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The Three-Body Problem

RoAnna Sylver (Goodreads Author)

4.13 · Rating details · 16 ratings · 9 reviews

These dark, deep woods are home to wild creatures and wild magic, and they're only dangerous if you disrespect either one. They're also your home. Here, you're safe, loved, and free, and tonight is a very special night; a good one for a ritual.

Until a stranger interrupts your plans, and turns your night, and your life in an entirely new direction.

A 9k piece of interactive ...more

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Interactive Fiction

Published by Tap

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Average rating 4.13 ·

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· 16 ratings · 9 reviews

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May 29, 2019 Silvia rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, sent-for-review, witches, magic

Note: I received a review copy from the author but this doesn't impact my opinion.

An exploration of consent and BDSM and polyamory outside of sex, an interactive conversation about trust and love and magic.

This game is absolutely stunning and a lovely introduction to the world of interactive fiction for those who, like me, had no previous experience with it. I shouldn't say too much as it's best to find out the plot and characters on your own. I just 100% recommend it (and it makes a nice pride ...more

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Apr 25, 2019 Alex rated it really liked it

Shelves: c-witch, g-classic-fantasy, lgbt-main, lgbt-nonbinary-main, rated-4-stars, read-in-2019

Polyamory and lots of consent negotiation! I loved this, and I hope there will be a continuation sometime. I was expecting a little more choices to be honest, but it was still enjoyable, and the characters and descriptions were soft and warm like a hug, like most of RoAnna's work. ...more

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Jun 10, 2019 Ana rated it it was ok

Sadly, I didn't think this worked as an interactive story. It took too long to get to any kind of branching path. I wanted to get more control over the story early on, to get to put myself into it and really be present within it. Especially given that one of the story's themes is consent, I expected more meta-interaction, where the reader/player and the story are in conversation and you get to really shape the direction of things. As it was, the narration felt like the touch of the young man enc ...more

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Jun 01, 2019 RoAnna Sylver rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

I mean, I think it’s pretty good~

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May 24, 2019 Nicole Field rated it liked it

Shelves: online-reads

I've never read an interactive story before. The closest I got was Always Human, and now I think about it, the two story types are absolutely nothing alike apart from that I read them both online and clicked onto the next page each time...

Apparently I'm a troglodyte when it comes to reading. I'm not sure that interactive fiction is something that's for me (largely because of the second person premise), but I love RoAnna's writing, and I would happily read anything by them and so put my hand str ...more

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Jun 02, 2019 Eri rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, interactive-fiction, lgbtq

Needless to say just looking at the rating you can tell I loved this, but the why is something interesting. Interactive fiction games have a reputation as a choose your own adventure style of storytelling which The Three-Body Problem really isn't but it in no way suffers from that. There's a pretty set path that the storyline follows and there's one central choice the player is asked to make, which allows full exploration into the main theme: the role of consent.

(view spoiler) Needless to say just looking at the rating you can tell I loved this, but the why is something interesting. Interactive fiction games have a reputation as a choose your own adventure style of storytelling which The Three-Body Problem really isn't but it in no way suffers from that. There's a pretty set path that the storyline follows and there's one central choice the player is asked to make, which allows full exploration into the main theme: the role of consent.

(view spoiler)[The player takes the role of Venus, a forest witch living in a D/s relationship with their partner and Dominus Jupiter. Our third character is Nine, a boy with a traumatic upbringing, who intercedes into the story when he stumbles into the middle of a ritualistic roleplay and makes several incorrect assumptions all at the same time. This is where the game first poses its central question - do you talk to Nine and help him understand or do you send him away? This question is asked several times throughout the game, giving the player multiple places to end the scene early, to literally safeword out and go home with Jupiter, safe and unjudged but not knowing how the interaction could have ended.

As an exploration of consent and what it means, making this story interactive fiction was a wonderful choice, the game continues because the reader, and by extension Venus, actively allows it to and actively chooses to hear Nine out and talk him through the reality of the situation.

The relationship between Jupiter and Venus can only be described as heartwarming, their D/s dynamic clearly is wonderfully supportive for the both of them and love radiates from every interaction throughout the game. The D/s is non-explicit but very thoroughly explained and always portrayed as a positive force in their relationship. Their warm and powerful dynamic means that both endings come with a certain satisfaction - choosing not to indulge Nine leads the player to a premature but by no means bad ending scene between Venus and Jupiter that still aims for emotional satisfaction even with the awareness that the story was left unfinished.

This is, perhaps, the most important part of the game to me and makes the early ending worth a read through just as much as the actual end of the game. Venus' consent is what drives the game and it's that ongoing, unpressured consent that gives the true ending its emotional strength.

Which brings us to the ending itself, which absolutely made my heart swell with feelings. Nine's trauma is addressed and well handled throughout the game and that makes him being accepted into the fold (and the hintings towards a polyam future for the three mains) feel so satisfying I can't put it fully into words. (hide spoiler)]

Between the emotionally fulfilling ending options, positive and downright sweet portrayal of kink, and endearing cast, I can't recommend this game highly enough! ...more

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May 22, 2019 Kayla Bashe rated it it was amazing

really cute! heartwarming, aesthetic, cool

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Feb 03, 2020 Riska Sleepless rated it it was amazing

Shelves: queer, 2018-releases

Once I started playing I couldn't stop. ...more

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Apr 26, 2019 Reader of Books rated it it was amazing

I totally loved this and the sweet, lovely characters. =)

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About RoAnna Sylver

RoAnna Sylver

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RoAnna Sylver is passionate about stories that give hope, healing and even fun for LGBT, disabled and other marginalized people, and thinks we need a lot more. Aside from writing oddly optimistic dystopia and vampire books, RoAnna is a blogger, artist, and singer.

RoAnna lives with family near Portland, OR, and probably spends too much time playing videogames. The next adventure RoAnna would like i ...more