Chess of Blades

i loved this style of game and wish they had more like this one. i love the style and story. and would 100% buy more if they where still making them like this. unfortunately the newer games don't hold much appeal for me as they feel either rushed or open ended lack that happy rush of completion. i hope for a return of this style. ( plus i love the point that the character is a gay male making the story more immersive.)

The art, music, voice acting, and game interface are all top-notch, but the writing is unfortunately very bland and predictable. None of the characters evolve beyond their assigned role of stuck-up shrew, wide-eyed innocent, affable rogue, or condescending authority figure.

LOVVVVEEEEEEE THIS GAME, especially the knight guy, he is just so freaking cute and their story is touching and romantic. Then I also love the beard guy, the kind of cassanova guy but really sweet with this lover. The art is very special and the more you look at it the better it look. I thought the MC's voice doesn't really suit his noble title at first but then I realize it's the best to describe his witty character. The plot is not the most unique and outstanding but it balances well between the elements, with enough logic and climaxes. The writing is what I absolutely have to talk about, it really does boost those special moments and makes players feel it UvU Love this game

Bro this game is so damn good! I got all the endings and I loved each and every character! The story is amazing and I love how much it changes depending on which one of the characters you go after!

Questo gioco è fantastico!!! Ho amato le varie storie e i personaggi. I disegni sono veramente incredibili e l'ironia del protagonista è come la ciliegina sulla torta. Il doppiaggio è qualcosa di stupendo, le voci dei personaggi trasmettono diverse emozioni, davvero un lavoro ben fatto! Consiglio questo gioco a chi ha bisogno di dolcezza nella sua vita: questo gioco è pieno di momenti che faranno sciogliere il vostro cuore come zucchero. Per i più maturi, sono sicur* che vi divertirete anche a seguire le scene a luci rosse nella versione +18 del gioco!! Spero di trovare un gioco che possa accontentarmi come questo ha fatto!!

I recommend playing this game if you like visual novels with beautiful art, lovely classical music, in depth characterisation, well written romances and complex storylines, as the routes are very well written and the animation is beautiful. Trigger warnings for: violence and deaths of characters in text, assassinations, stabbings, a child being kidnapped, one of the love interests being pulling the main character into his lap and kissing him without warning, another love interest making a one off comment that insults sex workers which made me uncomfortable. SPOILERS BELOW Things to be aware about: the game is pro monarchy, and the larger scale issues of monarchy mistreating poor people (which is brought up sensitively in the secret fourth love interest's route but is not quite fully resolved) is mentioned. There is not complete justice as the other working class gladiators aren't set free and gladiatorial combat isn't outlawed in the kingdom. The bad: - there isn't much that's bad, but some people find Rivian's voice actor to sound very peevish or annoyed. I thought his voice actor sounded fine, but if you don't like the voice acting, you can turn down the volume. - As I mentioned, one love interest being grabby/pushy, and another love interest making a sex worker phobic comment. I understand this doesn't reflect the view of the game devs, but it is something to be aware of. The good: Working class characters are treated kindly and generally portrayed in a positive manner. My favourites are: the butler Silas, who is kind and has a great sense of humour. Unfortunately he isn't romanceable. I also loved Emily the maid, who was sweet and unassuming, and her adopted daughter Hazel is adorable and the best! - Women characters are complex and realistic - top notch voice acting - gorgeous art animation - there's the option to listen to the non speech dialogue being spoken. Press v key on your computer for this. This is great for disabled people - well written and well thought out plot - love interests are intriguing, and evolve as characters over time - the love interest routes are all exciting and intriguing in their own way. I recommend playing through all of them to get the full picture about each of the characters.

Chess of Blades is a pretty mixed bag. I would call it a 6/10 over all, I think. Cons: - The voice acting struck me as both amateurish and unnecessary. I turned it off pretty soon after starting the game because it was getting on my nerves. - The art seems rather flat and unpolished, which is a complaint I've had with several other VNs by Argent Games. Unlike those VNs, this art also has a garish color palette. I couldn't play it for long stretches due to eye strain. - The story drags in several routes, namely Franz's and especially Linnaeus's. Pros: - The writing quality is quite good, for the most part. I don't recall noticing any grammatical errors or misspellings, which is pretty rare for VNs. - Rivian is a thoroughly likable main character, and also a relatively complex one. He is at one and the same time a pampered nobleman, and someone who is slightly removed and highly critical of the social sphere into which he was born. The subtle tug-of-war between his own privilege (which he rarely pauses to examine in depth) and his disdain for others who bear the same privilege feels contradictory but also believable, because real people are full of such contradictions. - Arden's route and the secret route are both well-executed. They are more exciting than the other two routes and they have more satisfying conclusions, so they are best saved for last. Given the scarcity of non-rapey BL visual novels, I would recommend this one despite the cons. It's one of the better BL games I've played, but unfortunately that's not saying a whole lot.

I have a strong nostalgia factor for this BL (boys love) visual novel since I had watched a playthrough of it back in high school but I'm glad I got the game and played it for myself! Is it the best visual novel for BL out there? No, I definitely would not say so but I got it while on sale (which is what I suggest you do as well) and enjoyed my time playing it! The routes are substantial and aren't carbon copies of each other, you know just doing the same storyline with a different guy which I truly appreciate. Each storyline played out so differently and created such a fun mystery to solve each time on top of the romance happening! I'm very much a person who enjoys completing all of the routes after completing my favorite route first and the different storylines made it so much fun! Linnaeus's route is by far my favorite but I'm very much biased in that opinion. There is also a hidden route with a character in Arden's route that was very fun to find and play through as well! It made the game feel a bit more complete in a way. The only wish I had for the storylines was for a bit more at the end of each route other than the quick wrap up scene given in the future but that's just my personal preference ! Lastly, to touch upon the voice acting, truly it's hit or miss as another reviewer said. I couldn't take some of the scenes as serious because of the voice acting BUT it makes the story so much more immersive and engaging so I'd rather have every line voice acted than none at all. Also please take note for the hidden character make sure to turn your headphones down and that your volume isn't up very high. He caught me off guard quite a bit and blasted my eardrums a few times before I just decided to keep my headphones at a lower volume during his scenes. I suggest you do as well if you play the game. Overall though, if you're looking for a fun mystery filled royal/medieval ages vibe BL visual novel with twists and turns then I do recommend Chess of Blades !

Chess of Blades is such a treat. But a few warnings: You might hate all the characters at first. I did. Until the story branches they are all a bit insuferable, MC included. But when you are on a route, they get quite charming. All routes are actually good, I was surprise by it. When the story branches you get different stories mostly, which is nice. Some MLs are a bit late to appear. I highly recommend doing them all, I assure you the first part doesn't make justice to the MLs. The fact that is totally voiced is so good, even if most of them at first sound a little too... victorian gay. Sometimes they seem to relax and don't sound so haunty. And you get some surprises along the way. If you are doubtful about doing all of them, you really should.

I think the art is pretty and I like that the mc has a personality, But it was super short..it feels rushed...there was little to no mystery actually going on...it was all obvious and mega predictable too. There is few choice and dialogue options and most of the choices are the same as the other options, and the only real choice I felt is following a char or not following a char or choosing cake over a healthy meal (lol) It's not BAD it's just kind of boring. I gave it some time and tried another route but idk, it feels a bit bland. The story itself and overall plot wasn't bad, I think it's execution wasn't the best. The side characters that exist also barely feel neccessary and feel random too.