Danika at The Lesbrary's Reviews > Single Player

In the first few chapters of Single Player, I was on the fence. There were some silly elements, especially when it came to Cat, that felt over the top for me at first. (For example, she thinks, “I feel like an angry potato whenever I’m around Andi.”) Also, she immediately picks a fight with her new boss, which is a stunningly bad decision, especially when that’s apparently out of character for her. I’m glad I stuck with it, though, because Cat—and the story as a whole—really grew on me.

As you’d expect, there are lots of video game references, some explained and some not. We also learn a lot about the plot of the game they’re making, including a few of the romantic subplots. Both Cat and Andi are obviously passionate about video games, and that isn’t just contained to work. Cat even begins to treat dating (someone else) as a video game just for the achievement of being with someone when her parents visit—she may be bad at real-life dating, but she knows how to pick from dialogue options. There’s even some Dungeons and Dragons included, though I wish we had seen more of it!

While I had some hang-ups at the beginning, I ended up really liking this. It can be a little silly or cheesy at times, but it’s fun. I like the dynamic between Cat and Andi as well as the video game references. I was not expecting to tear up at a line that ends with “git gud,” but here we are. I’m only a very casual gamer myself, so I can’t speak to that aspect, but I had a great time with this one.