Arcadie: Second-Born

[h1]TOO LINEAR[/h1] Arcadie: Second-Born is an interactive text-based novel set in a low-fantasy world. It tells the story of a prince/princess fighting for a better future for the Kingdom of Arcadie. I’ve always had a small problem with this type of game - the writing needs to be excellent, or at least engaging in some way, because that’s really all it has to offer. There aren’t many writers who can truly make that work. Adding even basic visuals and audio would help make these games more accessible and appealing to a wider audience (like Roadwarden). When it comes to Arcadie: Second-Born, I have [b]very mixed feelings[/b]. The writing’s fine, but the pacing drags, and while the romance can be fun, the whole thing feels more like reading a book than actually playing a choice-based game. It’s just too linear to stay engaging. Unfortunately, [b]I can’t recommend Arcadie: Second-Born. It’s not a bad game, but it falls short in too many areas to truly stand out.[/b] For a deeper look at the story’s problems and inconsistencies, check out grubby justin’s review. [b]Story[/b] I want to avoid any spoilers, so I’ll keep this short. The game starts with a VERY obvious "plot twist", and from there it’s basically on rails - your choices don’t really affect the important events. On top of that, most of the story is about preparation, while the actual action is fairly brief. That can work in some games, but it requires a good balance, which this one doesn’t quite achieve. The pacing is also problematic. It’s fine at the beginning, but as the story progresses, there are increasingly large time skips, or entire chunks of the story just vanish. It feels like the authors rushed to the ending, cutting out too much along the way. This had a negative impact on the finale, which ended up feeling anticlimactic and sudden. There are also moments that don’t make much sense, like the council of nobles that could apparently vote you out as monarch... because why not. The romance was probably the highlight of this game. The characters themselves aren’t particularly unique - they’re actually pretty cliché - but the flirting and love scenes were genuinely enjoyable. Will’s romance was my favorite. At first, they weren’t interested in starting a relationship, but seeing those walls gradually come down was really satisfying. Cyril’s route, on the other hand, didn’t stand out as much in comparison. [b]Audio & Visuals[/b] Just text and no audio. [b]Technicalities[/b] No issues.

I remember feeling gutted to the core when I first read the demo and vowed myself to read the full story—gladly the time has come. I enjoyed the story thoroughly. At first, I feel like a lot of the options are too 'leading towards certain character archetype'. But it was not that linear after all, at least from my own discovery. I certainly will replay this over and over again, trying different routes. This was a great journey. I love it so so much. The prose, the way the story flowed, it was nice. Not too hurried, not too long. Even though I have a lot of questions still... I sure hope it's something we will discover on the second part? Perhaps anything regarding the injected blood... :)

Absolute Masterpiece. The setting is top-notch and the choices actually feel like they carry weight. But be warned: the storyline is devastating at times. I was on the edge of my seat quite a lot. However, what truly kept me going through it all was the romance. The. Romance. Specifically: Cyril. (Cyril, my love, you have my heart!). I hope the sequel Cold Lands will be released soon.

Entertaining! This is a relatively short Twine game. I only played through it once, at time of writing, so I am unsure about how diverse the games options and potential different endings are. The game feels quite linear, at least on the track that I went. It also doesn't REALLY have a lot of variety. You can tell that the authors were very aware of the story they wanted to tell, and were quite direct in attempting to tell it. At the same time, however, I was able to play my character in a way that suited my preferred choices. I wish there was more feedback on my choices. For instance, I went for a bratty and playful character, and beyond a line or two of dialogue in reply to rowdy statements, nobody really reacted long-term to my choices to be saucy and immature. The same goes for all other decisions made throughout the game. I made an awful lot of decisions, but because I didn't really see any feedback on my choices or what they did, I don't know if they were actually meaningful, or meaningfully changed anything, or were otherwise just "illusion of choice." If it was all just for roleplaying purposes, that's fine, I enjoyed it. But it's weird to have percentage gauges for roleplay choices; why pretend personal choices have mechanical effects? That's the bad news: this Twine game is not particularly good at being a "game." How is it as a story? Fortunately, it's pretty fun! I like the fantasy theming, and the writing is good and competent. I wish the magic system was more well developed. And I almost yearn for the story to be a little longer. But what I got was nice enough. I enjoy the framing of being the "second born" in a royal line, as it leads you to make decisions that seem self-serving and selfish, but become slightly consequential later. Also, the narrative is great at throwing twists. Every time there was a twist, I was pleasantly surprised by the direction it was taking the story. If there were any complaint, it's that some of the romance options are very heavy handed; however, that complaint is so mild, it's hardly worth mentioning. It's also nice that, regarding romance, lewd scenes are always gated behind a "fade-to-black" command, so if you want a PG-friendly experience, you don't have to witness the characters getting frisky. All in all, this was well made and competent. It's an interesting and entertaining choose-your-own-adventure, and definitely worth the admission, despite its brevity.

超能力+皇室vs叛军+次子情节，剧本质量一直成平稳状态。本来想扮演阴暗柠檬精，但皇姐性格不错不知不觉间玩成了傻白甜富二代（但傻不过几章家就被反叛者端了，sad）俩性别可选的main li一个是纯发糖，稳稳得很安心；一个走slow burn拉扯，不是说不喜欢拉扯，但也太slow了口巴，别人都拉灯四五次了您还搁这眼神纠缠。叛军头子 li做事太绝了实在爱不起来（我也支持打倒君主制改民主但有话好好说别动我姐！），喜欢redflag病态关系的玩家可能会喜欢这一口。还有一个只有床伴关系的li似乎会在下一本书里展开后续，但如果已经走了俩主li的线，这个床伴li就会自动拒绝主角，建议走secret li的线时顺便看他的内容了。 超能力这边其实挺平平无奇的，因为之前玩过DAI，玩的时候全都在脑补审判者的绿色光线了。 比较不错一点是可以随时存档。 第二部在今年要出了，趁打折时把这部买了的话正好可以看续作，不必苦苦期盼

While I recommend this game, it would be best to go into this prepared. I finished my first playthrough in 2.5 hours, and I find myself unattached to any of the romanceables. Perhaps it's because I like slowburn, but I feel- while the characters were very kind- that I did not find my interest piqued by them; or at least not within the appropriate time to start the romance with them. It seems you need to make your interest apparent from the get-go. I was hoping to get to know the LIs and not dive into it so quickly, but because of that I ended with no love at all. I see comments praising the romance, so I'll need to replay for sure, but for the base game itself the story is very linear and the characters do not stand out at all. If you're itching for romance, be sure to charge in headfirst lest your character ends up alone! If you're a fan of *slow* slowburn, this probably won't be the game for you. There's not enough time in the war to build up that romantic tension naturally. If you don't want to pursue romance at all, then please enjoy the linear story, though you may find the characters lacking. I had hoped that my choices would sway the politics a little more, but that did not seem to be the case in my playthrough. I was also expecting more emotional oomph, and while our character has the option to grieve and cry, not much comes of it. Overall, not a bad game. I got almost 3 hours out of it for my first playthrough, but some points fall a little flat. The lack of bonding allowed (before romancing) and even just platonically makes the characters seem a little plain(?) and the emotional twists aren't very heavy hitting. I wish we got more moments with everyone. The side characters have no sway at all, really. Or at least, not that I noticed. Some names came and went without ever being brought up again. Of course, writing is difficult and I commend the author for their steady tone and flow. It's not bad for the price, just be sure you know what you're getting into. If you like romance, be gung-ho about it!

It’s not every day that I’m so hooked on a game that I have to finish it in a single day, but that’s definitely what happened with Arcadie. Cannot wait for more!!

I did not have high hopes when starting this game as i thought it would be just another one of those quick and easy slapped together text story games with littel to no effert put into it but i am GLAD to be provin wrong. The game truly has a interesting story and world that just makes you feel that you are truly apart of it. As of me writing this review the second entry of this game will release within twee weeks and i am starting another playthrough just to hupe myself up and to ready myself to continue the wonderfull and great story of arcadie.

Good story overall. Characters are interesting, and relationships with ROs and family are well fleshed out. Definitely looking forward to Book 2.

Good points: - Easy to read - Lots of choice even if it doesn't impact the ending much - Steamy romance well developed with two different characters. - Interesting plot hook about being born in a family of tyrants that have powers and the consequences of that. Cons: - The story feels a bit incomplete, I mean yes, there's a second game but the ending of this book was underwhelming I hoped the conflict would be more impactful and longer, use more strategy, magic or force. - Idk if it's because of the lore but Cy feels like a blank page sometimes, he is just nice, there's nothing there but being rich and nice. Idk what the hell he wants, why is he working there if his family is so filthy rich? - I feel like the protagonist skills are a bit underused besides the beginning. Overall I would recommend only if you feel like buying and reading a second book as well, it does not feel like a standalone, I would also encorage you to read it more as a romantasy book, it will not delve much on the trauma, ptsd or topics that usually goes along war.