Long Live The Queen
Long Live The Queen is a visual novel role-playing video game developed by Hanako Games and Spiky Caterpillar, published by Hanako Games. The story of the game follows a young princess who is training to become queen after the death of her mother. The objective of the game is to keep the princess alive for 40 weeks until she turns 15 and is crowned.[1] The game was released on June 2, 2012 for Windows, Mac OS and Linux. The game uses anime-style graphics and is written in English.[2]
Plot
The queen of Nova has recently died, and her daughter, the 14-year-old princess Elodie, must leave her schooling to ready herself to become the next queen. Her coronation is set for 40 weeks from the present—her 15th birthday. Many people in the kingdom are trying to take advantage of the recent monarch's death and attempt to kill Elodie.[1]
Gameplay
The player reads through the story and schedules the protagonist's weekly lessons, in topics as diverse as economy, foreign affairs, logistics, manufacturing and magic. Based on those activities, Elodie increases her proficiency in various statistics. Additionally, during the weekend Elodie has free run of the castle and can choose an activity that alters her mood. She has four emotional axes, and her position on each determines her proficiency at learning certain topics the next week; for instance, having a high score on the "Willful vs. Yielding" axis makes it easier for her to learn magic but hampers her ability to master "Royal Demeanour" skills.
As the weeks progress, Elodie is presented with various social and political opportunities. When they occur, the game performs checks against Elodie's current skills and chooses an outcome, sometimes without giving the player the option of interceding. For instance, a suitor sends Elodie a necklace as an attempt to woo her into marriage. The player may choose to have Elodie wear it and encourage the match, or reject it and discourage the suitor... if her "Court Manners" skill has been sufficiently trained. If it has not, she simply accepts the gift at face value, unaware of its implications, and opening up possible repercussions later when other characters see her wearing it. Other encounters are even more fraught with peril, and Elodie can be killed in a number of ways during her 40 weeks as Princess Royal.
Because of the branching decision trees, the game features multiple endings, varying according to whom Elodie marries, how she dealt with neighboring nations, her ability with magic, the fate of her father Joslyn, and--of course--whether she survived to her coronation at all.[1]
Development
The game was developed by Hanako Games, which also created Cute Knight, Cute Knight Kingdom, and Magical Diary, all of which are designed for girls but appeal to a wider audience.[1] Long Live The Queen has darker themes than the previous titles.[1]
Reception
Technology Tell gave a score of 90/100 to the game, writing: "It’s really an unusual adventure and I admire Hanako Games and Spiky Caterpillar for stepping a little outside their comfort zone to release a darker game that requires players to think smart and manage emotions to keep a character alive."[1] IndieGames was positively reviewed, writing: "Long story short, Long Live The Queen is a solid title."[3]
References
External links
- Official website
- Long Live The Queen in der Visual Novel Database (englisch)
- ↑ a b c d e f Jenni Lada: Review: Long Live the Queen for Windows, Mac, Linux. 14. Juni 2012, abgerufen am 22. Dezember 2012.
- ↑ Rule The World Or Die Trying - Long Live the Queen (sim game). 2012, abgerufen am 22. Dezember 2012.
- ↑ Cassandra Khaw: Review: Long Live The Queen (Hanako Games). 17. Juni 2012, abgerufen am 22. Dezember 2012.