimes you will receive too much attention; yet, I cannot say that it was that annoying or out of line (not as bad as in some otome visual novels, at least).

• Other people in the story and…love

And now, the icing on the cake: characters and their romances. The most interesting part here is that the author made two different versions for your love endeavors. One is flirtmance and the other one is friendmance. You cannot follow both paths at the same time – if you try, the love option will be locked out later in the game. Yikes! So, you need to be consistent when choosing your reactions. I was also really surprised to see that there is even a romance guide, which you can find in the Show Stats menu. I do not recommend reading it until you complete the story at least once, though.

So far, I have completed 2 solo romances (out of 4), 1 polyamorous (out of 3) and the secret route. I do not think I will continue exploring poly options; not because they are badly written but because it is really not my cup of tea. Solo romances were amusing, as well as believable. And the secret option was the best! Though, I would also like to note that it felt a bit rushed at one specific point when the soulmate bond appears and Manerkol immediately falls head over heels in love – this looks strange considering that just a minute ago he addressed protagonist as ‘a pet’, no? But maybe it is just magic at play here, but still amazing.

• Small detail

In addition to the romance guide, there is also a Portrait Gallery. The pictures are added when you meet one of the important characters. The artwork is splendid! It is a nice bonus that I really enjoyed.


One simple note: if the game makes me skip sleeping time, this is a good sign. I have been a dormouse since university – just ask my friends about it. There are not many things I enjoy more than sleeping or just lying in bed and thinking of different stories that I will never write because I am talentless. So, when something, whether it is a game, a book or a film, makes me put my laziness aside, this speaks volumes of how entertaining it was. Well, at least for me.

Again, I understand why many people want to be strong and decisive in the story. But is not it even more interesting to be helpless at first just to become wiser and more skillful with each adventure and, eventually, turn into somebody great not just because it is convenient for the plot or typical for the genre, but because you actually worked hard and survived?

Morgan Vane, the author of The Soul Stone War, tried something new and, I dare say, it was a really good decision. I like where the story goes and cannot wait to continue experiencing it in the second book.

Bought this to check it out since the sequel just dropped. And after a few chapters I couldn't bring myself to finish it. Too often is the player subjected to my biggest pet peeve in these types of games. You are constantly told what your character feels instead of being able to decide that yourself, your character is constantly making decisions that you as the reader have no impact over. Giving the reader the freedom of choice should be priority number 1 while writing a choose your own adventure game.

First and Foremost, once again this book is not a complete story, but rather Book 1, of who knows how many books that may or may not someday be written. AND AGAIN nowhere on the store page is this mentioned. Im very tired of that to be honest, i can not even count how many books i've been tricked into buying, thinking i was going to get to enjoy the full story, only to be given a teaser and left hanging.
Secondly after reading this book, I can say without a doubt i will not bother getting the next book when and if its ever offered. While the writting is excellent, craft wise, the story itself is painful, dark, depressing and even the thing you are forced (yes forced) to seek out as some kind of magical mystical answer to the terrors confronting you is ALSO dark evil and possessing. You do not become this Stone Wielder, you get possessed. You do not decide the fate of the world, the story ends with you loosing the only thing you actually have, yourself. What ever ends up deciding the fate of the world in any possible future book, will not be you, but the thing that steals your body mind and soul. After all the good story telling, the real fear and angst it generates in you as you try to figure out how to struggle against all these impossible things happening to you, the ending is like the ultimate betrayal.

I recommend the game to people who prefer character centric stories over skill or mechanic heavy ones. To those who want the main cast and main character to be more than paper cutouts, having their own ambitions and have multiple sides to them. The Soul Stone War has plenty of character interaction – revolves around that, actually.
There is room to customize the main character although certain traits about them are set like the MC’s sense of humour and seeing themselves as weak and relatively useless in combat situations (this is how the MC perceives themselves in this book, they can be an actual asset in combat though).

Please note that this is the first game in a series of at least three games. The second and third games still have to be developed. The game ends on a cliffhanger in the fashion of some movies like “Back to the Future” or books like Rick Riordan’s “Heroes of Olympus – The Mark of Athena”. If you do not like cliffhangers and having to wait for sequels, then best wait for the rest of the series to be released.

Writing
> You-perspective, focus on MC’s thoughts and feelings
> The atmosphere may seem light-hearted at points, but the story deals with dark themes (e.g. persecution, invasion of mind, abduction)
> Game focuses on character interaction and developing the main cast
> Not very stat heavy. Concentrate on one stat and keep choosing the options for it to get the best outcomes
> A straight-forward game, replayability comes from the different scenes depending on which romantic (or friendship) relationship you pursue
> Combat sprinkled in between. MC can be of help or hide, or sometimes attempt to diffuse the situation in a peaceful manner
> Fast paced story, perhaps too fast? Story takes place over the span of a week or two. In this time, MC and the ROs can (but don’t have to) quickly fall in love with each other. The poly romances have to be initiated in this time span, single friendmances (choosing flirt options but ignoring the inner fluttering) are slower in pacing. Hours / A day after meeting Morkai and Straasa, they have basically already adopted MC as part of their group without knowing anything about them. (personally, I love these two guys, so I don’t mind too much, but it can seem quick and odd).

Main Character (MC)
> Customizable MC: Name, gender, appearance, height, age sexual orientation, background, swear word, hobby, weapon of choice
> Four opposing personality traits, so you don’t drown in them
> Three ways to flirt (if you choose to): Bold flirting, shy flirting, or not realizing that you have butterflies in your stomach (slow burn approach, does not work for the poly romance paths)
> Four skills: Magic, Combat, Persuasion, Wits

There are also some things about the MC that are set in stone:
> MC starts out as inexperienced when it comes to adventuring
> MC has a sense of humour that the player cannot control or affect. Even a stoic MC will crack jokes, at least in their head
> MC thinks of themselves as weak and powerless, though they may proof otherwise. Building up confidence will happen across the games. Companions pick up on MC’s insecurities and default to protecting the MC
> MC is frequently exhausted and tired – being on the run for so long exhausts them, they are also having difficulties sleeping. MC will display moments of weakness.

Basically, if you are someone who does not want to play a main character who will definitely display weakness and vulnerability in the story, then this is not the right game for you.

In summary: MC is not a blank slate who will only think, act, and speak whenever the player has the opportunity to select a choice. The MC will speak on their own, think of their own.

Cast
Main characters next to the MC: Daelynn, Eledwen, Manerkol, Morkai, the Mule, Straasa

Except for the mule, all of these characters are romance options. They can be either romanced in a one-on-one relationship or in three possibly poly combinations.
The poly romances are *not* a love triangle. In a love triangle, at least three characters are involved where for example A loves B, B loves C, C loves A. Or A loves both B and C, but has to choose either one of them or none of them, they can’t have both.
In the poly romances of this game, all three characters engage a relationship with each other. A loves B and C, B loves A and C, C loves A and B.

Daelynn
> Beautiful female elf who excels in magic
> Teasing, appears to take few things seriously, but is actually cunning and mischievous
> Loves to drive Morkai mad, is close to Eledwen, and neutral to Straasa
Daelynn can be romanced either alone, in a poly with Morkai, or in a poly with Eledwen. Daelynn is the only romance option with an explicit encounter in this game, and only if romanced outside of a poly.

Eledwen
> A female half-dragon
> Has been hunted all her life, is thus distant and doesn’t trust easily. May be seen smirking/smiling sporadically thanks to the merry company of the group
> Relatively close to Daelynn, and seemingly neutral to Morkai and Straasa as she does not interact much with them
She can be romanced either alone or in a poly with Daelynn.

Manerkol
> The Lord of All, the High King
> A schemer, rational thinker, determined to make his plans reality with any means necessary
> Considers the MC to be a pet, SPOILER and on his romance path as his, and him as the MC’s
> Manerkol can only be romanced alone. Also, you may not flirt with any of the other ROs. Don’t flirt. At all. He’s not interested if you flirt around. And choose options that indicate feeling a bond to him.

Morkai
> A brash and arrogant hot-head
> Is determined to protect his best friend Straasa from the evil of the world, and is cursing himself when he fails. Same protectiveness can be extended to the MC if friendship is high enough or on a romance path
> Generally a touchy and physical person. MC can tell him to stop, then he’ll mostly only touch MC in moments of danger
> Hates(-loves) Daelynn as she drives him mad, is neutral to Eledwen. Straasa is his best friend and if Straasa doesn’t like you, then Morkai will have a problem with you as well
Morkai can be romanced either alone, in a poly with Straasa, or in a poly with Daelynn.

The Mule
> The MC’s trusty companion since they had to flee their hometown

Straasa
> A kind and gentle soul, the calm counterpart to Morkai
> Wants to believe that there can be unconditional goodness in the world, but is painfully aware of the world’s cruelty
> Morkai is his best friend. If Morkai dislikes you, Straasa will keep his distance in turn. Is generally neutral to Daelynn and Eledwen, though he seems sceptic of Daelynn’s mischief causing nature.
You can romance Straasa either alone or in a poly with Morkai.

Other Notes | Potential Trigger Warnings
> Trigger warning for “Harvest’s Bounty” background. Warning is in place in the game, choose a different background if you don’t want to read about attempted sexual assault.
> MC will get kidnapped. The kidnapper can force a kiss, but this can be avoided by choosing options that don’t indicate freezing in place.
> An event at the end of the game made me feel uncomfortable. Spoilers: Receiving the Soul Stone means merging with the soul of the Stone. MC will fight at first, then succumb to despair. It first reads as a great struggle, then turns into a moment of ecstasy as this being merges with the MC’s soul and they become seemingly inseparable. This depiction caused me discomfort. But I heard from the author that this is mainly the adrenaline rush and that there will be the possibility in the sequel to be horrified by what happened.

I was hoping for a fantasy adventure, what I got was the interactive fiction version of hurt/comfort fanfic penned by a 15-year-old named xXEbonDarkBlazXx.

1. The beginning of the story is five pages from the PoV of a broody dark lord. We learn that he has ebony hair, ruby eyes, and a gorgeous face. This is the first of several chapters from alternate PoVs where we spend several pages watching them brood and learning how good-looking they are.

2. When the author bothers to focus on the MC, you only get a few choices and they're poor. For example, you have three different backgrounds. The first one I picked came with a trigger warning that it included rape, so I backed up and picked the second one. That one had me watch helplessly as my transgender friend was beaten to death. I restarted and picked the third. That one was the MC having only a sickly younger brother as family and waking up to find him dead by the sea shore.

Perhaps you are wondering if these serious subjects are handled in a suitably mature matter. To which I say, reread the part where the most important thing about the dark lord is how sexy he is. This scenes and the characters in them exist only for angst.

3. You can play "play as female, male, or non-binary; straight, gay, or bisexual," as long as you are comfortable being a small, frail waif who faints constantly and must be protected/held/comforted by your good-looking, strapping male companions. Literally, the day after you meet them, these idiots are touching your hand and looking at you with their soulful eyes.

Look, I get it. This is an appealing fantasy for many women and not a few men. Given the number of stories where busty women toss themselves at the main character, it's only fair that the opposite is available. But don't label something as a fantasy choose your own adventure when it's a romantic drama aimed at straight women.

The Soul Stone War is an interactive novel (completely text-based) written by Morgan Vane and released by the popular "Hosted Games".

The plot: The overall plot for The Soul Stone War is a strange one, but not in the way one would expect upon first reading that sentence. The story itself is formed on loose ties consisting of; "I did this really unusual thing, just because I wanted to", in what feels like an attempt to push the story forward. I honestly couldn't tell you if this was just because the author generally didn't know how to write in strong, understandable reasons for their characters, or if these motivations will be explained upon in the second book. Honestly, both seem as likely as each other. The reason I think this? Well, that would be because of the character's background, or more specifically, lack of.

When it comes to the past of each character (the MC included), very little is given away to the reader. There are small or vague snippets here and there; a tease or taste if you will, but nothing concrete. Nothing painting you the bigger picture. In a way, this makes sense within the story. These characters were thrust together by the forceful hand of fate and have been fighting and running for their lives ever since. Any time they manage to stop to catch their breath, there are more important matters to discuss. This leaves a great opportunity to explore and bond further with each companion in the sequel; maybe even some frightening revelations will be unearthed that tests the strength of their bonds, as well as learn what prompted them to take the steps they did earlier in the book. That would be much better than the alternative; sloppy writing.

With that said, I'll admit that the writing style was to my personal liking. The humor was there and I found myself laughing or snorting out-loud quite a few times throughout. Scenes are described in great detail. And there was emotion there, which could definitely be felt during those more intimate, flirtatious moments. A huge plus in my books.

Main character: As with most novels from Hosted Games, you are given the freedom to create your character how you'd like. Gender, sexuality, eye and hair colour, and even height are the options for this title. You are also presented with three backgrounds. As of book one, this decision only changes some base dialogue here and there: flavor text if you will. These backgrounds each provide their own sensitive topic but much like with the other characters, it's not yet thoroughly explored.

The main character is seen as the weakest link amongst the party. It doesn't matter if you choose to have combat knowledge or not. Everyone will still fawn over you. For this novel, it at least makes sense. You are traveling with more combat-hardened party members after all.

As for combat training in general, you can pick between magic, melee weapons (sword or dagger), and later, bows. Whether you can successfully fight though, depends on your stats which are increased through dialogue choices you make and if you try to specialize in one art form or several.

The author certainly seems to like the saying; "thank you very much", so expect that to show up an insane amount of times throughout, as part of the MC's snarky thoughts.

Characters: This little band of misfits and underdogs come together to form a very interesting and realistic party. Despite their backgrounds being shrouded in mystery, they do possess strong personality traits. You have the grumpy warrior. The kind and calm man. The insistent flirt and the stoic woman. Each relies heavily on their distinguishing trait but do have quieter layers underneath. Layers... Like an onion.

The clashing of personalities provides some entertainment along your journey. You have the option to step in and try to calm one or both party members, or you can push the tension and see what happens. If you don't want to get directly involved, you can either turn to someone else for some company or ask for their help with the situation. Additionally, you can stand to the side and watch, or just ignore it altogether.

While we are on the topic of characters, I might as well mention the best one ever; your trusty childhood friend. A donkey! You are asked to name the mule at the start of the game and are informed that you've known her all your life. The old girl is anything but a basic form of transportation or a luggage carrier. Despite her being an average donkey, she has such a big personality and provides some much-needed comfort to our main character. I found her to be a lovely addition to the group, even if a slightly unconventional one.

A nice (and unique) bonus is that this novel provides a portrait for each companion as well as for the villain; essentially the important people. These are found within a subsection in the stats menu and are only activated once you meet the character. This is considerate as it doesn't spoil what future, unmet persons will look like. This is the first interactive novel that I've read so far that offers this.

Romance: The romance is where this title truly shines. Fairly early in the game, you are offered dialogue choices to start flirting. Both in the bold and shy variety. There is a romance guide within the stats screen that warns you not to mix the two, but to pick a style and stick with it, otherwise, you risk confusing the game and not triggering the relationship you desire. I guess the code can't handle your frequent change in heat.

This title is nothing but a complete tease though. It finds multiple ways to interrupt your courtship attempts and leaves you wanting. Whether these interruptions are from your companion playing hard to get, merely teasing you, or coming from outside sources depends on the situation. And let me tell you, your travelling company just love butting in at the worst of times.

In some cases, I felt like the emotions hit a heavy note a bit too early. The author tries to cover that with the excuse of: 'life-threatening situations bring people together quickly' though. Who am I to argue? I can't say I've been chased around by a crazed villain for days while surrounded by several attractive people.

The Soul Stone War offers a total of five love interests. Two female and three male. One of the latter being a secret romance. Although these relationships are monogamy, this title provides three different poly routes too. These have strict criteria to met before you can activate them, but details for each are provided in the romance guide in the stats menu that I mentioned prior if you are having any trouble getting to your desired route.

Overall: I'm in two minds whether I would recommend this game completely or not. If you are looking for a well thought out and established plot; probably not. I did enjoy the humor and writing style, and the characters were strong, but sadly that can't cover for its shortcomings elsewhere. However, if you are looking for something based more on the romance side of things, then yes, I'd likely say give it a read. It's not a bad novel overall, but if you are picky, you're unlikely to fully find what you are looking for here.

It's a cute game, but not for everyone. Be aware that, despite all of your choices, the game has a somewhat predetermined main character. Sure, you can choose to be age 25-30, but your companion will treat you like a child every other sentence. It's a bit awkward, to say the least. It works best if you can accept that the game is meant to be played with an 18-20 year old main character, who lacks life experience and has very limited skills. In your group, you'll end up being the dead weight anyway. For better or worse, all your companions are so nice about it that you may not mind too much. They will go out of their way to help and protect you, for no real reason. Then again, they all look gorgeous and are ready to be romanced by you, so I guess, who cares?
The entire game has this feel good vibe about it. I kept waiting for some tragedy to strike. At some point I was actually hoping my character's beloved pet donkey would die just to stir things up a little. Well, it's not that kind of game.

It gets a thumbs up from me for offering three slow burning poly romance options. Just don't think too hard about the game's timeline (1 week - when the group has to walk across the map???) or the plot, or everyone's utter selflessness, and you may enjoy it. The cynic in me is embarrassed that I had fun playing it. But I did.

I really wanted to like this game, but ultimately I was disappointed by it. I don't mind it's the first in a series, but I dislike the way it ended. In no way did the ending feel like a resolution. The game starts with my character being pursued and I feel like it ends on the same note. Not only that, but I felt like the final half of the story was nothing but my character being subjugated to the whims of others and ultimately having no control over her fate. Top it all off, somehow I ended up unable to romance the person I was pursuing.

I also feel like I should warn people who may be triggered by a scene which was basically an assault. At one point the main character is abducted by someone following them who forcefully kisses them while they are bound and enjoys the fear rolling off them. I don't know if it's just what I got, but that scene left me extremely uncomfortable.

Another thing, my character fought hard against her soul stone, but at the end, when she's forced to basically accept it, her reaction is bascially 'oh, I don't know why I fought it so hard. This is such a wonderful feeling!' That was a disconnect for me, since I really ended up despising my soul stone from that brief interaction.

All in all, I cannot recommend this game. I wish I could, I had been really looking forward to it, but somehow it missed the mark for me.

We have waited for full release for a while and I can say it was everything I could have hoped for and more. A vast amount of dialogue to choose from and characters you can romance or become friends with. You can even be rude and bicker with them if you so choose(always fun to do). With friendship/romance as well as your stone, which varies depending on skill/personality, it has so much replay value you will be able to enjoy this book for hours and still not be able to finish a complete playthrough. I have 8 hours on record currently and have only done three routes.

You have to remember this is a series, like most choice of games, so there will be more released. Please do not let that turn you away. You will be missing out on another great series.

It's sad because this game could have been decent - and it then could have lead to an even better 2nd game. However, it was not meant to be.

You see, I went into this thinking that the protagonist may just be pathetic as described by many reviewers - incapable of fighting, having to always rely on others, etc. To some extent, that is what I got. However, there were many times where I was able to have my protagonist prove himself and pull off some cool scenes. I wasn't forced into being a crybaby, "submitting" to others, being overly dependent on others, etc.

UNTIL THE ENDING.

I was essentially forced to either compromise on my protagonist's bravery/independence and "submit" - or just straight up die. No, I was not told that I would die after making such a decision - but that's what happened in the end. WTF? There's obviously no saving in this game so in order to continue the series I'd need to start a whole new character and replay the ENTIRE game, hopefully guessing that I know which answer to pick to avoid getting killed off while somehow acting the least amount of pathetic as possible, even though I'd have to compromise and play a slightly more crybaby/self-loathing/overall more pathetic character than I would have played the first time.

I honestly don't mind a character that is a bit weak. I don't mind a character that needs to rely on others. I don't mind a character that needs some emotional development. However, this game took it way too far. It's almost kinda insulting. Not only are you forced to play a damsel in distress, it turns out that you are FORCED to act like one too - or get punished for it by having your own desires rejected and your character killed off over their refusal to "submit" in the end.

In fact, there's a very strange predatory vibe being given off by all these characters. It's slightly creepy but I wouldn't mind it so much if the game didn't punish me for actually caring about my bodily and mental autonomy at the end. Taking away a player's agency to act how they want is simultaneously forcing that predator-victim relationship, making this to be an overall bothersome read.

Unfortunately, the fact that the ending was so disappointingly bad really took away all the excuses this story had regarding its... other flaws. Certain scenes just seemed very awkwardly done or were straight up creepy as previously mentioned, relationships formed in very strange ways with flimsy justification (unrealistic), lots of superficial character interactions, a highly questionable villain bordering on predator, characters lacking depth / not super interesting, and a plot that is "passable" at best.

The romance (and flexibility with the romances) would have made up for it - but there was somewhat limited romantic interaction in the first game and, you know, I died so no chance at game #2 for me!

Anyway, I normally don't write negative reviews for these games because I know authors tend to put in a lot of work and I feel bad. However, I had to write a review for this work. Why? This story is of the worst kind; it's one that had all the potential to be decent yet was ruined by some nonsensical creative decisions from the author.

3/10 - do not recommend - bad, ruined potential; but, at least I wasn't bored out of my mind.