Choices – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Choices

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

app2016Games, Entertainment

54%

WISE Score

4.5

App Store

A digital soap opera where your character's happiness—and their outfits—usually depend on how many 'Diamonds' you're willing to buy.

Choices

app

2016, Games, Entertainment

54%

WISE Score

4.5

App Store

A digital soap opera where your character's happiness—and their outfits—usually depend on how many 'Diamonds' you're willing to buy.

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Where to Find

App Store

Google Play

Screenwise Verdict

Choices is essentially a library of interactive romance novels. From a literacy perspective, it's a win—it's heavy on reading and requires players to follow complex, multi-chapter arcs. It builds the language comprehension strands of the reading rope by immersing kids in narrative structure and diverse vocabulary.

However, the 'game' part of it is where things get dicey. It's built on a freemium model that can feel quite manipulative. It’s not uncommon for the game to offer you a choice between 'Stand up for your friend (20 Diamonds)' and 'Let them get bullied (Free).' That’s a tough spot for a kid to be in, and it’s worth talking about how these apps are engineered to make you feel like you need to spend to be the hero.

Age Fit

Targeted at 13+. The themes of romance, betrayal, and mild horror (vampires, rituals) are squarely in the Young Adult fiction lane. Younger kids will likely be frustrated by the paywalls and the heavy focus on dating dynamics.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

It's a digital soap opera. While it models some social dynamics and empathy, the focus is heavily on high-stakes drama, romantic tension, and 'forbidden' relationships rather than wholesome cooperation.

Imaginative

The branching narrative structure is genuinely creative. Players customize characters and make decisions that actually impact the plot, covering genres from high fantasy to medical drama.

Safe

The monetization is the primary safety concern; the game frequently uses 'dark patterns' to guilt-trip players into spending real money for better story outcomes. Content also includes mild horror, suggestive romance, and mature themes.

Enriching

It builds the language comprehension strands of literacy. It's narrative-heavy and requires players to track complex plots and character motivations, even if the subject matter is 'guilty pleasure' territory.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Interactive storytelling keeps kids engaged with long-form text, building narrative comprehension and vocabulary.
High agency allows players to explore 'what if' scenarios and see how different social choices play out in a safe environment.
Genre variety means there is something for everyone, from Blades of Light & Shadow (fantasy) to The Royal Romance (rags-to-riches drama).
Character customization provides a space for self-expression, including diverse options for gender and appearance.

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What to Watch For

The 'Diamond' economy is the biggest hurdle; the game often presents three choices where the 'good' or 'kind' option costs premium currency, while the free option makes your character look like a jerk.
Romantic tension can get heavy. While not explicit, the stories are heavily focused on 'forbidden love' and 'magnetic attraction' that might be more than a younger kid is ready for.
The VIP subscription and constant prompts for in-app purchases are designed to create FOMO and compulsive checking of the app for new chapters.

Conversation Starters

"Why do you think the game makes you pay for the 'nicer' choices? Does that feel fair to the story?"
"If you were the main character in 'Immortal Desires,' would you have handled that ritual discovery differently?"
"How do the choices you make in the game compare to how you'd handle a disagreement with a friend in real life?"
"Do you feel like the 'Diamond' choices actually make the story better, or just more glamorous?"

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