Episode: Choose Your Story (also known as simply Episode) is a mobile phone game in which the player can become the main protagonist in a series of stories told through various episodes.
The stories featured on the app vary, but common genres include romance, slice of life, and action. The player can customize and name the protagonist of each story, and if romance is an option, most stories will allow a choice between a male and female love interest.
The game launched in 2013, and as of December 2023, is still available for download on the App Store.
Tropes:
- Affectionate Nickname:
- In "The Hitman's Baby", the titular baby is referred to by the protagonist and her friends as Shrimpy before he is born.
- In "Tempting Devil", Emma's mom calls her Ems.
- Alpha Bitch: They're very common in female-led stories that involve a love triangle.
- In "The Business Partner", it's Stacey, a snide girl whom the player must compete with for the affections of the CEO.
- In "Catching Feelings", it's Ryan, the protagonist's childhood bully all grown up.
- Crossover: One story takes place within the universe of Mean Girls, in which the protagonist is invited to join the Plastics.
- Developer's Foresight:
- If the player chooses a gender option for their love interest that is different from how the story was originally written (ex. the story's love interest is advertised as male, but the player chooses the female option), their name will be altered accordingly (ex. Zeke becomes Zena).
- A swear filter is in place, preventing players from naming certain characters cuss words. For instance, attempting to name a character "Bitch" will result in them being called "Btch" once the name is saved.
- Evil Redhead: In "Tempting Devil", while he/she is customizable, the bully turned love interest, Carter/Portia, has red hair in his/her default appearance.
- From the Mouths of Babes: "The Hitman's Baby" ends with the titular baby, now a preschooler, cheerfully declaring in front of his class that he wants to be a hitman when he grows up.
- Girlish Pigtails: They're an option for customizing your character. For story-specific examples:
- In "Tempting Devil", all flashbacks to elementary school show Emma wearing pigtails.
- Innocent Blue Eyes: Several blue options are available for eyes on the customizing screen. For story-specific examples:
- In "Tempting Devil", kind-hearted, shy Emma has blue eyes in her default appearance.
- Pink Means Feminine: The protagonist of "The Business Partner" is introduced in a pink dress, which promptly has coffee spilled on it by Stacey.
- Shout-Out:
- In "12 Dates of Christmas", one of the love interest options is a firefighter named Sam. Sam(antha) even acknowledges this on his/her profile bio.
- One of the available stories is titled "Beauty and the Mafia".
- In "My Brother's Hot Friend", the main protagonist is named Lola Rose, and the love interest is named Kayla Thorn. Every Rose has its Thorn.
- Strawberry Shorthand: In "Tempting Devil", Emma's new best friend wears a pink top with a strawberry pattern, showing that she's sweet, but with a tangy wild side.
