Jolly Good: Cakes and Ale

Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 521: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (10/10) Jolly Good: Cakes and Ale is, respectfully, one of the stupidest titles I've ever read in my life. Now, hold on a minute with the pitchforks. When I say "stupidest," I mean whimsical. Jolly (literally!). Infuriating. Dazzling. Shocking. Scandalous. Jaw-dropping. Lyrical. Hilarious. In short, incredible. I don't quite know how to begin this review or what else to say because I've binged this whole title and am writing this review at midnight, seven hours before my final, but I suppose I'll start with the plot. You play as a close relative of an earl as you join a (depending on who you ask) illustrious club called the Noble Gases. You are also trying to rehabilitate your reputation after a dreadful scandal. And, you, well, do stuff. Yes, you read that right. You, a foolhardy, well-meaning noble do stuff. I say this because Jolly Good: Cakes and Ale is less of a typical game with a beginning, middle, and end, and reads more as a collection of vignettes about a noble’s life. Here are some events that happened in my playthrough so you understand what I’m talking about: I romanced my servant (very frowned upon!), I fell through a glass window, I developed an irrational fear of chimneys, I ate a leather handball (yeah), I got into a brawl, I broke into a printing press, and I partook in a boxing/dining competition. Why the slash between boxing/dining? I meant what I wrote—the main character can take part in a round of boxing, which is then quickly followed by a dining competition (with an emphasis on manners). There are four rounds of this, and I just. I don't know what to say. I laughed out loud at least five times. I marvelled at the writing, the branching (good LORD the branching), and choices. My review is just "play this." Pros: ✅ One of the first pros that really struck me was how strong the romance options are. I went in fully convinced I knew who my character would end up with . . . only to find myself unexpectedly falling for someone else. That internal back-and-forth was mirrored so naturally in the story itself that I actually paused mid-playthrough just to appreciate how nice it felt to have that problem at all. And I'm also surprised because the ROs aren't ... conventionally attractive tropes? They're not "I can fix her" or "goth girl." In typical Kreg Segall, the ROs are strange. Wild, maniac, moody, a bit frustrating, secretive, and unusual. I can't say more, but I found myself visualizing how my character's life would be with each RO. It’s rare for a game to make indecision feel charming rather than frustrating, but this one pulls it off beautifully. ✅ You can "fail forward". Usually, I need one, perfect playthrough. I hate failing stat checks or mysteries. But in this baby, I failed. And failed again. If you approach interactive fiction as something to “solve,” this may initially feel frustrating. But rather than punishing the player, Jolly Good: Cakes and Ale treats failure as a narrative texture. These routes don’t feel like bad or dead ends. In fact, some of the funniest scenes are the ones where you fail miserably. It's experimentation! ✅ The writing. I cannot say enough good things about the writing. It's just as good as Tally Ho, if not better. The writing is stunning, witty, thoughtful, dreamy, incredible. Segall knows how to write, man, how to properly break the rules of grammar. There's also quite a bit of classical and Biblical allusions, which I enjoyed. This game walks an absurdly thin tightrope between farce and sincerity and somehow never falls off. Yes, it’s ridiculous. Yes, you can eat a leather handball and fear chimneys. But the game always knows why it’s being silly, I suppose. The humor is veryyyy specific, character-driven, social, situational, and rooted in understanding of class, reputation, and embarrassment. ✅ Your protagonist actually feels like a person. A lot of IF protagonists are vibes…

This is a great game! Funny, witty, wonderfully written, and with so many branches you could play through a dozen times and still not get every word. Can't wait for the next one!

Jolly Good is a wonderful and funny follow up to Tally Ho. Fitzie is such a great character, and the player character has really distinct and fun options. I'm very excited for the next game in the series!