# Heart of the House — user reviews > 35 indexed App Store user reviews of Heart of the House by Choice of Games LLC, rated 4.80/5 from 114 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heart-of-the-house/id1292004731/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heart-of-the-house/id1292004731.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 101 · 4★ 10 · 3★ 1 · 2★ 1 · 1★ 1 ## Newest reviews (17 of 35) ### 5/5 — Just WOW *2018-03-02, version 1.0.2* Out of all the Choice novels I’ve played, this by far is my favourite, I’m so excited to play all the routes. The writing in this novel is just amazing, and I found myself fully immersed in the story. I would definitely recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a small break from the real world! :D ### 5/5 — Must buy *2018-03-01, version 1.0.2* This game is one of my favorite COG, I recommend this 💯 especially if you are a sucker for a good romantic game. ### 5/5 — Amazing Game *2018-02-15, version 1.0.1* This is a lovecraftian horror game. It’s less about jumps and more about the unknown. It’s a fantastic mystery game that kept me hooked through the entire night. I eagerly await a second installment. I know there likely won’t be one but I will wait none the less. ### 5/5 — Cuddle parties are now game requirements. *2018-01-06, version 1.0.1* I love CoGs. I have all my current games sorted by genre on my second page of apps, and I purchase all my favorite games on steam so that they are doubly available to play. Usually I restrain my interest to the brand, but this game has me wanting a fandom like all my favorite novels and television shows. ### 5/5 — Enthralling narrative, complex characters *2017-11-24, version 1.0.1* Very refreshing to find a choice of game that not only allows you to be trans or nb and use “they” pronouns, but also brings it up at points throughout the story alongside a canon nb character. Feels good. The writing style is nothing but superb and adds to the narrative’s complexities. This thriller-horror adventure consistently delves into the uncanny and sometimes uncomfortable, but never in a way i would say made me feel especially gross over. Its fantastic for replaying as the narrative shifts based on who you choose to grow close to, and you cant grow especially close with everyone in one single playthrough (its best if you play it focusing on one or two characters per run i find!). The story is immediately gripping and had me interested from the get go. My only issue would be some of the word choice surrounding one of the characters of colour. It gets sort of weird i think... twice, and then is fine. ### 5/5 — Oh my goodness *2017-11-22, version 1.0.1* I don’t even know where to start. By far this has become one of my favorite COG. The dialogue fits in the time period and location; the characters can be fleshed out and the replay value is 10/10. Character wise; many of them broke the main stereotypes of the time. As a history buff, the fact that the whole situation of the town was “strange” was what kept my annoyance to certain reactions down. The first run through took me almost 6 hours total and each replay is at least two hours- because there is so much to discover in the text. It’s very beautiful. Each choice you make really does lead you to new dialogue and choices. The different romantic routes were each in their own. I enjoyed them and won’t spoil it. I only have two issues. The first is how the leading character finds themselves in the House. (Considering this story deals with the super natural this next comment sounds stupid but I have to say it) It’s just not realistic and feels forced. There is also a character we meet early on, learn a good amount about only to have them drop off after a chapter and never heard from again. Why waste my time with someone who doesn’t matter? ### 5/5 — Work of art *2017-11-15, version 1.0.1* Highly recommend. ### 5/5 — Amazing !! *2017-11-06, version 1.0.1* This story can make you feel every emotion at once, I enjoyed it thoroughly and I highly recommend it. ### 5/5 — A supernatural spectacle. *2017-11-06, version 1.0.1* I'll be honest. I did not expect this to last more than an hour and a half and thought of it little more than a ghost story in the CoG lineup. I was pleasantly surprised to find it a well written Lovecraft-inspired (albeit with some minor typos or coding errors, mostly to do with Bastion/Sophia and their pronouns) work, worth the asking price. The chapters are of a decent length and have a good pace to them, even the labyrinth surprising me on my consecutive playthroughs with having more than one set of rooms. This is the first entry into the CoG catalogue that I wholeheartedly endorse and await dutifully for a sequel or successor. ### 5/5 — Gothic CYOA--how fun! *2017-11-04, version 1.0.1* Funny, decorous, romantic, and just plain eerie--in short, a strange delightful mix! The writing feels like it's coming into its own and is already quite strong. The author presents unique choices, including influencing strings of dream sequences which were quite fun. Choices matter everywhere from relationships to world-building flavor to life and death situations. Characterization gets better with every game this company releases and I hope they will continue to encourage this in their writers. :-) ### 5/5 — Excellent story *2017-11-02, version 1.0.1* I would have liked to see a bit stronger of a romance with Oriana at the end of the story, but it was terrific nonetheless. I would love to see a sequel! ### 5/5 — 10/10 would bang orianna again *2017-11-02, version 1.0.1* Brilliant writing, though a bit forceful with the whole LGBT promotion. Great story, reminds me of Darkest Dungeon crossed with Supernatural. I would recommend a few changes for future releases. I would have liked a Telltale style graph showing what percentage of people chose which path in the story. The end of the story (at least the ending I received, SPOILERS) came rather abruptly, with finding a demon in Kent, exorcising it, then meeting back up with Sophia all happening in a few brief pages. ### 5/5 — Better than I expected, but I already expected it to be great??? *2017-11-01, version 1.0.1* Oh this is such a fun game! And I loved every character they were all sweet and 3 dimensional. They really do make you want to save everyone, especially Loren, such a sweetheart. The story was great as well, by the end, I felt like I’d just starred in my own gothic romantic adventure. I got the friendship ending where I saved everyone but didn’t date and I feel like my heart grew three sizes, it was so heartwarming. If I did have any feedback though, I would love the option to be of another race. Being non-white, it felt a little odd to be compared to Dev and Bastian as if I were white(such as the scene where you have to chose whether to go to town or send Dev, and it says something like “they might not take to well to him bc of his skin”. I remember bc I thought “😬 well they’d hate me then” lol). Speaking of, I really appreciated the attention put into identities in this game, in race, sexuality, and gender identity (there was even a poly option???). It was put in seamlessly, but it still felt like they weren’t just cosmetic identities. I loved it. Games should really follow this game’s example when it comes to diversity. ### 5/5 — Wow, just wow! *2017-11-01, version 1.0.1* This has to be the BEST Choice of Game story. Wonderful and memorable characters. An awesome story...keep me on my toes and made seriously consider my choices. Wonderful, wonderful story. ### 5/5 — Amazing writing *2017-11-01, version 1.0.1* This game has fantastic writing and a great story. Lots of choices, tons of variation for multiple plays, and great characters (that you really feel bad for upsetting.) If you like interactive fiction this is a must-play. ### 5/5 — Wow! *2017-10-29, version 1.0.1* This is seriously one of the best of these games I have ever played. Decisions matter, both for story flavor and plot, and there is a really high replayability factor. It’s quite long, in the most wonderful and fleshed out way. I could really feel like my character was shaped by choices as well. Stop reading this and get it already! ### 5/5 — A Must read. One of the best COG *2017-10-29, version 1.0.1* Amazing writing to complement an amazing story. Easily one of the best writers and choice of games I’ve ever read. The romance is perfectly done and the story telling is captivating. Choices don’t necessarily change the outcomes but each choice provides more information into the story so multiple reads is still enjoyable. I’m looking forward to reading more content from this creator. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 4/5 — I love this game! *2018-05-26, version 1.0.5* My first game by this company was Choice of Romance, and I’ve played a few more since then. They’ve all been very good, but this is the first one since that has bested my initial experience. I love spooky romances, and this definitely delivered! Additionally, the diverse cast of character was a breath of fresh air. There was something for everybody in this tale, yet it didn’t feel at all forced. Without revealing too much, this game did something I’ve long craved in text adventure games by allowing the reader to delve into the details of the intimacies of romance. I wanted to know even more about the lore of this story, and I did feel the reveal was a bit rushed at the end. I needed more time to truly comprehend the entirety of the supernatural elements that were at work, and especially their relationship with the gods. Even so, I was drawn in the whole time. I could hardly set the game down. It was quite long (which is great, especially since this one is a little pricey) and jam packed with content. Overall, this is a great game! Buy it! You won’t be disappointed. ### 4/5 — An engaging and well written story. *2018-01-27, version 1.0.1* ‘Heart of the House’ is a very fun story to play through, with a creepy and interesting plot, well developed characters and meaningful choices. I especially liked how it invoked Victorian novels while putting a modernised twist on them, and the way it let your relationships with other characters develop clearly and realistically. However, it could have been improved with some kind of save system. I played through until the very end of the story, and made a decision that landed me with a bad ending. To get a better one I had to replay the entire game, which took quite a while as it’s fairly long. Despite this, it’s still a very enjoyable experience and I’d definitely recommend it! ### 4/5 — Very entertaining *2018-01-12, version 1.0.1* I was engrossed for most of the day. Solid writing, although not better than what you'll find in any run-of-the-mill book set in this period. The story starts to come apart at the end; the writing gets broader, less specific, and choices you have made are referenced incorrectly, not built on, etc. A warning: I bought this because I like ghost stories, but this is a Lovecraftian story. If you're not into Cthulu derivatives, maybe skip. ### 4/5 — 👻 *2017-10-29, version 1.0.1* So far so good. The story is pretty interesting so far, but I have noticed a few technical errors. For instance, sometimes, when I try to scroll down, I am met with a blank page. I can easily get out of it by pressing the home button, but this happens quite often and is getting a tad annoying. Also, I noticed a small problem with the coding, as it says "Page Break:Right" or something like that; I don't remember exactly what it said, but it said something along those lines. Anyway, back on topic. This is a pretty detailed story that has so far kept my attention and is just in time for Halloween. ### 5/5 — Favorite text adventure *2022-06-29, version 1.0.6* I have had this game on my phone for years, probably when it first came out. When I first got it, I played it through several times, and then played it a bit less as time went on. I just replayed it for the first time in 2 years, and I was just as enraptured by the story as the first time I played it. The story is so good, the characters are all great, and it’s just such a good choose your own adventure story. The choices you make, things you can do and say, all great. Do yourself a favor and play this game. ### 5/5 — Hurried Romance but Great Story *2019-06-26, version 1.0.5* This story was beautiful and I was attached to all of the characters by the end. You can tell how much care and craft went into it. I am so attached to the characters I would even love to play a sequel! I really felt their pain and was so worried when I thought they’d get hurt. I also enjoyed the diversity and especially Loren being nonbinary and the option to be trans. It felt a little bit unrealistic (it would have been great if there was binding in the story etc but it’s not necessary) but the story was fantasy so it was not difficult to suspend disbelief. The one complaint I have is that the romance all seemed very hurried. I wasn’t sure who to choose that quickly and was unsure if denying their advances at first would make them no longer romance-able. It was also frustrating because the choices all seemed to happen at very inconvenient times and so I would put off showing interest in them until a more convenient time but then they’d no longer be available. Spoilers: I was actually very sad when Dev and Loren got together. I love them both so much and I’m glad they found each other but I would loved to have been able to romance them both (that may have been an option but it wasn’t in my ending) or at least be able to choose one of them later in the story. Regardless, I’m so thankful I was able to get them their happy ending. ### 5/5 — Very amazing app!! *2019-06-22, version 1.0.5* I would give this app ten stars if I could! The story and characters are well written! I can’t wait to see where my next choice will take me! This is highly reminiscent of Choose Your Own Adventure. It is well worth the money! ### 5/5 — SEQUEL??? *2019-05-08, version 1.0.5* This game is worth the money and the read! 10/10 And would very much love a sequel! ### 5/5 — Help? *2018-08-22, version 1.0.5* When I start the game it tells me I need to download the new version and every time I try it fails I’ve tried deleting the game and reinstalling it but is still doesn’t work ### 5/5 — Wow *2018-07-08, version 1.0.5* This game!!! I am in love with this game, I’ve recommended it to all my friends and my girlfriend! The gender options are amazing and so refreshing to see. The LIs are all different and none of them are forced on you, not even the male option! They’re not only part of the story if they’re an LI as well!! The plot is also interesting and new. I’ll admit, some parts confused me but that’s probably my own fault because I read too quickly and don’t always notice the details. I couldn’t get enough of this app and had to stop from reading quite a few times because I didn’t want to finish it too quickly! TL; DR- Get this app. You won’t regret it. Tip: You can play the first part of it online for free to see if you want to buy it. ## Most praised reviews (4 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — great replay value *2018-06-29, version 1.0.5* The whole story is very gothic in a way and kinda Lovecraftian and it draws you in from the get go. It's very kooky and every character is interesting..And the challenge of making sure your character thrives all the way to the end was very exciting. ### 5/5 — The Best Game I’ve Ever Played *2018-05-28, version 1.0.5* I’ve never read a story so captivating. I could barely stop reading, and even when I wasn’t on this app I was thinking about it and what would happen next in the story. I plan to go through the story many more times because there are so many different paths to take and i’m excited to explore all of them. This game is amazing and completely worth the money; I hope the creator continues to write many more stories like this because I’m excited to read more! ### 5/5 — Well... wow. *2018-05-19, version 1.0.5* If you are going to buy any Choice game, buy this one. Just finished it and no words will do it justice. Great read. ### 5/5 — SEQUEL PLEASE *2018-04-25, version 1.0.2* Well written, intriguing characters... Definitely worth buying. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-05.*