Choose Your Own Adventure

 
landscape tiles.png

Reimagining Interactive Fiction

This project adapted the beloved Choose Your Own Adventure book series into an immersive Alexa Skill. The goal was to elevate the standard for narrative-driven voice experiences on the platform. We leveraged a well-known IP (CYOA) to explore the potential of high-quality, interactive storytelling on Alexa.

Goal

To set a new benchmark for narrative fiction quality and engagement within the Alexa Skills ecosystem.

Development Process

Existing interactive fiction games on Alexa often suffered from lower production values and complex interactions. Our approach focused on three key improvements:

  1. Elevated Production: We moved beyond basic text-to-speech by incorporating professional voice actors and immersive sound design.

  2. Simplified Interaction: We streamlined the user experience, focusing on intuitive choices and clear navigation.

  3. Leveraging a Beloved IP: The Choose Your Own Adventure brand provided instant recognition and a built-in audience.

We created prototypes based on the original CYOA books and conducted two rounds of private beta testing. The first beta used synthesized (Polly) voices, allowing us to quickly iterate on the interaction design. The second beta incorporated the full voice acting and sound design, providing a realistic user experience.

Key Learnings & Design Decisions

  • Rewarding Exploration: The core appeal of CYOA lies in exploring multiple narrative paths. Users weren't satisfied with a single playthrough; they wanted to discover all the possible outcomes. To facilitate this, we introduced a simple "Do you want to see what would have happened if you had [chosen the other option]?" prompt at each ending. This dramatically increased engagement, more than doubling the average interaction time during testing.

  • Tracking Progress and Gamification: Players responded positively to having their progress tracked. We implemented a system to count the number of unique endings discovered, which motivated users to continue playing and "collect" all the possible outcomes. This element of gamification significantly boosted replayability.

Results & Recognition

  • User Ratings: Achieved a 4.2-star rating on Amazon (link to reviews).

  • Media Coverage: Featured in prominent tech publications, including VentureBeat, TechCrunch, and The Verge (see links below).

  • Industry Awards:

    • "Best Brand Engagement" - Voice Summit (link)

    • "Storytelling Voice Experience of the Year" - Project Voice (link)

Media Links