Kelley Armstrong's Cainsville Files
| Category | Price | Seller | Device |
|---|---|---|---|
| Games | $2.99 | Pearson PLC | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
In Cainsville Files, you have the power to learn the secrets of the town’s mysterious residents, dodge dangers both real and otherworldly, embark on a romance, and solve the case of Jenn’s missing ex-boyfriend – possibly a victim of the notorious Valentine Killer.
This fully illustrated interactive story features:
- Hundreds of choices and numerous, memorable endings – both good and bad
- The first interactive story from a top bestselling author – Kelley Armstrong
- A complete audio experience of music and sound effects
- Secrets and reveals from Armstrong’s new Omens series
Penguin partnered with the developer inkle, creators of the acclaimed app Sorcery! to make Cainsville Files, which is written by Kelley Armstrong and fully illustrated by Julie Dillon, World Fantasy and Hugo Award nominee for Best Professional Artist.
Apple has featured Cainsville Files in New & Noteworthy.
Reviews
Love it; too short!
SoCal Soifa Goil
Love all the different scenarios visited. Much too short for the price but lots of fun?
Quick, Fun, Hit the Spot!
Eve Rafter
This visual novel was so much fun! It made me want to read the book in order to learn more about this mysterious town. In fact, I might do that... The game was quick, but that made it easy to replay it several times to try and get different outcomes. There are LOTS of different endings (and weird ways to die). So it’s definitely fun and easy to reply. I really love mysteries (check out my Facebook page: Whose Clues) so this hit the spot.
Choose
MGOU71
A fun "choose your own adventure" tale that has me extra excited about the book that follows. (I've already got it on preorder) The story is fairly simple seeming and I reached a pretty good ending, but I'm going to do another play through and see what else pops out. So far I died once and solved a crime. The artwork for the characters is nice, though the music isn't too exciting. It's not bad and distracting, though, either.
Short, But Promising
Icewall42
I really enjoyed this story. It is short, but I felt quickly engaged, and was very thrilled to be part of the creepy atmosphere. I think I might even pick up the actual novels, even though it's not my usual genre. Well done! Hope to see more.
Good but waaaay too short for 3.99
jester697734
Remember those fantastic choose the ending books you could get as a kid? Well this game is exactly that. Though i wish there could have been object interaction, it does a great job as a choose your own fate story. It is, however, WAY too short! As much as i enjoyed it not sure i would have spent $4 on it had i known i would finish it in an hour. It did make me interested in the new book by Kelly Armstrong coming out tho. I hope to see more games like this at either a lower price point or a significantly longer play time to make it worth it.
Spin on a classic idea.
Rincerious
This is a nice spin on a series of books that were available decades ago. They were adventure based and you used dice to battle monsters to keep progressing. No dice needed here just make the right choices to get the full story. Multiple choices means multiple endings and even though I've read one ending I'm not sure if its the only ending. Our heroine is a former Chicago cop who leaves the force and is trying to make a living as a P.I. A case falls her way to find a former boyfriend which leads to a parallel police case to find a serial killer. Add large black hounds with red eyes and Raven guides and this is starting to sound complicated. If you're into games this may not be for you but if you're a reader too you might get a kick out of it. As an avid reader of Kelley's books since her first, 'Broken' this was a must buy. Plus it's a nice peek into the world of Cainsville where her new series of stories are to be set. I gave this four stars due to it being nothing more than an interactive book as opposed to a game, at least not by today's standards. A rethinking of the blurb might be called for. Mind you, if you want a chance to take a stroll through the mind of a NY Times best selling author this is as good a way as any.
Good Story and Supporting UI
theslowlane
This is a fun story with a solid noir start - a private investigator who just left the police force. The character's background, provided for in recollections the reader can choose, wrap up nicely in the end. The story is engaging and fun but with a frightening subtext that is a little more shocking because of the art. The art is wonderfully drawn - it lends itself nicely to the narrative and fleshes out scenes well. The UI has a "Contents" drawer that allows the reader to 'rewind' to a previous chapter. After finishing the story you can rewind to a previous chapter and re-read it, selecting different options. The UI also supports scrolling backwards, with a small gauge in the upper right corner, so you can rewind within a chapter to make a different choice. (Helpful around tree houses!) I would not call this 'pathetically short' as another reviewer did, but I would call it short. However, the UI's content tab means the story can be explored again - which makes it longer and more enjoyable. Because of this I will buy Kelley Armstrong's forthcoming Omens novel. I hope there are more Cainsville Files stories for iOS and I hope more authors opt to promote and explorer their novels with this format.
It's a book
UltraVylet
This shouldn't be classified as a game. It's a slightly interactive book, not a game, and not worth 4$. This classification is misleading.
Let down
Odder7678
This was basically a book advertisement. Would make an awesome game if it were longer and had different levels. NOT worth $4!
Pathetically short
KatyRose76
I can't believe I paid $3.99 for a basically to sum it up, an advertisement for a book. Definitely feel cheated and let down. I thought this would be more of a continual longer story which the description makes you believe. Not true and 3.99 lost. Would appreciate a refund.
