Broadway: 1849 Demo

Back when computers were mainly tools used by academics, video games were about as basic as they can get, sometimes not even featuring any graphics. Hence, the text-based genre was born, which proved to be successful enough to survive to this day. The main reason people enjoy them is because it’s a lot easier to create intricate stories when the developers do not have to worry about bringing them to life with the aid of a graphics engine.

Broadway: 1849 is a text-based adventure game that puts you in the role of a theater manager as you try to gain fame and attract as many spectators as possible for every show. The game is a Choose Your Own Adventure flick as well, which means that the story progresses depending on the decisions you take and the type of character you want to be. Granted, some things are set in stone, but it’s always nice to have some flexibility in this regard.

In short, you have to manage a theater during the 1800s and deal with a variety of problems, including funds, annoying actors who don’t take their job seriously, as well as New York street gangs that try to ruin your business. There are many ways to attain success, but it all depends on how you wish to tackle all these problems and what solutions you find.

Speaking of gangs, the fact that there are more of them means that they do not get along, and you can use this to your advantage. Hence, if one of them gives you trouble, it’s possible to ally with another gang and use their manpower to defend yourself. This is not mandatory, however, because you can just as easily avoid getting involved with the gangs and find another solution to your problems.

Your relationships with other characters are shaped by decisions as well, and you can even have a few romantic partners along the way. Naturally, the lack of graphics may be a bit annoying for newcomers to the genre, given the fact that you have to use your imagination for everything, but if you are a long-time fan this shouldn’t affect you too much.

Lastly, the fact that your choices affect the story means that you can get many different playthroughs out of Broadway: 1849, which is always a good thing. Not all things can be altered, but there’s enough variety to keep you engaged even after you finish the story two or three times.