Episode XOXO (2023) [+]
Sep 08 2025
Episode XOXO is a slightly interactive romance story app from Pocket Gems and available on Apple Arcade. It's bigger brother Episode lets users create their own stories for others so there are thousands of stories to read (and buy). Episode XOXO comes with 13 stories.
I read four of them and they've been romances from the woman's POV. You get to stylize her looks at the start (a fair number of options but some things like hair styles have lots of options many quite similar), name her, and specify whether the romantic interest is male or female and you get to style the romantic interest.
The stories are fairly predictable yet engaging rom com sort of stuff. The four stories I read:
The stories are mostly dialog and some interior monologues. Often you get three choices on what to say but mostly they don't seem to matter. Level Up had "video game" sequences that use the same engine so it's "monster is ready to attack, will you shoot, dodge, or panic". Cuter are the parts where you choose which of three outfits to wear and it seems like you're changing outfits every chapter.
Along with the story you have these cartoony characters representing you, your romantic interest, and other people. Sometimes they're moving about though animation is minimal and poses non-existent other than stand, sit, walk/run; also two characters can get closer and kiss (from behind so you have one head covering the other's face). Often the backgrounds don't quite fit the characters but I didn't mind.
Even though it's a rather primitive engine I can make my character a cute girl and the romantic interest another cute girl and the stories are charming enough to be interesting and romantic. Don't mind that occasionally the dialog didn't switch gender or that the writing is not great. I found the stories satisfying and it's always a happy romantic ending.
2025-10-23: Apparently no cloud save so you can't continue a story on another device.
I read four of them and they've been romances from the woman's POV. You get to stylize her looks at the start (a fair number of options but some things like hair styles have lots of options many quite similar), name her, and specify whether the romantic interest is male or female and you get to style the romantic interest.
The stories are fairly predictable yet engaging rom com sort of stuff. The four stories I read:
- No Time For Love - "Desperate for money, you're sucked into a fake relationship with a pop star with a ruined reputation."
- Bodyguard Boyfriend - "You want nothing to do with your detective father, but then your life is put in danger."
- Level Up - "You're a known gamer! Throw in a competition, an annoying partner, and underlying feelings, and you've got quite a mess."
- The Royal Bachelor - "A scandal with the prince gets you fired from the job, but what happens when you're the wild card contestant on the hottest new reality show, 'The Royal Bachelor'?"
The stories are mostly dialog and some interior monologues. Often you get three choices on what to say but mostly they don't seem to matter. Level Up had "video game" sequences that use the same engine so it's "monster is ready to attack, will you shoot, dodge, or panic". Cuter are the parts where you choose which of three outfits to wear and it seems like you're changing outfits every chapter.
Along with the story you have these cartoony characters representing you, your romantic interest, and other people. Sometimes they're moving about though animation is minimal and poses non-existent other than stand, sit, walk/run; also two characters can get closer and kiss (from behind so you have one head covering the other's face). Often the backgrounds don't quite fit the characters but I didn't mind.
Even though it's a rather primitive engine I can make my character a cute girl and the romantic interest another cute girl and the stories are charming enough to be interesting and romantic. Don't mind that occasionally the dialog didn't switch gender or that the writing is not great. I found the stories satisfying and it's always a happy romantic ending.
2025-10-23: Apparently no cloud save so you can't continue a story on another device.