Creme de la Creme

A text-only novel where your choices steer the plot

If you want a long branching story rather than a game with graphics, Creme de la Creme is built for that. It is a 440,000-word interactive novel by Harris Powell-Smith, with no pictures and no sound effects, so the story lives in the text and in what you choose. The listing says it won the Best Game, Best Writing and Best Story prizes at the 2019 XYZZY Awards.

The store rates it 14+ and shows an average of 4.65 from 1,316 ratings, with more than 50,000 installs. The content deals with romance, scandal and social ambition among young adults, so the age rating is the first thing to check.

It suits readers who enjoy social drama and who like to decide what a character values most.

Gallatin College and the year ahead

The story starts after your parents fall into disgrace and high society turns its back on them. You enrol at Gallatin College, a finishing school where young people learn social graces among their wealthy peers. The aim is to secure your own future and restore the family name.

Across the year you can dance with royalty, impress decorated officers and work on your etiquette. The listing frames the year around three priorities: a spotless reputation, a prestigious social network and a pristine report card. Sneaking out of class and polishing your ballroom dancing are both paths into the story.

Which of these you put first is the main question the story asks of you.

Romance, identity and relationship choices

You choose your character's gender (male, female or nonbinary), sexual orientation (gay, straight or bisexual), and whether they are monogamous or polyamorous. You can also make them asexual, aromantic or both.

Romantic paths include a match with an aristocrat or royalty, a connection with a fellow student, or falling for someone below your social standing. Lighter options include a no-strings fling, or proposing a marriage of convenience to a friend.

These romantic paths run alongside friendships and rivalries, so the people around you can be allies or targets depending on which way you go.

Cliques, rivalries and getting ahead

You can join a clique that the college has officially sanctioned, or one that operates without its approval. Either way, you build its strength and standing.

Career and academic goals are concrete targets in the story. You can aim for a place at university or on a competitive internship, and the listing presents these as ways to set yourself apart from classmates.

The rivalry side is equally direct. You can sabotage your classmates or build friendships with them. You can also work to repair your family's reputation, or let it fall further.

Uncovering the secrets of Gallatin College

Gallatin College has dark secrets. You can uncover them and reveal them to the world, or keep them under wraps.

Because the story has no graphics or audio, these discoveries arrive as written scenes. The listing says the reader's imagination carries the setting, so the picture of the school is built from the text alone.