In December 2025, I announced that I would be an official creator for the Choose Wisely Festival that ran for the week of 8th to 15th December. Unfortunately, due to overlapping travel plans, I was unable to stream throughout the festival, so I decided one of the days when I was back to stream all the games that interested me in 12 hours!
Visual novels and branching narrative games are some of my favourite genres. I love a well told story and exploring different ways our choices can influence a game, so it was a no brainer to sign up when the Choose Wisely Festival was announced. I was honoured to be chosen as one of the official creators and excited to have had the opportunity to try so many amazing games that day! In this article I will share my impressions and short reviews of each that I had the chance to dabble in.
Please read on to see which 10 games we shortlisted to play!
Note: a copy of each game was either provided for free or the demo was available for free to use for this festival by the publishers.
Full VOD:
1. Unmasked Truths: Shattered Dreams by SuperPROTEIN Studios Inc.
When I first looked into trying this game, I was unsure of the theme. But over the demo, pieces started to align. In Unmasked Truths: Shattered Dreams, you explore multiple points of view of 10 students and a teacher known as world-renowned experts in their own field. The premise reminds one of Danganronpa where every character was an ultimate-something. The setting however, although also a school campus, is uniquely located in space!
It’s categorised as a murder mystery adventure game, so somewhere along the way of the full game, we will likely lose some characters. Some of the interaction and exploration segments reminded me of Fire emblem 3 houses/engage, where you can roam the school grounds and presumably, in the full game, interact with characters scattered around the map. The game has a charming 2.5D going for these in-between moments.
I’m most excited to see how the characters eventually come together and overlap. You can find out more about the game on their site.
2. Taisho Romance Theater by SweetSome Studio
From the get-go, Taisho Romance Theater’s MC, Kotori Sakuma, is shrouded in mystery. We know him as the lead actor of the Emerald Eye Troupe, but he has major memory gaps. So the mysteries unfold to him in real-time as they do with us. The story is set in 1921, Taishō-era Japan, and explores some dark romance themes. Please read through all the warnings before playing this game, as some of the descriptors can be disturbing for some audiences.
What captivated me the most were the illustrations. The characters depict earnest and disturbing expressions and the story grips you to continue reading to find out more. I enjoyed seeing their vintage dress styles too! The demo is lengthy but we only managed to play until 1 hour in. As of 31st March 2026, the 3.0 Demo is live! More beautiful people and CGs have been added, as well as a gallery and journal system.
3. The Real Face of a VTuber by Lilien Games
Humorous and made by a team that is definitely familiar with Vtubing culture, The Real Face of a VTuber was a tickle to play as a Vtuber myself! I am so curious to find out how the story unfolds, or whether there may be multiple endings to it. The gameplay reminds me of Ace Attorney with its cast of quirky characters and inquiring them to gain evidence. I didn’t make it to the courtroom segment, but I look forward to it in the full version!
4. Butter Side Down by Kalle MacDonald & Lachlan MacDonald
The game boots up as an old school OS with mysterious applications! There seems to be a lot to do in Butter Side Down, from answering calls to taking quizzes and going on a mystery hunt. We managed to get around 3 or 4 endings (I think?). But there’s more to be discovered. If you’ve got an investigative spirit, Butter Side Down is for you!
5. Irene. The Window by The Right Words
Irene. the Window made me feel like I was on a call with an old friend. She felt kind and familiar, and her gentleness really disarmed me. I loved watching her eyes light up over our replies and there are even little exercises she recommends you do! I didn’t manage to embark on them due to time constraints, but if I wasn’t streaming I would have gotten off the computer to do her IRL quests.
Irene makes me feel grateful for life and over our calls, her portrait also seems to change…
6. Do Not Buy This Game by Kingblade Games
What a silly way game! I enjoyed the premise and adventure presented in Do Not Buy This Game. I just wish there were more checkpoints or save points because I got stuck and couldn’t advance without restarting. That said, the narrator and script does a fantastic job at encouraging us to be a little gremlin, doing exactly what they tell us NOT to do.
I guess it begins when you get the game, after all.
7. Scribe by TalesBar
Scribe is one of the few games we managed to complete within a short span of time. The relationships between the characters compelled me and the parameters were an interesting mechanic to ensure we didn’t stray too far out of line. It reflects trying to balance our deeds in real life, which I thought was meaningful to include.
It’s well executed, with nice voice acting, music, and an intriguing storyline. Although we failed thrice, once you experience more endings, it gets easier to navigate and remember which options have lethal results. I enjoyed it as a rather chill experience!
8. Artificial Selection by KigyoDev
I think we spent the most time on this Demo, because the whole first route is free to play! Even then, we made it only to the 2nd floor. But the journey was quite the doozy. Artificial Selection is escape room meets Danganronpa with a chance to sway the outcome depending on who you choose to invest your time in. Each character has their quirks and mysteries, and it’s up to us to try figuring out what they’re guilty of.
The escape room puzzle had me stuck for a good while, but thankfully for the first one they provided some hints >< The debate segments play out similarly to Danganronpa, but in the comic-style showdown. Choose your words carefully to see if you can sway the debate your way! I hope to revisit this game in the future to find out what happens to the cast of characters.
9. Quality Dreams, Reasonably Priced by zorkie studios
This game is arguably my favourite of the lot from the festival. The premise is unique, with you (Jin) running a body modification clinic that caters to all kinds of clients. I found myself invested in the characters, wanting to get to know their backstories, and wanting the best for them even though I’d only gotten to know them over a few in-game days.
The graphics are gorgeous and very expressive, and the game presents constant moral dilemma in recommending potential life-altering procedures while trying to survive in a dystopian capitalist world.
10. Good News by Augusto Salgado
Think of an even more hectic Papers, Please with more information absorption needed and an ever-reducing time crunch. There are SO many papers to look through, it really hones your skills in skimming! I loved that there were many ways you could write your paper and even choose between different headlines to pander or go against public opinion. It was an interesting pair of shoes to be in and highly addictive to play!
The feedback for each chosen option is also directly reflected at the end of the day, so it motivates you to keep getting better at it. Try Good News if you’d like to try being a busy chief editor!
Thank you again for having me as a creator for the Choose Wisely Festival! It was a great pleasure trying all these amazing games ^_^