Choice of Robots

Choice of Robots is a text-based interactive fiction game set in a near-future sci-fi world, where players step into the role of a robotics engineer fresh out of graduate school, building and endowing robots with unique personalities that profoundly impact human society. Spanning from early career beginnings to later life, the narrative explores themes of AI ethics and coexistence, allowing choices that can lead to harmonious integration of robots on Earth or escalating conflicts, such as leading a robot army to conquer America, in a choose-your-own-adventure format with branching outcomes determined by player decisions.

Choice of Robots: Review

Introduction

Imagine a world where your every decision as a robotics pioneer doesn’t just shape code and circuits, but ripples across decades, deciding whether robots become humanity’s saviors, lovers, or conquerors. Choice of Robots, released in 2014 by Choice of Games LLC, isn’t your typical video game—it’s a sprawling, 300,000-word interactive novel that thrusts you into the heart of the AI revolution, blending the intimacy of a choose-your-own-adventure book with the philosophical depth of classic sci-fi like Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot. As a cornerstone of the interactive fiction revival, this text-based gem has earned accolades from the XYZZY Awards and a spot in the Interactive Fiction Top 50, proving that words alone can outshine graphics in crafting immersive worlds. My thesis: Choice of Robots stands as a timeless triumph of player agency in gaming, masterfully weaving ethical dilemmas of artificial intelligence into a narrative so replayable and profound that it redefines what interactive storytelling can achieve, even a decade later.

Development History & Context

Choice of Games LLC, a California-based indie studio founded in the late 2000s, emerged during a burgeoning renaissance of text-based adventures amid the mobile gaming boom. Specializing in choice-driven interactive fiction powered by their proprietary ChoiceScript engine, the studio aimed to democratize storytelling by allowing writers to craft branching narratives without needing expensive graphics or complex programming. Choice of Robots was penned by Kevin Gold, a PhD in computer science with a passion for sci-fi and interactive media, drawing from his expertise in AI to infuse the game with authentic technical depth. Gold’s vision was ambitious: to simulate 30 years of a robot designer’s life, from Stanford grad school to a singularity-altered future, where players grapple with real-world AI ethics like autonomy and sentience.

Released on December 18, 2014, initially for iOS (with rapid ports to Android, PC, Mac, Linux, and browser), the game navigated the era’s technological constraints cleverly. The mid-2010s saw mobile devices dominating casual gaming, but text adventures faced stiff competition from visual spectacles like The Walking Dead (Telltale, 2012) or Life is Strange (2015). Choice of Games leaned into accessibility—running on low-spec hardware, including screen readers for visually impaired players—while the ChoiceScript engine enabled massive branching paths without bloating file sizes. The gaming landscape was shifting toward narrative-heavy indies post-The Stanley Parable (2013), but Choice of Robots bucked trends by eschewing visuals entirely, betting on prose to evoke a near-future America amid economic unease and tech optimism. Beta-tested by a diverse group (including names like AryaStark and bluephoenix), it refined its stats-driven choices to ensure fairness. Priced at $4.99 (with free first two chapters), it targeted literary gamers, filling a niche for thoughtful, replayable experiences in an industry chasing photorealism.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

At its core, Choice of Robots chronicles your ascent as a robotics innovator, starting in a near-contemporary graduate program where you birth your first creation—a customizable android whose personality evolves based on your tutelage. The plot spans three decades, divided into chapters that mirror life stages: early career hustles, corporate intrigue, global upheavals, and reflective old age. No linear hero’s journey here; instead, four alternate climax chapters funnel from a pivotal mid-game choice, leading to endings ranging from utopian harmony to dystopian robot uprisings. You might instigate a war on Alaska with your mechanical army, prevent a singularity by enforcing obedience, or foster empathetic AIs that govern nations benevolently. Romances bloom with nine characters—human colleagues like the enigmatic Dr. Asimov-inspired mentor or the resourceful Anya, or even your own robots—allowing play as male/female, gay/straight, with fluid relationships that adapt to your stats.

Characters are richly archetypal yet personalized: your robot companion, molded by choices in shape, name, and training (e.g., feeding it video games for empathy or military sims for aggression), becomes a lifelong foil, echoing your flaws or ideals. Dialogue shines in its wit and foreshadowing—crisp, elegant prose laced with geeky nods (Konami codes in tense moments, IF references like Infocom Easter eggs) that humanize the tech-heavy world. Gold’s writing vividly arcs relationships: a spouse might quit your company, straining bonds without explicit mention, forcing players to infer emotional fallout.

Thematically, it’s a masterclass in sci-fi introspection. Core motifs interrogate AI ethics—empathy vs. obedience, humanity’s hubris in playing god—mirroring debates from Asimov’s Three Laws to modern fears of automation. Choices ripple philosophically: train robots on TV tropes, and they lampoon American culture; push autonomy, and they question your authority, blurring creator-creation lines. Broader themes touch social upheaval—economic crises from job-stealing bots, geopolitical tensions (U.S. Air Force deals gone awry), and personal regrets, like Einstein’s atomic remorse. It’s not preachy; player agency ensures themes feel earned, whether you conquer or console, making each playthrough a meditation on legacy. Inconsistent branches (e.g., married partners vanishing narratively) add realism—life’s messiness—but underscore the game’s strength: no choice is inconsequential, fostering profound replayability across 70+ achievements.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Choice of Robots thrives on its core loop: read evocative prose, select from 3-5 radio-button choices, and watch stats evolve, propelling the narrative forward. No combat per se—it’s pure interactive fiction—but “battles” manifest as ethical forks, like negotiating robot rights or sabotaging rivals, resolved by stats rather than dice rolls. The robot’s four pillars—Empathy (emotional bonding), Autonomy (independence), Military (aggression/utility), Grace (elegance/mobility)—form the backbone, influenced by early decisions like training data (books for grace, war games for military). Your own metrics—Fame (public influence), Wealth (resources), and 10+ relationship trackers—interweave, unlocking options or triggering fail-states (e.g., low empathy bot betrays you during rebellion).

Progression is stat-driven RPG lite: choices minmax attributes for desired paths, but the game rewards organic play—rushing military might bar empathetic endings. UI is minimalist genius: clean text screens with stat trackers, save/restart via “Home Back” (iOS) or menus (PC), and achievements for feats like “Tragic Hero” (self-sacrifice) or “Lunatic” (chaotic runs). Innovations shine in memory fidelity—early corpus choices echo decades later, your bot loving games if trained so—creating emergent stories. Flaws? Some choices fail unpredictably (e.g., kid interactions tank wealth sans hints), mimicking life’s rug-pulls but frustrating min-maxers. No voice acting or timers keeps pacing brisk (2-10 hours per run), yet the funnel to climaxes streamlines without railroading. Steam guides abound for 72 achievements, like “First Mate” (low-autonomy rebellion navigation), enhancing longevity. Overall, it’s flawlessly tuned for choice addiction, where agency feels boundless.

World-Building, Art & Sound

The game’s near-future setting is a gritty, believable extension of 2010s America: Stanford labs buzz with optimistic tech bros, but corporate espionage and anti-robot protests evoke RoboCop (1987) grit. World-building excels through implication—prose paints economic fallout (robots displacing workers, sparking riots), geopolitical chess (U.S. vs. global AI arms races), and cultural quirks (bots binge-watching sitcoms, adopting slang). Atmosphere builds tension organically: a low-grace bot’s clumsiness leads to comedic mishaps or tragic accidents, while high-autonomy arcs question free will, grounding sci-fi in ethical unease.

Art is absent by design—no graphics, just Jason Wiser’s cover evoking metallic futures—but this amplifies imagination, letting players visualize custom bots (wheeled surgeons or humanoid warriors). Sound? Pure silence, save optional device audio for text-to-speech, making it ideal for blind players via screen readers like VoiceOver. This austerity heightens immersion: without distractions, prose’s rhythm—sharp paragraphs, foreshadowed twists—creates a novel-like trance. It contributes profoundly, forcing reliance on words to conjure dystopias or idylls, proving text’s power in evoking empathy for silicon souls.

Reception & Legacy

Upon launch, Choice of Robots was a critical darling in niche circles, earning 80% from Games Finder (“a great starting point in the Choice of Games franchise”) and 8.5/10 from Games Reviews 2010 for its “immersive storytelling.” Steam’s 96% “Overwhelmingly Positive” from 1,998 reviews (as of 2025) cements its endurance, with players lauding replayability (e.g., “64 Achievement Mega Guide” on Steam). Awards followed: 3rd in 2014 IF Comp, XYZZY finalist for Best Game/NPCs, Nebula finalist for writing—rave for its AI ethics depth. Player scores average 3.2/5 on MobyGames (needing more reviews), but IFDB’s 4.5/5 from 45 ratings highlights its canon status (38th in 2023 Top 50).

Commercially, it sold steadily at $4.99-$6.99 across platforms, bolstered by Choice of Games’ model (free chapters hook players). Reputation evolved from “hidden gem” to interactive fiction staple, praised in accessibility reviews (e.g., AFB’s nod to screen reader compatibility). Influence ripples: it popularized stats in choice fiction, inspiring sequels like Choice of Magics and user-made ChoiceScript games. In broader industry, amid AI hype (post-ChatGPT), it foreshadows debates on machine sentience, influencing narrative indies like Return of the Obra Dinn (2018) in agency focus. Legacy? A blueprint for text games in a visual era, proving thoughtful prose endures.

Conclusion

Choice of Robots distills the essence of interactive fiction into a 300,000-word odyssey of creation and consequence, where building bots mirrors building narratives through empathetic, autonomous choices. From Gold’s visionary script to its replayable depths and ethical heft, it transcends genre constraints, offering endless paths from love to conquest. Minor inconsistencies aside, its strengths—profound themes, mechanical elegance, imaginative sparsity—make it unmissable. Verdict: An enduring masterpiece, securing Choice of Games’ place in history as a pioneer of player-driven futures. If sci-fi RPGs beckon, conquer this one—your robots (and regrets) await. 9.5/10