# To Be Or Not To Be -Ryan North > Interactive Hamlet retelling with branching narratives and multiple playable characters. (iPhone/iPad app by Tin Man Games.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/to-be-or-not-to-be-ryan-north/id962986396 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Tin Man Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/318996102) - Category: Games, Books, Adventure, Role Playing - Price: $6.99 - Rating: 4.10/5 from 61 App Store ratings · 48 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 12+ - Requires: iOS 9.0 · 664 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2015-03-18 - Data updated: 2026-08-15 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/to-be-or-not-to-be-ryan-north/id962986396/reviews.md ## What is To Be Or Not To Be? William Shakespeare's Hamlet has finally been restored to its original second-person non-linear branching narrative format. I know! What took so long, am I right? Now it's up to YOU to decide what happens next. Play as Hamlet and revenge your father's death. Play as Ophelia and make scientific discoveries. Play as King Hamlet, Sr. and die on the first page! Discover sweet art as you play from some of the greatest and most attractive artists of Our Time, including Kate Beaton (Hark! A Vagrant), Anthony Clark (Nedroid), Mike Krahulik (Penny Arcade), Matthew Inman (The Oatmeal), Ethan Nicolle (Axe Cop), Andrew Hussie (MS Paint Adventures), Zach Weiner (Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal) and WAY more! View the full list at: http://qwantz.com/tobeornottobeartists.php ** REVIEWS ** "Literally slapped my thigh" funny. "Spat water all over my iPad" funny. "Woke my girlfriend in the middle of the night" funny. Riotously, unrelentingly, brilliantly funny. - Pocket Gamer - 9/10 - Gold Award! "Yes, it’s Shakespeare and yes, it’s easily my favorite gamebook that Tin Man has ever done." - Pocket Tactics - 5/5 stars "...an idea that is, by most conventional literary standards, terrible, but pushed so far past terrible that it wraps around like a comet slingshotting around the sun and comes back as utterly brilliant." - Time "To Be Or Not To Be truly is one of the most purely-entertaining experiences of the year, because Ryan North manages to both live up to my expectations with his take on this literary classic, and also manage to go to places that I just did not expect." - Touch Arcade - 5/5 stars ** FEATURES ** • Tiny Yorick skulls mark the choices Shakespeare took in his play! • Play as Hamlet, Ophelia, and Hamlet Sr., each with their own unique adventures. • Learn things, like the meaning of the word ‘pernicious’ and the origin of the phrase ‘Till death us do part’! • Sensibly bring evil King Claudius to justice in a court of law! Or, stuff him into a cannon and then fire him into a wall! IT’S UP TO YOU. • Travel through TIME! Fight PIRATES! Kill a guy IN A CHURCH (it’s totally okay, he’s a jerk!)! • View the HAML-O-METER at the end of each story to see how well you stuck to the Bard’s vision! To Be or Not To Be has been created using Tin Man Games’ enhanced Gamebook Adventures Engine featuring: • Dyslexic friendly font support, to aid readers with dyslexia. • Hidden achievements to find throughout the gamebook. • Art you discover is unlocked in the art gallery. Find all the full colour images as you play! • Specially composed soundtrack and sound effects. ## Key features - Second-person non-linear narrative - Play as Hamlet, Ophelia, or King Hamlet Sr. - Discover original artwork - Learn Shakespearean vocabulary and phrases - Multiple story paths and endings - Hidden achievements and art gallery ## Recent user reviews (10 of 48) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/to-be-or-not-to-be-ryan-north/id962986396/reviews.md ### 1/5 — App is broken *2024-06-29* I love the idea and the stories seem to be really funny, but I‘m not sure anyone ever tested this game because several features are completely broken. - if you click the menu button while being in any other part of the app than the story, like the options, gallery, or achievements, the "back to the story" button breaks and only takes you back to that part of the app afterwards. The only way to actually get back to the story is to restart from the beginning or from one of the checkpoints, losing some of your progress in the process - the Yorick skulls that supposedly show the path that is closest to the real play just… don't seem to exist. I haven't seen a single one. - the Haml-O-Meter is also broken. There are two completely white boxes moving across the screen the entire time - the "screen mode" part of the options is not changing anything, no matter which option I choose. Maybe something that was meant for another platform and just left in here? Either way it's annoying and confusing From what little I've seen of the story I would likely love this game if it worked as advertised, but in the current state, with several of the promised features just not working and having to repeatedly restart the game because of a misclick breaking my current playthrough, the 8€ I paid feel like theft. ### 5/5 — EXCELLENT STORY GAME *2021-05-14, version 1.1* Great story telling! The artwork is great! There are many side adventures, murders, and ghosts to follow. Ryan North is brilliant!!! ### 2/5 — Just play Astrolagaster instead *2020-06-20* Don’t buy this. This app has a good concept, but the stories are too short and a little too inconsequential even for light comedy. It’s very expensive for what it is and doesn’t even seem to be maintained anymore as there are obvious bugs as you play (floating white squares at the end, for one). Most of the comedy is derived from using modern English in the mouths of Shakespearean characters, which can only retain its novelty for so long. If you just cant get enough of a supposedly Shakespearean narrative voice constantly calling everything “awesome” and “rad” and ending sentences? With question marks? then you will like this. For everyone else, this is vastly overpriced. The art is good though. If this app were somewhere in the dollar range, I’d be satisfied with it. As it stands, I wish I could get a refund. I played through a number of scenarios with multiple endings for each character — and still only got about 20 minutes of gameplay. My advice: just play Astrologaster instead. It’s better in literally every way: it’s funnier, has better stories, better music, and better art. ### 4/5 — Great with some bugs *2020-05-23* Hi! I love this game; I have it on my PC and I was delighted to find it as an app on my phone. I’ve noticed a few bugs, though. 1. When I’m trying to look through the art gallery, when I then ask it to go back to the story, it leaves me on the same page. 2. The artwork that shows for King Hamlet resuming his reign as a ghost with Gertrude is instead the same artwork you get for choosing to be upset about Gertrude marrying your brother and burying yourself in rock and digging a hole from Denmark to England. 3. The spotlights that are supposed to show on the Hamlet-o-meter are solid white squares. ### 3/5 — Help! *2019-02-15* I’m stuck in a loop in the menu. I want to go back to the story but every time I click that, it takes me to the extras! Meh, I haven’t gone too far into the story, I can try to reset it I don’t want to get stuck again. ### 5/5 — Dave Barry type humour, well done! *2018-06-13* Gently cerebral, hilarious, educational (but not in a way anyone would actually notice) and great entertainment. Not for avid, “gamers”, but as a book that you pick up, and put down, then pick up again, it’s perfect — and you will pick it up again. Great fun, and filled laugh-out-loud humour. A true stress reliever (hence not for true gamers who want the adrenaline rush). Also, no in-app purchases, no subscription — gotta love that. If you enjoy humorists such as Dave Barry, you’ll love this. ### 1/5 — Trapped in loop at art gallery, cannot play *2018-03-22* Played game for about two minutes, now useless. I bought the app yesterday. After a single event I chose to visit the “art gallery” and turn the sound on. these actions are meant to always be available and you can return back to your place. But no matter how often I select “back to the story,” I keep being sent to the art gallery. I have tried choosing other menu items, quitting and relaunching, nothing works. Sent feedback with repro steps to developer using their web form, received my cc but no contact yet. Will update if they resolve. ### 1/5 — Stuck in menu! *2018-01-21* Very buggy. I went to change narration off and cannot get out of the menu, all buttons just reload the menu again. Trying to return to the story using the button just returns me back to the main menu. Exiting the app using the exit button brings me back to the same menu. I had to delete the app entirely to get back to the game and don’t want to change any settings for fear of getting stuck in the menu loop again. C’mon devs, this is pretty silly. ### 5/5 — Love the Artists *2017-10-29* Saw this and thought the illustrations looked familiar. Looked it up here on the App Store and saw Kate Beaton and Nedroid in the credits and I had to buy it just to support these guys. I’m excited to play it, I’m a big fan of their works. ### 5/5 — Thank you for updating! *2017-09-25, version 0.1.3275* Okay, now I can update to 11. ## Frequently asked questions about To Be Or Not To Be ### What is this app about? This app is an interactive retelling of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, presented in a second-person, non-linear, branching narrative format. You can play as Hamlet, Ophelia, or King Hamlet Sr., making choices that determine the course of the story and its outcome. ### What are the key features of this app? Key features include the ability to play as three different characters, each with unique adventures, discovering original artwork from various artists, learning about Shakespearean language, and making choices that lead to different endings. It also includes hidden achievements and an art gallery. ### How much does this app cost? Based on the provided information, this application is a paid app. There are no mentions of in-app purchases or a subscription model, indicating a one-time purchase for access to the full experience. ### What are some common use cases for this app? Common use cases include exploring different interpretations of Hamlet, engaging with a classic story in a new way, enjoying a humorous and interactive literary experience, and discovering unique artwork. It's ideal for those who enjoy 'choose your own adventure' style games and Shakespearean adaptations. ### Is this app compatible with my device? While specific compatibility details are not provided, apps of this nature are typically designed for modern smartphones and tablets running iOS or Android operating systems. It's recommended to check the app store listing for precise device and OS requirements. ## Version history (last 2 releases) ### 1.1 — 2017-09-24 This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon. Updated for iOS 11/ 64 Bit ### 0.1.3275 — 2015-03-17 No release notes. ## Apps similar to To Be Or Not To Be | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [The Frankenstein Wars](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-frankenstein-wars/id1217423017) | 4.7 (22) | $3.99 | Games | | [A Pretty Odd Bunny](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-pretty-odd-bunny/id1583054820) | 3.8 (12) | $2.99 | Games | | [Astrologaster](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astrologaster/id1213121848) | 4.7 (64) | $9.99 | Games | | [Zaga-33](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zaga-33/id516903940) | 4.7 (30) | $3.99 | Games | | [Methods: Detective Competition](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/methods-detective-competition/id6467845950) | 4.6 (9) | $2.99 | Games | | [Lucy Dreaming](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lucy-dreaming/id1637839153) | 4.7 (57) | $14.99 | Games | ## More apps by Tin Man Games - [GA1: An Assassin in Orlandes](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ga1-an-assassin-in-orlandes/id352871101) - [Fighting Fantasy: Blood of the Zombies](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fighting-fantasy-blood-of-the-zombies/id564626718) - [Fighting Fantasy: House of Hell](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fighting-fantasy-house-of-hell/id590824928) - [Fighting Fantasy: The Forest of Doom](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fighting-fantasy-the-forest-of-doom/id652745903) - [Fighting Fantasy: Starship Traveller](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fighting-fantasy-starship-traveller/id848834906) All apps by Tin Man Games: https://appshunter.io/developer/318996102 --- *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 2026-08-15.*