Survival is the name of the game.
Thrust into a world he could only imagine, Pax is forced to confront his fears and an altered reality. Once inside the game, the rules become deadly clear and there’s only one way out. He thought being a die-hard gamer would give him an advantage, but battling monsters face-to-face leaves him questioning everything he once knew about himself. In a land filled with ogres, beasts, and dragons, survival becomes a desperate struggle. Out-sized, out-maneuvered, and out-powered, Pax must rely on his wits to keep him alive.
My Opinion: 84 pages, $0.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
This short story starts off decently enough. Paxton Tyler wins opportunity to test out new game that’s also supposed to help autistic children like his brother. Even better. He’s getting paid to do it.
He’s in the game by the 11% mark. Then it gets weird. He’s immediately hit by his game guide, a pretty girl that tells him if he dies in the game he’ll die in real life. Oh, and that he needs to hurry and complete the game so that she can escape, because she’s trapped there. No reason for the rush, just ‘because’.
From there it’s a mix of bland monster fights and a confused attempt to implement a Total Recall style tension where the main character isn’t sure what’s real, what’s the game, and who’s apart of a conspiracy that’s never explained.
The only RPG elements are a character sheet with stats. The main character is told repeatedly that he has to level up quickly or die, only there are no levels on that character sheet. The stats gradually increase each time the character sheet is shown, exactly 5 times. Other than that, no RPG elements.
Overall, the tension in the story feels forced and the early part of the game story feels rushed for no reason. Not particularly entertaining.
Score: 5 out of 10
Deadly Realm: Fighting for Freedom