Fly high, make magic, and pass midterms at a mysterious academy of magic! Which faction will you help shape the future of the magical world? Blackstone Academy is a magical academy for students with supernatural talents.
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It's good!
That's the important stuff out of the way, but it's not without criticism. The big issue here is the "fast-paced" part of the story that is advertised as a feature. While I appreciate that this is a short read, I would have appreciated something denser.
The first part of the story is both a slog and a sprint. Maybe I'm spoiled by Harry Potter and it's "magicalness," or maybe I'm reading this digitally on a screen and it's harder to feel enthralled, but I was just so bored and confused. Going to magic school should be eye-opening and exciting, but it gets so bogged down into what everyone's gender is and trying to wrap you up in the school drama. And while that's not necessarily a bad thing, again, it's just rushed. Like, REALLY rushed. The scenes are occurring at a break-neck speed, even though nothing is happening in any of them. First we're looking at the distant school from a town, far away, and then moments later, we have a line of dialogue with a character who is our roomie and basically our best friend as of 2 seconds ago. I don't want to be conned into going to an illegal school party 3 seconds after getting into my dorm; I want to see why this school is so magical, and discover more about my powers!
This continues into the next chapter or two, while the story tries to build its lore. It's all just really sloppy and rushed, and feels like it's too concerned with its political commentary on racism, sexism, and transgenderism, philosophy, and ancient lore, and less on its fantasy world. And this is coming from someone who is biracial, LGBT, and a huge fantasy fan! It really doesn't need to be this heavy-handed and on the nose. We get it, the school is diverse and has a history.
However, once the author gets out of their own way, and actually starts allowing their characters to act outside of the paradigms they were built to inhabit, the story REALLY picks up. Going to The Nest is always fun; expanding on Thistlepoint makes the world feel lived in; and everything from the "powow" section and beyond is extremely engaging and fun. I feel like other people writing reviews just gave up before this, which is a pity, because the middle and last half of the story are the best parts.
From a game perspective, I do feel like some of the stat-based decisions are a bit obscure. But I typically like that, because you can go into the story organically and feel like your view was unique. There is a place, however, to say that it can be confusing what counts as a stat bonus, and what counts as learning more about the world, both of which have value for two separate reasons.
Also the ending can feel a bit abrupt. I wish there was a little more pomp and circumstance before the story ended, just to give some closure. But on the whole, this was a fun read, especially if you love the aesthetic of students at magic school.
That's the important stuff out of the way, but it's not without criticism. The big issue here is the "fast-paced" part of the story that is advertised as a feature. While I appreciate that this is a short read, I would have appreciated something denser.
The first part of the story is both a slog and a sprint. Maybe I'm spoiled by Harry Potter and it's "magicalness," or maybe I'm reading this digitally on a screen and it's harder to feel enthralled, but I was just so bored and confused. Going to magic school should be eye-opening and exciting, but it gets so bogged down into what everyone's gender is and trying to wrap you up in the school drama. And while that's not necessarily a bad thing, again, it's just rushed. Like, REALLY rushed. The scenes are occurring at a break-neck speed, even though nothing is happening in any of them. First we're looking at the distant school from a town, far away, and then moments later, we have a line of dialogue with a character who is our roomie and basically our best friend as of 2 seconds ago. I don't want to be conned into going to an illegal school party 3 seconds after getting into my dorm; I want to see why this school is so magical, and discover more about my powers!
This continues into the next chapter or two, while the story tries to build its lore. It's all just really sloppy and rushed, and feels like it's too concerned with its political commentary on racism, sexism, and transgenderism, philosophy, and ancient lore, and less on its fantasy world. And this is coming from someone who is biracial, LGBT, and a huge fantasy fan! It really doesn't need to be this heavy-handed and on the nose. We get it, the school is diverse and has a history.
However, once the author gets out of their own way, and actually starts allowing their characters to act outside of the paradigms they were built to inhabit, the story REALLY picks up. Going to The Nest is always fun; expanding on Thistlepoint makes the world feel lived in; and everything from the "powow" section and beyond is extremely engaging and fun. I feel like other people writing reviews just gave up before this, which is a pity, because the middle and last half of the story are the best parts.
From a game perspective, I do feel like some of the stat-based decisions are a bit obscure. But I typically like that, because you can go into the story organically and feel like your view was unique. There is a place, however, to say that it can be confusing what counts as a stat bonus, and what counts as learning more about the world, both of which have value for two separate reasons.
Also the ending can feel a bit abrupt. I wish there was a little more pomp and circumstance before the story ended, just to give some closure. But on the whole, this was a fun read, especially if you love the aesthetic of students at magic school.