SUMMARY: A kind of playable fantasy novel that mixes RPG, datesim, social sim, and kingdom manager - and with a twisty time-travel mechanic. Become Soverign of a land thanks to a mysterious tower, rally knights, solve quests, and maybe get in very, very far over your head. Time may be at your command as well, but choices aren't as clear as you may think . . .
So in a simple summary, this is a gorgeous-looking mix of several genres - datesim, social sim, kingdom builder, and RPG, all wrapped in a visual novel style. But the excellent writing and branching plots, plus an interesting time travel mechanic make it something special. So what's it about?
You've just become Sovereign of the land. Not long ago you were an leper, an outcast taking refuge in a church, on the run from soldiers of the deadly Empire. But now you've been chosen by the mysterious Tower to be the first Sovereign in 100 years. The future of the kingdom is in your hands, and perhaps great power that may make you not just ruler, but free of your diseases and perhaps more . . .
The game follows a simple cycle where you can make choices:
AUDIENCES: Each day you can take audiences with people getting quests, requests, making decisions, recruiting allies, and more. Your choices here will lead to multiple other plotlines.
THE TOWER: With audiences done you can travel about your Tower, and you may perhaps:
* Forge equipment, repair armor, and acquire new resources.
* Strategize. Gossip. Investigate.
* Build out your tower with the mysterious Lady.
* Chat with your Knights and staff.
* And much more. As you expand your tower, there's more to do.
QUESTS: Send your knights on quests. The right person with the right skills and inclination, and perhaps the right equipment, can change the course of adventure or unlock new options. Bad choices lead to failure and maybe even dead knights. Successful knights raise reputations and bring in equipment, resources, and perhaps surprises.
The game leads to a simple cycle of making choices of how to interact with the world, learning and purchasing and equipping, and then chosing how Knights handle issues. But the game's many potential storylines and different interactions can lead to surprises.
But if something goes wrong or not the way you want? Well there's a mysterious lock in the basement that holds a demon with a voice that might seem familiar. It can revert time, and it claims there's no price for it. It may be true in that regard, but no price doesn't mean it's not without an agenda. Maybe it's not on your side - but maybe you're not on its either . . .
The result is an extremely compelling game filled with twists and turns, memorable characters, and complex options all accesseed through simple menus. It's easy to start playing, but the complexities - and the ability to rewind time - make it more compelling.
The writing and art is top-notch. The game has its own look and feel, the setting feels "lived in," the characters are memorable, and you find yourself wanting to know more.
So will you like it? Well the best option is to play the Demo! But if for some reason you don't want to, here's who I'd reccomend the game to:
* If you like plot-heavy visual novel type games but also like RPG mechanics.
* If you don't mind - or actually enjoy - the ability to repeat and tweak game elements.
* If you like fusion game systems.
* If you really like story-heavy games with unusual mechanics.
For me, I like games of interacting characters and RPG mechanics, plus the complex and interacting plot threads. It's compelling and interesting, and I want find out what happens next!
