So I tried... Long Live the Queen

Each edition of So I Tried… I will try a game that I have never tried before. Will I find something new to love? Will I find something new to despise? I'll take a full half hour, no matter how bad it gets or how badly I do, to see if this is the game for me. This time I went for the PC version of Long Live the Queen.

What I thought it was

Some kind of interactive manga but not a dirty one for a change. It’s a game that came up in an episode of the GrinCast when Emsey mentioned it as one of the games she had been playing that week. I knew it was about a Princess learning to be a Queen by taking classes in Queenliness. (is that a word? If it isn’t, it should be. - Editor's note: I checked, it is. ) I have little experience in interactive novel type games so I went in expecting something like the old Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone Fighting Fantasy books or the Choose Your Own Adventure series.

What it actually is

Erm, well it is sort of interactive story but it’s not quite as “book” like as I thought it would be. It’s almost like a management simulator. There’s so many stats and things that this girl can learn. There’s various conversational management skills like flattery and presence. There’s a tonne of economic and socio-political history to learn, various classes of magic and spirituality;  absolutely tonnes of stuff. Sadly, I couldn’t work out what I should prioritise learning and things kept happening that I didn’t have the skills for. My cousin died of a snake bite; I didn’t invest in what probably would have been the world’s first printing press because I didn’t understand it; and I missed a Wizard attacking my kingdom because I didn’t know enough lore. In the end, after half an hour of gameplay, my Princess died by trying to attend an event across the world and getting attacked on the way. It was quite sad really.

Will I keep playing?

Yes, if only to try and work out how to play it without horrible things happening to me and my family. I played it late at night before bed and this worked out quite well. It might even be a good replacement for a bedtime story while I’m between books with the sedate pace meaning that it’s a nice relaxing play. It’s not an overly expensive game and I’d recommend it to anyone wanting a slower game experience for a change.