Gamebooks (Choose Your Own Adventure Style)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Isle of Swimming Cats Alternate Endings Part 6


Refusing to eat the peanut butter and jelly sandwich in CHOICE #8 ends the story earlier.  Kong pounces on me, but Wanda orders the cat to get off before it can lick my skin off.  Wanda says Kong is "overly friendly", which must be fiction code for "will assault you without warning".  Wanda says there are greater dangers than the cats, including the chimpanzees and coconut crabs.  She must not have seen the timeline where cats ate my character.


Wanda claims she has a "catamaran" for the sake of the pun, but it's actually an outrigger canoe.  It lives up to the title when Wanda summons the cats with the bullroarer, which pull the vessel along.  This time, the Wanderlust crew is on the life raft.


"About time you showed up', the yacht's skipper says with a wink.  'What kept ya?'  Wanda laughs and tosses the skipper a rope and turns the outrigger towards the shore.  On the trip back, Wanda and the crew on the life raft paddle to help out the cats.  But even against the breeze, it only takes half an hour to reach the calm of the lagoon.  As the crew pulls the life raft up the beach, Wanda grabs your arm.  'I'd better go and feed these bad boys, otherwise they'll never help me again.  I'll see you later.'


You nod.  'Thanks.  Your catamaran is brilliant.'  And with that, Wanda and her six helpers head off towards the dome.  'Who was that?' the yacht's skipper asks.  'Wanda.  She and her parents live here.'  The skipper looks confused.  'That's weird.  This island is meant to be deserted.'  'It is?' you ask.  'That's what the charts say.'  You're about to ask the skipper another question when the ground starts vibrating.  Not a shaking like an earthquake, more like a high-pitched hum.


'What the heck is that?' the skipper says.  Then you see what you thought was a stone dome slowly rising above the jungle.  It's not a dome at all.  It's a huge flying disk!  The disk flies towards your group on the beach and stops.  Through a window on the side of the disk, you see Wanda and Kong.  Wanda waves once and the disk streaks off over the ocean towards the horizon.


'Hey, wake up.  It's your watch!'  'What?' you say, dragging your head up off the pillow.  It's the skipper.  'It's your watch.  Get your wet weather gear on and get up on deck.'  Wait?  What?  Has it all been a dream?  Outside, the storm is still raging and it looks like you have another wet and wild four hour watch to do.  It must have been a dream.  Beside you, a crewmate is putting on her gear to go topside.  'Wait till I tell you the crazy dream I had!' she says.  You fasten your jacket and look over at her.  'Were there swimming cats?'  Her mouth drops open.  'How the heck did you know that?"


The epilogue text doesn't clarify this ending at all, so I'll treat it as a Neutral "only a dream" Ending.  Dinosaur Canyon had a dream ending too in a similar case where all the other endings really happened to the characters.


Results So Far


4 Good Endings

2 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings


EDIT:  This ending also happens if you don't go into the airlock in CHOICE #7.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Isle of Swimming Cats Alternate Endings Part 7


Entering the Laboratory in CHOICE #6 presents some potential continuity with other You Say Which Way books.  Chimps are floating in "stainless-steel vats".  According to Wanda, this is an experimental sleep gel.  If that's too subtle a clue for YSWW readers, Wanda states "Eventually they'll try it out on people.  Maybe one day we'll be able to travel between the stars".  (Bold print is my addition.)


But all the "Petron series" books are based on a neo-Victorian Earth, not our own timeline.  Is this only a wink to other CYOAs, or is there a true connection?  One comparison that comes to mind is when Ramia from Dragon Quest 3 reappears as a major supporting character in Dragon Quest 8, even though the two games don't share the same world.  One reason the chimps are asleep is that food for them is rare apart from the occasional coconut or giant crab.


CHOICE #10 is to eat a banana that Wanda offers, or ask for a sandwich instead.  Don't take the banana.  Blair Polly criticizes me for not being suspicious of food from strangers.  Granted, there is a hint about the chimps being given treats as a reward for going into the sleeping gel, but it's still out of character for Wanda to act this way relative to the rest of the book.


"You peel the banana and take a bit.  It's a bit cool from being in the fridge, but your stomach is rumbling, and food is food.  'Thanks', you say between bites.  The girl smiles.  'My pleasure.'  But by the time you've finished eating, you're feeling faint.  Maybe it's all the stress you've been under the last few days.  As your knees begin to give way, the girl grabs your arms and helps you sit on the floor with your back against the wall.  Your eyelids are heavy.  'Just relax', the girl says.  'Sleep.'


When you wake up, you have a moment of panic, but it doesn't last.  You breathe in more gel.  Floating. . .Calm. . .Nice. . .You're in one of the tanks.  But despite that, and having just woken up, you feel like nodding off again and getting back to that lovely dream you were having.  When you look through the glass of the big test tube, you see the girl with two older people standing quietly and observing you.  The man makes notes on a tablet.


'Well done, Wanda', the woman says.  'Now we just need to find the rest of the crew and our experiments can continue.'  Maybe they will let you out of the tank one day.  Or maybe not.  In the meantime, that dream is calling".


The last lines must have been added specifically for me to put the drugged banana in the Inconclusive Ending category.  (Blair Polly must be reading these posts by now.  Who else gives so much attention to his books?)


Results So Far


4 Good Endings

2 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Isle of Swimming Cats Alternate Endings Part 8


Let's alter Wanda's personality by asking for a sandwich instead of a drugged banana in CHOICE #10.  Wanda and "Shrimp" are actually the same height, and when I unleash the "Does that mean we can Wanda over to your place and get some food?", she scowls as usual and replies "Did you know that octopi eat shrimp?"


It's a joke, and she's not going to have Oscar strangle me or something.  My meal decisions have tectonic consequences:  "Earthquake!'  Wanda shouts".  If CYOA writers are going to include natural disasters in their stories, they should happen at about the same "time" in different branches.  For example, if you leave the island earlier than usual, maybe the characters could comment "We got out just in time!" while looking back as the earthquake topples trees.  Or if they remain on the island longer, then they would have to deal with the aftermath in different ways.


Besides the falling coconuts, Wanda warns me about a possible tsunami.  The crow's nest in the treehouse "shudders" as the tsunami carries away everything below about 6 feet above sea level.  It's actually a decent scene, but it's too long to quote in its entirety.  Wanda must be an ancestor of the Petronians from Secrets of Glass Mountain and Volcano of Fire, because she not only has the sleeping gel, but she also says "Gebus!"


Wanda greets Hercules the chimp, and the apes receive bananas from her bag.  CHOICE #11 is whether to look for the Wanderlust crew south of the dome, or on a cliff above the lagoon.


Searching south of the dome is more difficult than it seems when a horde of hundreds of coconut crabs the size of "dinner plates" approach us.  "The two of you zigzag, dodging crabs, hurdling crabs, even kicking them out of the way.  Pincers click and snap as you jink left, right, then left again".  CHOICE #12 is between going into the water, or trying to run past the crabs.


Staying out of the water is the right decision, because sharks are even more dangerous than coconut crabs.  Hopping over the crabs works at first until I slip and only survive when Hercules the chimp rescues us.  The apes "grab a crab in each hand and crash them together like cymbal players in some strange orchestra before dropping them onto the sand and grabbing two more".  Their reward is free crab cocktail.


The skipper is at the edge of the jungle where the life raft is visible.  An Australian naval ship will pick us up.


"A wave of relief passes through you.  You turn around to tell Wanda.  But she's not behind you.  'Wanda!' you yell.  The skipper scrunches his brow and peers at you.  'Wanda?  Who's Wanda?'  'A girl who lives here on the island', you reply.  'She's been helping me.  Her parents are scientists and they have a secret lab.'  The skipper reaches out and lays his hand on your forehead.  Does he think you're sick?  Imagining things?


'She's real', you say.  'She and the chimpanzees helped me fight off huge coconut crabs after the tsunami!'  You point at the nip marks on your legs.  'See, crab bites.'  You can tell that the crew is skeptical of your story.  You are about to explain further when you hear the steady whomp, whomp, whomp of the helicopter.  The crew rushes to the water's edge and wave their arms above their heads.  You turn for a last look down the beach, hoping to catch a glimpse of Wanda, but there is no sign of her.


In a whirlwind of sand, the helicopter touches down.  Its crew ushers you aboard, and before you've had a chance to think much about Wanda's disappearance, the helicopter is swooping over the lagoon before heading out to sea to rendezvous with its ship.  Sitting in the helicopter and looking back at the island as it slowly shrinks into the distance, you wonder if anyone will believe your story.  Maybe one day, when you're a bit older, you can come back on your own yacht and see how Wanda's getting on".


Besides the possibility of Wanda being a hallucination, this ending introduces an alternate origin of the player character's nickname.  Here, the skipper calls me "Shrimp", while in an earlier route, it's suggested that the hero made it up on the spot by seeing shellfish move by while talking to Wanda.


Results So Far


5 Good Endings

2 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Isle of Swimming Cats Alternate Endings Part 9


What happens when our hero goes for a swim, clearly never having watched either Jaws or a lower budget Syfy movie?


"Crabs nip at your legs and feet as you hightail towards the ocean.  After three splashing steps, you throw yourself forward and dive into the lukewarm water.  After a few quick strokes, you spin around, tread water and stare back at the beach.  The saltwater stings your bleeding legs, but at least the crabs can't get you out here.


Wanda is bouncing around like some crazed dancer, avoiding crabs, when she spots your head protruding above the water.  She runs towards you and waves her arms, but stops before she's knee-deep in the water.  Her face has gone pale as she points frantically towards a grey shadow streaking towards you.


'Shark!' she screams.  'Get out of the water!'  But before you make it to shore, powerful jaws clamp onto your leg and drag you under.  Yikes!



Results So Far


5 Good Endings

3 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Isle of Swimming Cats Alternate Endings Part 10


The best place to look for the Wanderlust crew in this branch is the cliff, because there's no danger of sharks or crabs.  A "parrot" repeats the hero's calls for help like "Wanda, where are you?', and of course says "Polly wants a cracker".  But it's actually one of Wanda's pranks, not a real parrot.  We see something orange at the edge of the jungle, which must be the life raft.


"But when you get to the life raft, it's empty.  At first, you think the crew must have drowned, but then you see a white piece of cloth tied to one of the oarlocks.  You rush over and untie it.  'Look.  A note.'  Wanda moves closer as you unfold the piece of cloth.  'What's it say?'


'It says they've been picked up by the Australian navy, and that they've left me the emergency locator beacon to use if I find the raft.'  A funny look comes across Wanda's face.  'So all you have to do to get rescued is set off the beacon?'  You nod.  'Yeah.'  'How long does the battery last?'  Wanda kicks the sand and looks at the ground.


'Oh heaps.  Years, even.'  'So you don't have to set it off right away?'  Then you get it.  She hasn't had another kid to play with for ages.  'I could leave it a day or two, I suppose.  When did you say your parents were getting back?'


A little grin crosses her face.  'Another day or two, I reckon.  Just enough time to give you a proper tour of the island.'  You sling the EPIRB's strap over your shoulder and grin.  'Sounds like a plan.  I've always wanted to explore a tropical island.'  A huge smile erupts across Wanda's face.  'Cool.  Follow me.  Follow me.  Squawk!"


The player character's body is never found after Wanda's 1st human test of her sleeping gel fails.  She later uses the EPIRB to lure sailors into becoming her next subjects.


Not really, but that would make this conclusion more exciting than the minor Good Ending variation.



Results So Far


6 Good Endings

3 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Isle of Swimming Cats Alternate Endings Part 11


Only 2 conclusions left, and both are based on returning to the beach in CHOICE #5 instead of taking the capstone elevator into the dome.


The protagonist wonders if they have sunstroke after seeing a cat swimming after some fish.  We learn from the narration that the Wanderlust sailed from Hawaii after the hero finds a life preserver.  And "Shrimp" has only known them for weeks.  The life raft itself is completely empty.  No crew or electronics.


CHOICE #13 is whether to climb the cliff, or play conservatively and walk around.  The final Death is less weird than the other ending, so I'll post it first.


"You look for a place to begin your climb.  Off to the left a few yards is a narrow crack in the rock.  That might give you some handholds on the way up.  At first, the climbing isn't too tough.  But as you get higher, the hand and foot holds become fewer and fewer.  As you near the top, you're forced to use the spindly shrubs growing on the cliff as handholds to pull yourself up.  It's a pity that these shrubs aren't very deeply rooted.  As you grab one, it gives way and you


F
A
L
L
"


The epilogue text says I hit my head after descending 30 feet.  Maybe "Shrimp" should have cooked some Stamella Shrooms.


 

Results So Far


6 Good Endings

4 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

1 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Isle of Swimming Cats Finale


Walking towards a cove in the other CHOICE #13 path reveals a ship called the Tex-plorer, a "large ice-strengthened research vessel".  My character watched the Tex-plorer show ever since I was "knee-high to a grasshopper".  This is the CYOA equivalent of randomly running into Steve Irwin on a deserted island, if he were still alive.


Tex shouts "Cut!  Who's a'making all that racket?  We're trying to work here".  Tex holds a coconut crab and a machete in his hands.  His camera operator is here too.  Tex is still dressed in a Stetson hat, "grey cargo shorts, sturdy boots, and an old army shirt with a Texan flag sewn above one of the pockets".  Tex claims to have seen the Wanderlust crew floating off the coast after they had to swim off the life raft.  They're now aboard the Tex-plorer.


"Tex sure is a lot grumpier on person than he is on TV".  Who knew this CYOA about aquatic cats would have a theme about being disappointed by your idol?  He's ready to eat "the south end of a north-bound longhorn" after this adventure.  The Tex-plorer will travel around the Marshall Islands for a while before returning to Hawaii. 


My decision to lean over the rail to take one last look at the Isle of Swimming Cats ruins any possibility of a Good Ending.


"Splash!  You surface with a splutter.  'Help!'  you yell.  'Kid overboard!'  But nobody hears your call.  The ship increases speed, turns to starboard and disappears behind the headland.  'You've got to be kidding me. . .' you mutter as you start to swim back to shore.  'Again?'


When you reach the beach, you sit in the sand and wonder how long it will take you to get rescued this time.  The crew of the Tex-plorer won't miss you for at least eight hours.  They'll think you're fast asleep in your cabin.  Once they do realize you're gone, they'll have no idea when you went over the side.


As you sit on the beach contemplating your fate, a large cat emerges from the water and pads up to you.  Its fur is sleek, its paws large and its tail much longer than a normal cat's.  You've heard rumors of these aquatic cats, but always thought they were just stories sailors told to pass the time.


The cat pads up to you.  'Meow!'  You give it a scratch.  'Hello, puss, was that you I saw in the water?'  The cat rubs against you.  'Meow.'  Oh well, you might be shipwrecked again, but at least you have company this time".


This will fall under Neutral Ending because there's no threat of Death mentioned here.  This timeline seems to have friendly cats, not the man-eaters in the cat lady branch.


Isle of Swimming Cats is less consistent than other You Say Which Ways, and seems to be closer to the La Isla de los Dodos type of CYOA.  Are the cats helpful or harmful?  Is Wanda an ally, a mad scientist, or possibly a hallucination?  Where does the crew end up?  Does an earthquake and tsunami occur, or is the island calm?  The answers to these questions vary dramatically between different paths.


Some of the stories are typical "tropical island CYOA" stuff, like poachers/smugglers, natural disasters, sharks, climbing cliffs, etc.  And there are already several of those in the You Say Which Way series.  Though this book isn't as afraid to kill you as some others are.  It's not one of the better books featured in this thread, but it was fun to write a snarky review of it, which is more than I can say for "Danger" on Dolphin Island, or especially 22 Minutos:  Tibicenas.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Isle of Swimming Cats CHOICE Map


On the off chance any of you want to see how I kept track of this book's branches in a Word document:



CHOICE #1

-Pump out bilges:  Go to CHOICE #5 (CLEAR)
-Emergency call Channel 16:  Go to CHOICE #2 (CLEAR)
 

CHOICE #2

-Go to cat cave:  Go to CHOICE #3 (CLEAR)
-Climb “rusty old ladder”:  Go to CHOICE #4 (CLEAR)
 

CHOICE #3

-Wait for cats to find crew:  GOOD ENDING (CLEAR, follow cats to frightened crew, rescued by emergency call)
-Look for crew yourself:  GOOD ENDING (CLEAR, rescued by net from drone, crew who never made it to island on Australian ship)
 

CHOICE #4

-Leap over cats:  GOOD ENDING (CLEAR, escape from island and cats via helicopter, crew lives)
-Stay and talk to cat lady:  DEATH (CLEAR, cats eat you)
 

CHOICE #5

-Inspect stone structure:  Go to CHOICE #6 (CLEAR)
-Head to beach:  Go to CHOICE #13 (CLEAR)
 

CHOICE #6

-Aquarium:  Go to CHOICE #7 (CLEAR)
-Laboratory:  Go to CHOICE #10 (CLEAR)
 

CHOICE #7

-Go into airlock:  Go to CHOICE #8 (CLEAR)
-Excuse not to enter airlock:  NEUTRAL ENDING (CLEAR, a dream aboard Wanderlust shared with another crewmate)
 

CHOICE #8

-Eat peanut butter sandwich:  Go to CHOICE #9 (CLEAR)
-No sandwich:  NEUTRAL ENDING (CLEAR, same as CHOICE #7)
 

CHOICE #9

-Wait until night to sneak onto boat:  GOOD ENDING (CLEAR, cat freed, poachers caught, crew rescued by merchant vessel)
-Move to yacht and demand cat’s release:  DEATH (CLEAR, thrown into water by poachers, drown)
 

CHOICE #10

-Eat banana:  INCONCLUSIVE ENDING (CLEAR, drugged banana, stuck in sleeping tank)
-Ask for sandwich:  Go to CHOICE #11 (CLEAR)
 

CHOICE #11

-Look south of dome:  Go to CHOICE #12 (CLEAR)
-Look on cliff above lagoon:  GOOD ENDING (CLEAR, explore island with Wanda, crew already rescued)
 

CHOICE #12

-Run into water to flee crabs:  DEATH (CLEAR, shark attack)
-Keep running and dodge crabs:  GOOD ENDING (CLEAR, possibly saved by chimps, but Wanda may be hallucination, Shrimp nickname from crew instead of improvisation)
 


CHOICE #13

-Climb cliff:  DEATH (CLEAR, fall and hit head)
-Walk around island:  NEUTRAL ENDING (CLEAR, fall off Tex-plorer ship, land on cat island again)

[RefSteel]

Hey, cool! Another CYOA write-up!

It's not one of the better books featured in this thread, but it was fun to write a snarky review of it, which is more than I can say for "Danger" on Dolphin Island, or especially 22 Minutos:  Tibicenas.

I'm inclined to agree! It's a shame they didn't do more with the mercats, but I'm glad it was fun anyway! As for "Danger" ... I actually wrote up another parody (...or three...) this time of certain elements of books like that one. To be really true to "Danger," I should have called it "Deadly Peril in Unicorn Country," mentioned in passing during the prologue that the country was named for its flag and featured no unicorns, and then made all the villains into poachers and specified what the horses were doing to cause a smell, but this is the way I wrote it, so:

You Don't Say! (Any Which Way!) #1: The Good Guy Rebellion

Page 1: You've just finished an important rebel mission to gather information about the evil president-for-life of your nameless long-ago country, but as you're going to meet your superior officer in Sometown, you hear rumors of patrols along the road! To get out of sight and go to Sometown through the wilderness, turn to Page 2. To keep to the road and risk encountering patrols, turn to page 3.

Page 2: Man, the wilderness sure is muddy! Your boots and trousers are filthy now, but you get to Sometown in one piece. Turn to page 4.

Page 3: It's a smooth, easy walk until a patrol shows up! Luckily, you spot them before they notice you, and you duck into the bushes beside the road. You have to go cross-country from here to avoid being seen though, and your boots and trousers are covered with mud by the time your reach Sometown. Turn to page 4.

Page 4: Your superior officer berates you for getting your clothes all muddy, and gives you a lousy assignment spying on the evil president-for-life's grannies who never do anything except drink tea. To accept the assignment, turn to page 5. To ignore your orders and look for the evil president's secret weapons cache on your own, turn to page 6.

Page 5: You're stopping at an inn on your way to the grannies' nursing home when you overhear some drunk presidential officers talking at the bar! Turn to page 7.

Page 6: Your search for clues about the secret weapons cache leads you to an inn on the road, where you find the highly-placed officers you were looking for talking drunkenly at the bar! Turn to page 7.

Page 7: They're joking about the smell of the evil president's war horses out in the stables, which they're supposed to be guarding! To steal the horses, turn to page 8. To challenge the guards to a duel, turn to page 9.

Page 8: While you're on the way out to the stables, the inn suddenly catches fire and you see a child as androgynous as you are, trapped by the flames! You save their life and discover their father is the evil President's top general, who agrees to withdraw his support from the President in gratitude to you! Soon the revolution is victorious and the evil president is replaced by a good one and you live happily ever after and you're a hero! The End.

Page 9: The guards are so drunk, they fall off their stools before you have a chance to duel them. Then you notice something gleaming outside the window by the roadside! You find that a leprechaun has accidentally left its entire pot of gold out where anyone could see it! Good thing you were the first to spot it then! Soon, with this helpful windfall and the sympathy of everyone in the country, you and the other rebels are able to overthrow the evil president, and the leftover gold is presented to you as a memento by the new good president, so now you're filthy rich, and best of all, you can buy clean boots and trousers! The End.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Hey, cool!  Another CYOA write-up!


I'm inclined to agree!  It's a shame they didn't do more with the mercats, but I'm glad it was fun anyway!  As for "Danger" ... I actually wrote up another parody (...or three...) this time of certain elements of books like that one.  To be really true to "Danger," I should have called it "Deadly Peril in Unicorn Country," mentioned in passing during the prologue that the country was named for its flag and featured no unicorns, and then made all the villains into poachers and specified what the horses were doing to cause a smell, but this is the way I wrote it, so:

I don't think the term "mercat" ever occurred in the book.  The characters were too busy making the usual cat puns to think of something that inspired.  Maybe you should propose a new Merfolk/Felid hybrid species for Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup's next Trunk update.


The Isle of Swimming Cats playthrough came to be because I was between RPGs at the time.  I finished Dragon Quest 3, but didn't want to commit to another variant of that or Breath of the Wild because Collection of Mana was coming in the mail.  So to kill some time while waiting for the package, I looked up the CYOAs on the Kindle store.  With a title like that, I couldn't resist.


If I do another CYOA before the end of the year, it'll be Ultimate Ending:  Treasures of the Forgotten City, the 1st installment of the series.  It's part of what should be called either the "Atraharsis" or "Causality Neutrino" continuity, not the "Tower of Never There" universe.