Choose Your Own Adventure: House of Danger Review - with Zee Garcia

[@donnettroth4769]

I dont usually comment on these but I was IMMEDIATELY struck that I would make my own magnetized version of the game board and it would be a GREAT diversion for a long family car trip! You read, one kid holds the clue cards and die, one Kid manages the board, make decisions as a family. Sou is fun too me anyway....

[@deandreparker4161]

@Emmett Roberto definitely, I have been watching on instaflixxer for years myself :)

[@bobnetherton4957]

I brought the game home last night and my daughter got all excited. She remembers reading this book as a child and can't wait to get it on the table. The nostalgia factor of this one is off the charts.

[@corrado8955]

Nice review, Zee! I agree that replayability isn't very high, but I definitely think there's at least 2 somewhat unique plays in the box. Sure, the main beats of the story will remain the same but I think the path to get there offers a couple of plays with a lot of unique choices. I think we only saw 35% of the story and clue cards on our play and will definitely be playing one more time at some point.

[@831mrscardoso]

We just picked up this game at Target. I saw it and was looking forward to playing this with my two kids. I used to read all the books back in the day, they got me into reading. Thank you for the explanation of the game and your thoughts. I can see us playing this over and over again. We're definitely going to purchase the second game. I hope they bring back this type of story telling for this generation.

[@dreadknot69]

For those looking for an actual game book, with character attriubutes, dice rolling, loot, meaningful decisions, etc, then check out Destiny Quest. It's basically an RPG that you could play/read together but at a third the cost of this.

[@crystalgriffith5863]

I was a big fan of the book series as a kid and looking forward to playing this game when I can get it plus playing it with my son once he’s old enough. 😊

[@chezshirecat1872]

Completely agree with everything you said about the game, Zee. I used to read the books and really enjoyed them-so the game wasn’t super expensive and easy to set up for my son. The story is silly and zany and hope there are more to come.

[@victoriajenkins1424]

Having a good narrator is key in this game. I’ve played this game so many times with students and at game nights, and I like to alter the gameplay each time so that those who’ve played before can still get a lot out of it. I’ve done Competition (roll to have teams compete and assign points for chapter goal achievement while subtracting points for deaths), Completion (not only do you have to achieve the chapter goal, but find every necessary object and bit of information), Cartography (get a big sheet of paper or several taped together; the goal is to create the most accurate map of the chapter, each death sends you somewhere random), Luck of the Roll (where the players assign every decision a number and the dice choose the path while 6 is free choice), Death’s Bargain (where the goal is to find every death card in the shortest amount of time or against another team), Cash It In (where the goal is to get as many items as possible and sell them, most coins win and there are hidden coins to find), and Monster Hunter (every monster or villain must be faced in three part combat in order to pass the chapter, and every monster based death is now combat). There are also more of those Choose Your Own Adventure books at my library, so I want to try this format with another story.

[@FaceInAClock]

Just got this yesterday and played the first chapter, it was great 👍 The insert was trash though.

[@bobnetherton4957]

The insert is just awful, isn't it ? I wish this had a higher replay level so it would be worth building a proper insert and sleeving the cards. But alas, it isn't. That said, For $5 per chapter, it is worth every single penny.

[@QueenViolet8]

I loved the books back in the day. I hope they will release more versions I also still have the choose your romance novels😝

[@JennifulCreations]

Excellent review! I loved these books when I was young, and still do.

[@larrye]

Looks like something I might pickup if on sale.

[@spderweb]

Just like the books. Rarely bought new. ALmost always from a Garage Sale.

[@harlowethrombey1526]

This game brings so much good nostalgia for me...I remember reading CYOA books back in the 80's...Edward Packard and R.A. Montgomery are the undisputed Kings of the Game Book/"Choose Your Own Adventure" stories

[@pdbedlion]

Thanks for this. I've been debating whether or not to get it. Glad to know it is true to the Choose your own adventure flavor.

[@chrishenderson3691]

Like Cameron below, I received this yesterday too - go figure! :) My family played through Chapter 1 last night, and had a great time. I loved the CYOA books from when I was a kid, and this captured that nostalgia. I agree with Zee, as quality is lacking in the cards (agree with Cameron, the insert is garbage), and don't see this being played more than once, but like Escape Room style games, I think that is ok here. Hoping they do others in the series.

[@labyfan1313]

I read the Give Yourself Goosebumps books when I was a kid. They were so frustrating because the choices would be so ridiculous, usually the more ridiculous ones where the correct ones, but you just never could tell. The one that sticks out in my mind was a scenario where you're falling and one of the answers was try to flap your arms like a bird, of course I didn't pick that but it turned out to be the right one somehow. lol I'd be dead so quick in those books. Despite all that I still have fond memories of them. So this game sounds fun to do solo.

[@Grouik]

Thank you Zee. Great video. :) I will try to find the game in France. : D

[@nathancate582]

I would consider myself a super CYOA fan, even today. So buying this full price for me was more than fine. For others, I still recommend it, but might want to find it on sale somewhere maybe.

[@CreatedBy_official]

This is an interesting idea to bring to board games. Are there many like this already?

[@brianfattig1491]

There are narrative based board games like Tales of the Arabian Nights that have you reading scenarios and picking simple options but nothing with this IP.

[@TheKawkawlin8]

The TIME stories series is kind of a "gamers" version of this. Almost zero replayability, but they have 5 or 6 expansions that are basically new scenarios of it. Not all the expansions are great, in my opinion. The story in the base game and The Marcy Case expansion are far and away the best in the opinion of our group

[@justacynic]

Target had the first one and House of Danger for 50% a week ago. at that price, you're paying the price of a decent hardcover book so might be worth it then.

[@joaquintalley7085]

I was pleasantly surprised to find this at the local thrift store, unopened! $2 is worth it for the nostalgia factor alone!

[@nathanpredmore7577]

Joaquin Talley A game like this one has come out that is based on war with the evil power master, I think it fixes the replay ability problem and it has characters

[@JennifulCreations]

Lucky!!

[@imtheurbanspaceman]

I don't want to be critical but perhaps you could mention the actual length of the game in the game length section? Manufacturers claims are frequently inaccurate but phrases like "a good length" are rather subjective. Otherwise good work!

[@korbysears4557]

Hi! I was the producer on this game. There are five chapters, and the first playthrough of each chapter is usually 45 - 60 minutes. There are special Return Hubs, where you can choose to go back into the story at certain points that might have been unexplored, which if taken, will usually add 15 - 20 minutes more of play to each chapter.

[@MrQRSTUV]

@@korbysears4557 Are there more coming? Picked this up over the holidays and played through with three different groups of friends. Had a blast!

[@boardgamefangirl]

We've finished Chapter 3 thus far. Got ours from Target. Why even have that insert?

[@xCriticalStrikex]

One question I have, I remember reading these books in my youth and I recall the books could come to 'the end' at nearly any time no mater how unexpected it could be. Are there ways to come to a 'the end' at any time other than chapter 5 in this game or is it only in chapter 5 so that each time you play you will always see through the first 4 chapters?

[@jerradbenedict3222]

x Critical Strike x the game works on the same premise as the books. “The end” comes up in each individual chapter, which corresponds with the chapter goal. At that point you can go back and investigate a bit more to see if you’ve missed something (at a slight penalty) or you can continue the story with the next chapter. Outside of that, “the end” of the entire story only comes in chapter five, with the exception of dying, which, just like the books, can come unexpectedly in any chapter.

[@xCriticalStrikex]

Jerrad Benedict sounds great. Thanks :)

[@holysparkbatman]

I got this today and I’m gonna play with my gf two friends and her 10 under niece and nephew to segue him into dnd because he keeps asking to play!

[@gimpzilla]

Spoiler: I decided to approach a monkey playing a violin during chapter one, and the monkey decided to kill me. Decisions felt really arbitrary, super light game, super duper light in fact

[@noellebartley]

Is this a game you can only essentially play once or twice? Or if you play by yourself, the next time you would watch someone else play?

[@allenharper2928]

I think the characters in House of Danger were also in The Horror of High Ridge.

[@benjaminspears8488]

I could see this being used in a classroom setting or to encourage a love for reading, but I’m disappointed that it’s basically reading through the book and there is no real cooperative gameplay (no turn taking even) or puzzles that have people working together.

[@Dracule0117]

I somehow wasn't exposed to the books as a kid, which may play a part in my personal review of the game being: "I'm pretty sure the authors were high on all of the things when they made this."

[@Bobby-Digital82]

"Sitting around reading to each other and making a choice". So just like DnD or any narrative driven board game?

[@mosheglick295]

Realy good explanation, thanks, just bought it

[@apollonia6656]

I am shocked....yes, shocked 😯😯😯 Finished it about an hour ago and wondered.....still am 😂😂😂

[@jherrenor]

How is this that different from a Fighting Fantasy or Lone Wolf gamebook? It seems to do VERY similar things to what they do just in a more unnecessarily complicated way and lesser replayability.

[@blacksheep9950]

Don't know anything about the card game, but the original CYOA books came out before Lone Wolf or Fighting Fantasy. So the similarity isn't surprising - LW and FF were basically CYOA books with D&D style dice and stats and combat added in.

[@jherrenor]

I'm well aware of that. What I'm getting at is, since they are adding dice and stats, the very things that do make a CYOA similar to FF and LW, how is it that different from reading those books? What does the game offer that the books do not?

[@mccallosone4903]

Lone Wolf was the best....theres a free app from project aon that lets you play through the first five books and even has a player stat sheet built in

[@Skarpo89]

It's the second time I think that I don't see a summary of the game attributes between his presentation and the explanation of the rules, hope they aren't gone for good as I really liked the style

[@ZeeGarc]

Hi, Zee here. It's been simply moved, as text, over the beginning few seconds of the overview. A small tweak towards simplification.

[@Skarpo89]

Oooh, I see it now, it's really unobtrusive there. Well if you prefer it this way it's ok : ).

[@christianzehner4189]

Who killed Harlow Thromby?

[@Ghost_Hawk]

Wrong story, and spelling.

[@fiskenburg007]

It got real at Chapter 3!

[@Bodyknock]

Watching the review the one thing that looks like it could have punched it up a bit is to have illustrations on the story cards. The item cards have pictures of the items of course but the story cards are walls of text which is aesthetically awful. I get that this is word for word translating a book but as a game I would want it to itself be a bit more visually engaging. My guess is they didn’t try to add in art on each card to keep the cost of the game down, and certainly people who are basically looking to just read a book in card form won’t care much, but to me it’s kind of a turn off.

[@korbysears4557]

Hi Doug! I was the producer on this game. We hired several illustrators to create some amazing graphics for the story cards, the clue cards, the premonition cards, and a special Nightmare Image. They really nailed the original art style of CYOA! There's some great story surprises in the illustrations as well. Zee here was very respectful in his review video to not show any illustrations and spoil any story, but do know there is a robust amount of illustrations in the game. In Dice Tower's First Impressions review of a conference copy of the game, posted in April (seen here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4mamJ6hns9rrLs) Tom actually mentions how the art style is great and that there's a lot of art in the game. We look forward to you seeing it for yourself!

[@Bodyknock]

So it's only that initial story card or two that Zee showed in the video that wasn't illustrated, great to hear. Thanks!

[@KieranBriggs]

It seems to me, that essentially, they have taken the binding off the book and put it in a box. Seems very expensive for basically a book.

[@lukerazor1]

i always hated the arbitrary death in the cyoa books. if this was fighting fantasy i'd be all over it.

[@lauraerwin471]

lukerazor1 I’m making a game like that

[@rhino2340]

i had to use sticky tape to fix my insert

[@TheRmm1976]

Other than nostalgia factor, it seems like Legacy of Dragonholt is a better choice for this type of CYOA game. A vast amount more content in the latter, and original content. This will be a pass for me, I'd rather just get the book from a library in this case.

[@phillosmaster393]

I was hoping he would compare this to Legacy of Dragonholt since they are very similar. In my opinion LoD is more expensive, but has way better production value (there is a lot in that box). So I did feel like I was getting more for my money. Also play multiplayer LoD was a bit more interesting since who activates was a bit of a decision. They both had questionable replay value though. Zee I think didn't like LoD so he's probably pushed it out of his mind. From the DT live videos it looked like he had issues with the writing style (too verbose and cliché I think was his problem). Also he seemed to come into it assuming it would be more of a roleplaying game when in reality it was basically just a CYOA like this game.

[@Sajatzsiraf]

Zee made me buy this. it is all his fault.

[@wardrich]

It's also super fairly priced for a one-shot kinda game.

[@mikemalley1909]

$22 for an hour? Is BGG wrong as far as long long it takes to play through all the chapters?

[@wardrich]

@@mikemalley1909 Probably depends on the size (and age) of the team you're playing with. I broke it down to stretch it out with my kids, and each kid played their own game, and never really tracked how long each session lasted, sorry. Was kinda cool to see how they both played out differently.

[@mikemalley1909]

@@wardrich I didn't consider multiple children playing individually. That would take the sting out of it.

[@MarinerOrk]

Sounds like reading the book with extra steps

[@bobnetherton4957]

It really is. We often talk about pasted on themes in Euro games. This is really a pasted on game, just enough mechanics to make it feel like a game. This is all about an entertaining experience rather than sussing out some puzzle. This is definitely not Time Stories, but it is rather clever. \

[@iTower_Prime]

Great review. I can't really understand why Zee is so .... negative in a group setting when he seems really good here. Honestly if I see him in a group setting I stop watching.

[@Alex-by4zv]

so lame to hold the rights of a name as lame as "choose your own adventure" and bitch about it nearly everywhere . I was recently going through a unity course on udemy and it turns out the instructors were told not to use it in their course when talking about a tiny bit of a sample text choice game 'cause it's all that unique. C'mon, the game may be ok, but the name? How about we start to own the rights of every single word and sentence we say... Choose your own adventure my ass.

[@8bitbenny]

SOOoooooo keep the receipt

[@rollingwithrob6579]

Arrgh! Reading is hard ... this is crying out for an app moderator

[@AmityvilleFan]

woah, immediatedesign failure: you get the bottle to lower Danger Meter by 3. BUT minimum Danger is 3, AND reaching 6 you immediately reset the Danger Level. Thatmeans, the bottle can only lower your Danger Level by 2!

[@TheOnlyTata]

Woah, immediate attention failure : There are multiple slots. Not just one per numbered step.

[@AmityvilleFan]

@@TheOnlyTata I wouldn't call 2 years "immediate. for starter.

[@corradomorgana]

First!

[@MrJoey1971]

I'll beat you next time.