Who Murdered My Empress?

[i]Who Murdered My Empress?[/i] is an isekai/transmigration into a villainess story. The villainess part was not obvious to me, at first, but it's there. In terms of romance, there's only one LI, not counting the non-canonical (?) extras. The adult content is very mild, to the point that it makes me question the necessity of the game being adults-only, but YMMV. No actual mystery-solving. Very linear, with some immediate game overs. Emphasis on food in places, so keep that in mind if it matters to you. The text could be edited to flow more naturally, but since English is not my native language, I'm not supposed to complain about this. Overall, worth reading if you're an otome fan. Also check out [i]My Vow to My Liege[/i] if you liked [i]Empress.[/i]

It took me awhile to get into the story but once I was, I played the game in one sitting. I thought it was fun and multiple times wished I was reading this on WattPad or AO3 so I could comment as the story went on. I wish there were more choices that actually affected the game, how it's played, and the ending but once I got over the want of being more in control of the story I was able to go along for the ride thoroughly entertained. I had to realize that I am not the one playing the game as Mai, but Mai is playing the game and I am more often than not just simply watching. I haven't played many visual novels so I'm not sure if that's the norm or not. There were moments I was giggling, punching the air, whisper screaming to not wake up the people in my house, jaw completely dropped with how the story either confirmed my guesses for certain things or completely diverted them. Over all, it was a good story that I'll probably return to again at some point and I'm excited to see what else comes from this developer.

I started playing this game not expecting much, but I was blown away by the plot of the story and the beautiful representation of 19th century feudal Vietnamese culture through the lovely art. Safe to say I was committed to finish the main story. Played it every week and I finally completed the main story. The game was easy to navigate, lots of save space so I could come back and unlock a different ending easily. Not to mention the writing of this game is really good! I really appreciate that Vi was able to give a lot of details without having to read long paragraphs of text every time. I also really liked the pacing of the game, it doesn't linger too long in a scene and it really gets to the point. I am looking forward to unlocking more scenes in this game :) All in all the game is brilliant, the art is stunning, and I 100% recommend those who love murder mystery and Vietnamese culture to check this game out, You will not be disappointed!

[h1] Not a dating sim! [/h1] Obligatory: this is my opinion and my opinion only. You may feel differently if you play it, and that is totally cool too! Please be mindful of spoilers (even though I am intentionally vague). [h2] The good! [/h2] I finished this game on release day in a little over five hours because I just couldn't put it away! Be aware that I am super speedy, and you can probably expect +10 hours of gameplay as a regular player. It is a beautifully made game with a very intriguing storyline, and for a first release, it is very well done. The creator did a wonderful job overall. I loved the storyline idea, and it was well executed. The was a couple of plot twists that had me gasping and clutching my pearls, and while I had an off feeling about certain characters from the start, I was still left surprised at the turns. Overall, the game does follow typical Isekai dynamics, but it still had some surprises! I loved hearing about the myths and legends, and seeing the beautiful backgrounds and dishes. [h2] The downsides [/h2] [spoiler] I feel like the intent of choices falls flat when your choices don't matter. The storyline is already chosen, and nothing you do really changes that. You don't get to take part in investigations, or choose a love interest - it is a visual novel, so it does make sense, but I think I had just expected a little more story wise. I did enjoy it and I do not regret supporting a creator who I feel have so much more to offer in their next releases, but it did leave me feeling slightly confused by the lack of storylines. I was also left super surprised by the last unlockable special scene. Nothing had really pointed at it, and it felt somewhat lacking compared to the other two. Don't get me wrong, the option would have been so lovely, but then I would have loved to be able to build tension and get hints towards it in the main storyline, so it would make a little more sense instead of being a complete surprise. I also felt like I was missing a grand scene about who the original Empress truly were collected from all the little links throughout the story. Mai is meant to be an investigator, but we were missing the big "AHA" scene, I feel. [h3] Things I would have loved to see [/h3] - Voice acting - Choices with alternative storylines built into the main game - Consequences to your choices that is not just death [/spoiler]

I agree with most of the gripes in the other reviews, but I wanted to give my two cents. As one of those really americanized Vietnamese-Americans, I've been seeking out more stories that represent my family's culture so I can feel closer to them. Did this story deliver? Well, for one- I enjoyed learning about the central myth of the story- I thought it was really interesting, and I've never heard about it before! The only Vietnamese stories I know of are the buddhist myths and the creation myth, so seeing something a lot different than I've read was really nice. Even though the story was linear- I did enjoy it a lot! I really thought I had a lot of the details nailed in, until the rug was pulled out from under me in the end and I found myself completely dumbfounded. The clues were there, but I didn't pick up on them until it was too late. I'm not going to lie, the "___, my empress?" questions at the end of each part got a little bit repetitive, and I feel like the original empress' actual nature contrasted with what Mai learned in her past wasn't explored nearly enough. I love the backstories of the male lead and Mai, and I think it incorporated elements of their trauma and motivations really well. I'm not very knowledgable on Vietnamese feudal history, but I've been on the creator's instagram and I do trust everything is pretty accurate. [hr][/hr] [h3]THE SMUT/Romance:[/h3] (Spoilers ahead) [spoiler]I'd like to preface this next part with the fact that I'm aromantic asexual. I have zero clue of how romance feels and I am typically grossed out by things like sex (though I manage to stomach through it if I see it has genuine character dynamic development). That being said, I think the romance between Mai and Vu was really nicely done. I thought they worked together nicely despite everything. As for the smut stuff... um. I couldn't handle it. I think the scene between Mai and Vu was definitely related to the story- but I couldn't sit through it for some reason. And the alternate ending scenes? The minute I got into them, I completely tapped out. These came across as mindless sex scenes, and they almost completely changed Mai's personality in a way that was very Not Good. Specifically Minh Quang's alternate end. It was like she coerced him into having sex with her- which considering how she acted throughout the game, is not only a completely shady thing to do but also WAY out of character for a respectable character like Mai. I didn't like it. At all. The other two were fine, but I still couldn't stomach them. I'm really disappointed at how Mai's character had to be jerked around just to make these scenarios work. I'd also like to add that for the first part of the game- I related to Mai. Hard. I don't understand romantic attraction and I don't think it's necessarily a sad thing not to have (though, Mai willingly closes herself off because she fears vulnerability- which is not good!). I also get really uncomfortable when people touch me, so I straight up cheered for Mai whenever she told people to stop touching her. Physical touch in the United States is so normalized that it just felt good seeing her affirm her boundaries. However, the idea that being born without love was somehow a "curse" did leave a bit of a bad taste in my mouth (as someone who is unable to fall in love- but still manages healthy and fulfilling friendships). This is purely a personal problem I have with the game though, and I acknowledge that her dismissal of love came from a place of pain and lack of trust- which were issues that shouldn't be left to fester.[/spoiler] Anyways uh, this was kind of a nonsensical review but I think I mainly wanted to talk about the spicy scenes in the game (which tbh, could've been skipped and possibly improved the experience). They made me feel so disappointed that I just can't pick up the game anymore after I finished my first playthrough. I may have enjoyed this story, but I hope to find stories that showcase Vietnamese culture without falling so hard like this one.

it's a very good game, i always LOVE whenever it's VN's something different than the usual modern themes. the only negative i have to say about the game is that it's too short! i wish to have more!! more after the true ending, but we cant have everything we want in life right? also should be noted; it's very mild. it's "Adult-only" and written that the game has explicit sexual content, it does not. it's a 2/10 in spice, so if you are expecting detailed CG's and written content, you will not find it here. the game is good without it, but gotta say i was a little bit confused when i expected more.

Seeing a visual novel taking place in Vietnam history format has got the be something new and nothing I've personally seen. As a vietnamese american and seeing a viet creator work on their first visual novel (and future projects) brings me a lot of joy. Back to the game itself. LIkes: - the love poems -the food collection -the characters and their different types of personalities. -the artwork and music. - the story Something I pay attention to a lot in visual novels are learning about character and how each of them play a role into the game. Something that was done really well was a particular character who really has shown some sort of disgust against women who rule. I feel like that was a nice strong point and relevant considering the time period the game takes place. It made me really dislike him, and as much as he changes his views when our main protagonist proves him wrong I could never really like him as much as others (to each their own likes). As for the other ones which i won't spoil so much for others, one of them I really loved their backstory when finding out what had happened and how did they become the way they are in the present, makes me relate to them in some ways and give them sympathy. The other one seemed like a dork to me, he has everything from his family, but opening up a restaurant to showcase vietnamese food was adorable. Now as for our main character Mai, her story is sad and it can be somewhat relatable in certain ways and I understand why Mai is the way she is at the very beginning until the very end of the story. The poems for each chapter that starts was something I haven't really seen in other visual novels but each of them had new ones and I just found that bit adorable and it made me want to continue if the story ends on a cliffhanger especially. The art and the music both blew me away, I've not seen the art style from others especially the CINEMATICS when they were being played accompanied by the music it was eternal and beautiful. The premise of the storyline was enjoyable and easy to understand, had me second guessing who the real culprit is, and I didn't expect a particular character ending the empress's life at the end. The twists of twists as one would say, I got my deductions wrong several times when I kept guessing. I was awed by the history part of having both past and present consequences within like a myth/legend/rumor and how it played into the outcomes. Something I'd like to see more of: - bad choices leading to a bad ending path. (this is more of a suggestion but instead of maybe like a time pass of perhaps choosing the wrong option, the game doesn't tell you and you advance to a truly bad ending story plot wise. ) - Mai's friend being a little more involved. (I know mai's bestie kind of comes and goes throughout the investigation but I wanted to see how her being present more would change Mai. As much as I love Mai and her character does develop by the end of the story I wanted to see if anything how much Mai appreciates her if she played a big role in the story too). Overall I do recommend this visual novel if you're a big fan of historical backgrounds, mystery, romance, and a very good story you can engross yourself into. The characters are great to each their own and the music with the art as well. This isn't my first visual novel I've played but I loved it a lot for this being the creator's first visual novel game and project. I look forward to seeing their future projects come into life and I'll be a big supporter of their games as well (˃ᆺ˂).

I stayed up . . . all . . . night. Finishing Who Murdered My Empress. It's just . . . It's not. There was a lot. The audacity. The unmitigated gall. Oh MY God. I'm actually tired - not because I've been up for 20 1/2 hours, it's because the emotions of absolute shock and betrayal have exhausted me. I cannot describe to you the whirlpool of emotions I've just gone through for the last hour nor what caused them. Oh my God that was a lot. I wanted to break my TV, yet all I could do was gesticulate in my chair - utterly speechless. How dare - how dare the developer, how dare this game, how dare who wrote this, how dare this fictional man, how dare the Empress, how dare GOD ??? That's it. That's the summary of my current emotions as eloquently as I can put them. I sent this exact monologue to me best friend right after I turned off my PC. It is now my steam review.

I love this game! My only only complaint is that while it bills itself as an otome, it's really a linear isekai story with one LI and some bonus content. The second ML syndrome is BAD.

This VN was SUCH a treat. The writing is really solid, and it felt a lot like I'd picked up a good book that I did not want to put down anymore. I did kind of assume I'd get to pick a romance, but the fact that the game railroaded me I was honestly fine with. It meant that there was effort spent to build up the relationship, which came through in the writing and in plenty of scenes. Besides, once you uncovered everything, you get bonus scenes including people you did not get to pick throughout the main story - those lack the slow build that I'm personally really fond of (give me slow burn romance all day every day), but I was still curious about and entertained by the extra scenes. As for the sex scenes: no full nudity, and pretty surface-description of sexual acts; which in my book is good, I really care more about the mystery and the romance than I do about the sex! The winner here was definitely the main story - the romance is beautiful, the mystery is gripping, and I had trouble closing the game before I had reached the ending! Plus, the VIBES. The soundtrack, the art, and the writing combine into a beautiful experience that teaches you patiently on what was going on 200 years ago in Vietnam with regards to superstition, religion, gender roles... there's so much to see, read, learn! I'm absolutely in love with this VN.