Stranded in rural Montana, an outsider find work at a local ranch and experience the ups and downs of country living.
Tropes
- A Day in the Limelight:
- Chapter 12 focuses on Dallas's past catching up with him as a bounty hunter sent to arrest him for a crime he didn't commit arrives in the Oakley Ranch.
- Chapter 14 focuses on Juliette addressing her issues to her mother and brother after they learned that she helped the Oakleys retrieve their cattle during a blizzard.
- Actually Pretty Funny: Cliff finds it hilarious if Morgan breaks up the fight with Sawyer and Duke by turning the hose on them.
- All or Nothing: Chapter 7 involves Sawyer betting the $1000 that Morgan had won earlier in the cooking and cow contests on himself at the rodeo, with himself at 10:1 odds. He wins, and gets the $10,000 needed to pay off the debts.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: In Chapter 14 it’s revealed an underlying reason for Cliff and Anna-Marie perpetuating the feud was this. A premium option can help them resolve the tension.
- Big Bad:
- Book 1 has Garret Redmond, who uses underhanded tactics to get the Oakleys to sell their ranch to him, even attempting to bulldoze it when his initial plan fails and Cliff tears up the contract.
- Book 2 has Jasper Tate, who plans to become the new Mayor of Sweetridge and run it into the ground.
- Big Brother Bully: According to Juliette, her brother Percy often picked on her when they were children.
- Big Damn Heroes: Dallas makes his introduction in Chapter 1 by tackling Morgan out of the way of the mama cow and then taming it back into the barn.
- Birthday Episode: Book 2 Chapter 10 focuses on Morgan's birthday.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Chapter 14 gives players the option to encourage Juliette to call her mother out for allowing Percy to bully her.
- Cell Phones Are Useless: Morgan finds out the hard way that there's no service, and Sawyer doesn't carry one on him since it's such a rural area with no cell towers nearby. They rely on landlines.
- City Mouse: Brooklynne is this, preferring to be in New York City.
- *Click* Hello: Just as Morgan is about to get inside the house to use the phone in Chapter 1, Cliff greets him by aiming a shotgun at their face, thinking they're from the bank.
- Companion Cube: Morgan has one in the form of a cactus named Spike.
- Cooking Duel: One of the competitions you get into for the State Fair is a baking contest, and of course you end up having to compete against Anna-Marie Mendoza.
- Cool Horse: You have the premium option of taming in a black mustang.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Garret Redmond, the regional director of AgraCorp, intends to buy property from both The Oakleys and The Mendozas. However, he isn't above making threats, burning the Oakley barn down, and breaking the fence along the main pasture so the cows would run away after they refused to sell to him.
- Crazy Survivalist: Colt, the owner of the Rusty Gate bar, is one of these by having a doomsday bunker and stocking up on MREs.
- Cute Kitten: In Chapter 4 if you decide to shovel the barn with Sawyer, you find a litter of kittens. You get to name one, with the default being Ghost.
- December–December Romance: Anna-Marie Mendoza is revealed to have feelings for Cliff Oakley. A premium option in Chapter 14 allows Morgan to set them up together.
- Disappeared Dad: Mr. Mendoza died before the start of the story.
- Down on the Farm: Much of the story takes place on a Montana ranch.
- Election Day Episode: Book 2 rovolves around the Sweetridge mayoral election, among other things.
- Embarrassing Tattoo: Sawyer has one on the back of his neck with the name "Lindy" on it. It's his first rodeo pony, who taught her how to ride a horse. He got the tattoo after she died.
- In a game of I Never, Curly can reveal he has one of a cartoon cow on his hip.
- Every Scar Has a Story: Sawyer has a scar on the back of his right arm.
- Feuding Families: The Oakleys and Mendozas have had a rivalry stretching back over 150 years. Chapter 9 reveals the cause of the feud. In 1889, Cliff's great-great-grandfather had a prize steer, their best breeding stock, until the day it went missing. The Mendozas' stock got better after it went missing, then the Oakleys stole their best cow.
- Fish out of Water: Morgan is this to Montana as well as Brooklynne who hates it.
- Food Porn: Chapter 2 shows off “Hunter's Stew,” which is lovingly detailed.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Sawyer and Duke argue over which one the other is. Sawyer helps out on the ranch while Duke is out looking for investors, calling Sawyer the foolish one for focusing on rodeos.
- Juliette used to be the foolish to Percy’s responsible but has grown out of it, something Percy doesn’t seem to see.
- Friendly Rivalry: Sawyer and Juliette treat each other like friends compared to their families who are bitter enemies.
- Hello, [Insert Name Here]: While you can insert whatever name you want, the default name being is Morgan.
- In Chapter 4, if you shovel the barn with Sawyer, you find a litter of kittens. You get to name one, with the default being Ghost.
- I Choose to Stay:
- At the end of Chapter 4, even after the car is fixed, Morgan chooses to stay on the ranch and take Jo's place.
- At the last chapter, while on the way to take the job offer, Morgan chooses to return to the Oakley ranch after reminiscing the memories they made throughout their stay.
- I Never: A premium choice in Chapter 5 allows you to play this with Juliette and Curly.
- Insistent Terminology: In Chapter 3, if Morgan asks how long Dallas has been a cowboy, he clarifies he's a farmhand. He doesn't pack a six-shooter, fight outlaws or ride off into the sunset.
- Instant Expert: In Chapter 2, if you pass the milking sequence, Sawyer asks if this is your first time milking a cow. Morgan says they're just a quick learner.
- Insufferable Genius: Juliette's brother Percy has a tendency to rub his college education off other people by mentioning what he learned from Economics to others.
- Mascot: Going with Juliette in a premium choice in Chapter 9 shows that the Sweetridge High mascot is a rock named Pierre that students are allowed to graffiti so long as it's tasteful. Morgan has the choices of spraying on "Morgan was here," a kitty, or "Juliette + Morgan 4Ever."
- Missing Mom: Mrs. Oakley died before the start of the story.
- Multiple-Choice Past: Morgan has one in why they're moving to California. They were looking to either be a writer, teacher or programmer, but it fell apart at the last minute. If they're a programmer, the week before they were supposed to start, the shareholders had the company fire half the staff, including Morgan.
- If Morgan was supposed to be a teacher, they were laid off before the school year begin due to state budget cuts.
- Must Have Caffeine: Chapter 3 can have Morgan ask for a triple espresso at the cafe, or as Judy calls it, “jet fuel.”
- Named After Somebody Famous: Sawyer calls his horse Dolly.
- Not-So-Forgotten Birthday: Chapter 10 of Book 2 is Morgan’s, though it’s less they thought everyone forgot and more they thought everyone didn’t know and didn’t want to add more stress with Cliff dying, Juliette’s competition with Percy, and Asha’s campaign.
- Oh, Crap!: Morgan lets this out in Chapter 1 when their car breaks down.
- Optional Party Member: In Book 1 Chapter 15, a premium option allows the player to bring Sawyer along with Morgan, Brooklynne, and Miles to confront Garret Redmonde in Billings.
- Phoneaholic Teenager: Brooklynne is very much glued to her phone.
- Pirate Parrot: No pirates involved, but Leonardo's parrot, Gladys, does squawk out sentences.
- Portmanteau Couple Name: In-universe. If you take the premium choice to have Miles help Brooklynne in Chapter 7, the achievement for it is "MILESLYNNE".
- Rapid-Fire "No!": Morgan lets them out in Chapter 1 when their car breaks down.
- Scenery Porn: One of the choices Morgan has despite their car breaking down is they can admit they're in the most beautiful place in the world.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: After hiking the Lonely Pine Trail, Duke rejects Garret Redmond's deal to sell the ranch, only for Cliff to start selling it after his recovery from his heart attack. This was subverted, when Brooklynne and Miles exposed Garret's crimes towards the ranch before Cliff could sign his contract.
- Shipper on Deck: Morgan can set up Miles and Brooklynne in Book 1, and Curly and Bentley Johnson in Book 2.
- Shout-Out:
- In Book 1 Chapter 1, if Morgan says they planned to become a writer, Sawyer would suggest working for ClickIt.
- In Book 1 Chapter 3 during a premium choice to the Rusty Gate bar, Morgan can ask what Colt is preparing for. Besides disasters like hurricanes and terrorist attacks, one of those disasters is Endless Summer.
- In Book 1 Chapter 4 if you take the premium choice to explore the Mendoza Ranch, the game room has a The Crown & the Flame arcade side-scroller with Kenna and Dom as the player characters.
- In Book 1 Chapter 6, a premium choice has either Dallas winning you a prize or you winning him a prize. One of the options is a dopey looking cat.
- In a premium choice date with Juliette in Book 1 Chapter 9, one of the dialogue options is "Is now a bad time to mention I'm secretly a robot?" Juliette says "That does explain why you're basically my perfect match..."
- In Book 1 Chapter 15, the incorrect choice to say Garret Redmond's last name is Redfield.
- In Book 2 Chapter 6, the premium outfit is called "Old Town Road" with the description of "Ride till you can't no more."
- Sibling Rivalry: Sawyer and Duke don't see eye to eye with each other on how the farm should be run. Chapter 3 ends and 4 begins with the two of them punching each other until Morgan or Cliff break up the fight.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Juliette is friendly, helpful, and humble, and dislikes her family's feud with the Oakleys. Her brother Percy is boastful, selfish, and condescending, and looks down on anyone associated with the Oakleys.
- Sawyer and Duke to some extent. Sawyer stays on the ranch and is highly loyal to it while Duke travels to the city in search of investors and doesn't rule out selling the ranch until Chapter 12.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: Sawyer is on display on the cover of the book with his shirt open, showing off his body.
- Wham Episode: Chapter 9 has Morgan trying to get Cliff and Ann-Marie to make up over their family feud, but then it seems like he has a heart attack.
- Work Off the Debt: Cliff tells Morgan that there's one rule if they're going to stay on the ranch going back generations: You sleep here, you work here. Even his own granddaughter's not exempt from the rule.
- You Do Not Want To Know: In Chapter 5, this is the best way Duke describes what Sawyer made for the cooking competition at the county fair two years ago.
- You See, I'm Dying: Book 2 Chapter 8 reveals that Cliff is dying and intends to give the Oakley Ranch to Morgan upon his passing, as Duke and Sawyer each have their own goals and ambitions.
