Long Live The Queen
Genre: Visual Novel / Political Simulation | Developer: Hanako Games | Release Date: 11/08/2013 | Steam Rating: 95% positive | Price: €8.99 | Link to Steam page: Long Live The Queen on Steam
You all know them from the Steam shop. The cute anime girls with big round eyes, making you wonder who could possibly play such games.
Well, I, for instance. And I can only recommend “Long Live The Queen” to you.
The game is about – who would have thought by the name – the much too young protagonist being crowned as the ruler of her realm and having to make many far-reaching decisions.
To make this work, you must decide week by week what Princess Elodie should do to increase her various character attributes. You can:
- train her in magic
- deepen her knowledge of other noble houses
- prepare her physically and mentally for battles
- improve her skills in word duels
Overall, there are 42 different character attributes that all influence the game and the course of events. Additionally, there are 4 mood states that describe Elodie’s current mental state. Not only does this determine what options you have and how you approach different conflicts, but also whether your protagonist will meet her demise due to stress (or a political intrigue including poisoning).
One example: Early in the story, Elodie sees a large shooting star one evening. If she has already gathered solid values in “Knowledge and Prophecy” by then, Elodie knows that the shooting star is a bad omen that signifies an impending war. Based on that, you can invest the kingdom’s finances in rearmament and recruit more soldiers as well as set up food supplies for a siege.
If you do not have that knowledge, Elodie sees the shooting star, comments with a “A shooting star! How beautiful!” and her mood increases by 2 points. Nice too, but it could kill you if the neighboring country then invades you with murder.
Because the core of the game is: Elodie dies. And often. Until you have once fought your way through the story alive, Elodie will perish many times because she is not up to certain dangers. In the process, you will also completely throw away your initial morality and do all sorts of despicable things to protect her life.
This also gives Long Live The Queen a high replay value, as most problems can be solved in different ways.
Or to put it another way: Behind those cute round eyes lies a surprising amount of depth and a really entertaining story. To ensure the queen lives long, you must be efficient – and sometimes downright cruel.
