Atlantis Academy

In Atlantis Academy, players take on the role of a young individual who has lived on the border between land and sea, accompanied by a loyal water dragon. Orphaned by the loss of their sea nymph mother and the absence of their human father, the protagonist enrolls in the magical Academy of Atlantis, rubbing shoulders with selkies, sirens, and other mythical sea creatures. As an interactive fantasy novel blending underwater mythology with the magical school trope, the story explores themes of environmentalism, friendship, and mastering oceanic magic to thwart a destructive threat to the academy and the world beyond.

Atlantis Academy: Review

Introduction

In the vast ocean of interactive fiction, where words alone conjure worlds of wonder, Atlantis Academy emerges as a shimmering pearl—a 250,000-word text-based RPG that plunges players into the depths of a submerged magical school. Released in November 2023 by Choice of Games, this interactive novel by writer Dorothea Sparrow invites you to tame feral water dragons, navigate cliques of selkies and sirens, and confront an ancient evil rising from the abyss. Drawing on the timeless allure of underwater mythology and the hallowed halls of magical academies, the game casts you as a half-human, half-sea-nymph protagonist on the cusp of destiny. Yet, beneath its evocative surface lies a narrative that grapples with environmental peril and personal legacy, much like the protean seas themselves.

As a game historian, I’ve long admired Choice of Games’ commitment to branching narratives and player agency, a lineage tracing back to the parser-driven adventures of the 1970s and the hypertext experiments of the ’90s. Atlantis Academy fits snugly into this tradition, echoing the choice-driven depth of titles like Choice of the Dragon while innovating with its aquatic setting. My thesis: This is a sublime, atmospheric entry in the interactive fiction genre that excels in thematic ambition and companion bonding but stumbles in pacing and resolution, ultimately earning its place as a thoughtful, if imperfect, modern fable for eco-conscious gamers.

Development History & Context

Choice of Games LLC, the San Francisco-based studio behind Atlantis Academy, has been a cornerstone of digital interactive fiction since 2009, specializing in ChoiceScript—a lightweight engine that empowers authors to craft expansive, choice-heavy stories without the bloat of graphics or code-heavy development. Founded by Dan Fabulich, who designed the ChoiceScript language and is credited on over 370 titles, the company has built a niche in “hosted” games: text adventures distributed via web browsers, apps, and platforms like Steam, emphasizing narrative over visuals. Atlantis Academy exemplifies this ethos, clocking in at a substantial 250,000 words—comparable to a novella—and relying on player imagination to fill the voids.

Dorothea Sparrow, the game’s sole writer, brought a fresh vision to the project, blending her passion for undersea mythology with real-world environmental concerns. In interviews, Sparrow revealed that the game’s core metaphor—Proteus, an ancient monster representing climate catastrophe—stemmed from her desire to weave activism into fantasy without preachiness. Development began amid the post-pandemic indie boom, where text-based games saw a resurgence on Steam, buoyed by the success of titles like 80 Days (2014) and the Sorcery! series. The 2023 release landscape was crowded with RPGs, from sprawling open-world epics like Baldur’s Gate 3 to cozy indies, but Atlantis Academy carved a unique space in the mobile and PC markets, targeting fans of “cozy” choice-driven stories amid a wave of ecological awareness in gaming (e.g., Terra Nil or Endling).

Technological constraints were minimal, thanks to ChoiceScript’s simplicity, but the era’s tools allowed for innovations like internal illustrations by Wendalyn Wolf Lion-Hart, inspired by surreal, H.R. Giger-esque mermaid art. Beta testing involved a diverse group of 11 testers, including narrative specialists like Aletheia Knights, ensuring branching paths were robust. Cover art by Kim Herbst captured the fluid, dreamlike essence, while copy editing by Kirsten Hipsky polished the prose. Released on November 9, 2023, for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS (via the Choice of Games app), it launched at a modest $7.99, with a 40% Steam discount to $4.79, aligning with the indie pricing model. In a gaming landscape dominated by AAA spectacles, Atlantis Academy harkens back to the accessible, story-first ethos of early Infocom adventures, proving text-based games’ enduring viability in 2023’s diverse market.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

At its heart, Atlantis Academy is a tale of inheritance and apocalypse, where the protagonist—customizable as male, female, nonbinary, or genderfluid; gay, straight, or bi—emerges from a liminal life on the land-sea border. Orphaned by a sea-nymph mother’s death and an absent human father, you arrive at the Naiad Academy (a reimagined Atlantis) with your tamed water dragon companion, a feral yet loyal bond that anchors the story’s emotional core. The plot unfolds across 10 chapters, blending schoolyard drama with escalating peril: orientation amid cliques like the Followers of Amphitrite (tide magic devotees), rivalries with dark wizards sinking ships for profit, and the looming threat of Proteus, the shape-shifting titan who originally submerged Atlantis.

Sparrow’s narrative excels in character depth, particularly through romance options and mentors. The cheerful selkie offers lighthearted flirtation, contrasting the mysterious tide mage’s enigmatic allure and the bold siren’s fiery passion. Yet, the standout is Mehrab, a strident mentor whose “hero-to-villain” arc—driven by desperate protection of his people—epitomizes tragic hubris. His internal turmoil, masked by righteousness, adds layers of moral ambiguity, forcing players to question forgiveness in the face of catastrophe. Dialogue is crisp and immersive, with choices shaping relationships: befriend a talking walrus for comic relief, hatch a hydra for combat aid, or swim with humpback whales for poignant environmental moments.

Thematically, environmentalism pulses like a current throughout. Proteus symbolizes climate change—an “implacable destruction of our own making”—with oil spills, garbage pollution, and earthquakes mirroring real-world threats. Sparrow favors non-violent resolutions, such as allying with sea creatures or raising the Silver Island, over brute force, underscoring that “violence isn’t going to solve our current predicament.” This intersects beautifully with magical school tropes: the academy’s idyllic bubbles of phosphorescent coral hide buried secrets, like the headmaster’s protégés grappling with legacy and power. Personal themes of identity shine in your quest to uncover your father’s fate, blending heritage with heroism.

However, the plot’s ambition occasionally unravels. Pacing falters post-demo, with rushed romances (interactions feel sparse, leading to awkward high-stakes commitments after mere days) and unresolved threads—such as the MC’s greatest fear or certain stat checks causing abrupt deaths without clear causation. Easter eggs, like a Don’t Look Up-inspired moment critiquing denialism (“We’re for the jobs that Proteus’s rampage will provide”), add sly wit, but the finale’s difficulty spikes can frustrate, bouncing between school dances and cataclysm without seamless transitions. Overall, it’s a rich tapestry of myth and modernity, though its threads sometimes tangle.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

As a ChoiceScript title, Atlantis Academy thrives on its core loop: read vivid prose, select from 4-6 branching choices, and watch consequences ripple across stats, relationships, and endings. It’s a single-player affair supporting keyboard/mouse or touch inputs, with menu-driven interfaces for stats and saves—ideal for Steam Cloud integration and 24 achievements like “Exodus” (non-violent Proteus resolution) or “Moon Crown” (goddess favor).

Progression centers on RPG elements: allocate points into specialties like storm magic (offensive tempests), animal communication (allying with whales or dragons), or tide magic (defensive waves). Non-magic paths include spear combat for martial focus or treasure-hunting for opportunistic playstyles. Stats like Courage, Magic, and Insight influence checks—e.g., a failed tide ritual might doom the Silver Island sequence—encouraging replays for optimal paths. Your water dragon companion evolves dynamically: pet it for bonding boosts, reunite it with family for emotional payoffs, or leverage its growth in battles, adding a relaxing, pet-sim layer amid the tension.

Innovations include checkpoints (added post-launch for chapters 5, 7, and 10) to mitigate frustration, and varied loops: school events (planning dances for social gains), quests (infiltrating dark rites), and climactic confrontations with Proteus. UI is clean—text scrolls fluidly, options numbered for quick jumps (1-9 keys)—but flaws emerge in opaque stat impacts; deaths from “failed checks” often feel arbitrary, lacking transparency on triggers like the MC’s fear mechanic, which puzzled Steam discussants.

Combat is narrative-driven, not turn-based: choices dictate spear thrusts, spell weaves, or alliances, with hydra hatches providing multi-headed chaos. Romances integrate organically, with flirt options building affection meters that unlock intimate scenes or alliances. While innovative in blending cozy elements (dragon-petting mini-games) with high-stakes RPG, the system’s reliance on replayability exposes pacing issues—250,000 words demand investment, but bounced plots and uneven difficulty (e.g., Silver Island’s tuned-down checks still trip players) can sap motivation.

World-Building, Art & Sound

The game’s setting—a sunken Atlantis teeming with merfolk, coral spires, and abyssal ruins—is a masterclass in evocative world-building. Sparrow populates the depths with lore-rich denizens: selkies shedding skins for hybrid forms, sirens whose songs bend tides, and nymphs wielding phosphorescent magic. The academy’s halls, where students “swim” through enchanted currents, feel alive with cliques and clubs, from Amphitrite’s eco-zealots to treasure-hunting rogues. Environmental details ground the fantasy—human trash chokes reefs, oil slicks mar the horizon—heightening immersion and urgency.

Atmospherically, it’s a dive into wonder and peril: humpback whale migrations offer serene respite, while Proteus’s stirrings unleash seismic horrors. These elements amplify the experience, making choices feel consequential in a fragile ecosystem.

Visually, the text-based format leaves much to imagination, but internal art elevates it. Wendalyn Wolf Lion-Hart’s illustrations—spooky, surreal depictions of mermaids and dragons—arrived in patches, adding carnivalesque depth; some evoke deep-sea bioluminescence, others Giger’s biomechanical unease. Cover art by Kim Herbst bursts with fluid colors and motion, a homepage-worthy stunner. Sound design is absent (per genre norms—no effects or OST), relying on prose’s rhythm: stormy gales roar in description, dragon purrs evoke tactile warmth. This austerity enhances the “unstoppable power of imagination,” though it may alienate visual learners; the art patches were a smart compromise, contributing to a cohesive, if minimalist, sensory dive.

Reception & Legacy

Upon launch, Atlantis Academy garnered modest buzz in interactive fiction circles, with no major critic reviews on MobyGames but a 6-user Steam aggregate (4 positive, 2 negative) reflecting polarized playthroughs. Positive feedback praised its atmosphere—”evocative and atmospheric,” per forum tester Aletheia Knights—and the dragon bond, which moved players to tears during family reunions. Forum threads on Choice of Games highlighted Mehrab’s arc and eco-themes, with one user overcoming thalassophobia through its comforting world. Sales were niche, fitting Choice of Games’ 188-title catalog, bundled in “Nautical Adventures” packs.

Criticisms echoed a detailed WordPress review: the demo’s promise faded into rushed plotting, underutilized settings (vast ocean feels sidelined), and awkward romances, culminating in confusing finales where evil masterminds are oddly forgiven. Steam discussions noted bugs (e.g., Dola/Belisama relationships, dragon size) swiftly patched, alongside difficulty tweaks. Backloggd users appreciated its “surprise” accessibility for text-newbies via illustrations, rating it averagely but commending the mermaid academy vibe.

As for legacy, Atlantis Academy bolsters Choice of Games’ reputation for inclusive, theme-driven IF, influencing eco-fantasy indies by merging school tropes with activism—a nod to The Magical School of Hogwarts but subverted for modern crises. Its 2023 release amid climate discourse positions it as a prescient artifact, potentially inspiring future titles in the genre’s evolution toward hybrid formats. Commercially viable on Steam (playable on Deck), it reminds us of IF’s resilience, collected by few but cherished by narrative purists—its influence lies in quiet waves, not tsunamis.

Conclusion

Atlantis Academy is a mesmerizing plunge into interactive depths, where Sparrow’s prose conjures a world of mythical peril and personal growth, elevated by heartfelt companion mechanics and timely environmental allegory. Its strengths—immersive setting, complex characters like Mehrab, and branching magic—outweigh flaws in pacing and resolution, making it a rewarding 5-10 hour commitment for fans of text adventures. Yet, for all its ambition, it occasionally surfaces too abruptly, leaving currents unresolved.

In video game history, it secures a niche as a 2020s eco-fable in the Choice of Games pantheon, akin to how Zork defined early IF. Verdict: Essential for mythology lovers and dragon enthusiasts (8/10); a solid B-tier gem that deserves sequels to deepen its lore. Dive in if you’re ready to command the ocean’s magic—your imagination will thank you.