Thank you for your kind word!!! Also, there is no shame at being consistent, I also always loved medieval love stories (if plot is involved even better) even during my teenage-edgy-emo-phase and I am PROUD OF IT!
just completed the demo on steam and i really enjoyed it. the game made it on my wishlist.
i still have some questions
1.) how difficult is/will be normal mode? can i only lose if i make stupid decisions?
2.) will the full game has a difficulty slider for normal mode? maybe with higher strating ressources or "better income"? personally im right in the middle of "storymode" and "normal mode": i enjoy mild ressource management, but also want to enjoy the story.
3.) the demo didnt had the diplomacy option available. i guess it will be in the full game. can you explain, what i will be able to do with this option in th full game?
4.) when you decide with whom you want to spend time with (e.g. at the coronation) will this have consequences beside romance?
=> if i only choose asha in these events will i end up with a bad pöatonice relationship with theodore/does it have negative consequences one the other romance-options?
1) I think the normal mode is quite balanced. When the full game is out, we will adjust the numbers so it's not too punishing, but require a bit of thinking. Basically, besides obvious wrong choices story-wise, the ressources is here to make the player think twice about their decision. Like, I would say the main challenge is you can't please everyone in normal mode, because for example, if you say yes to everyone asking you to give money, you won't have money anymore. It's more this kind of strategic thinking about priority I want to induce in normal mode, not like hardcore management.
2) For now, it's not planned, but I might add it as small goals for the release. As I said, I think the normal mode won't be really difficult, so if I do that, it would more be to have an harder mode for player who really like challenge.
3) Yes indeed it will be in the full game. Basically, you will be able to check your diplomacy level with all the neighbor countries, and to perform special actions like sending gifts, trying to spy someone, sending assassin's to kill an annoying person etc.
4) The people you spend time with, is just a way for you to discover the characters! You will have a clear choice for your romannce later (so even if you spend all your free time with Asha, you can still enter Theodore romance for example. Or you can spend a bit of time with each character to decide who you will romance etc.) Each non-romanced character have a bad ending but they are actually really hard to get. That said, spending a bit of time of Asha if you don't romance her, is a very good way to make sure you don't get her bad ending, it doesn't matter for Alexander or Theodore.
I wish I had more time to develop the friendship of the non romanced character, but the story is already so long so I mostly focus on your romance past the point you choose it, but there is some moment where you can still see they like you even if you are not in romance with them.
to 3): how big is the influence of the diplomacy decisions on the main story? e.g: if i struck a tradedeal will my ressource gain change after a gameloop//if i assasinate person XY of Z-land, will his death play a role in the story itself?
to 4.) thats good to hear. i already decided to romance asha, so im happy that in that case i wont get the bad ending for her.
=>(A) when you said, that the bad endings are hard to get, do you mean they are hidden behind "stupid" decisions? i could think that if you act as a tyrant or send alexander into certain death ("our soldiers bravery is stronger than the enemies larger army..") you would get his bad ending. no idea about theodore
=> (B) if i remember correctly than you get a choice (with asha when you both sit in the garden and "sunbath") to either ro flirt back or not. is this a early "milestone" of enabling her (or the other romancable characters in their scenes) as a romance option?
=> (C) this is more of a direct question: if i play these kind of games i usually decide for a romance option even before the game (here asha) and change it only if the others really impresses me. with that: since i already made up my mind, what would make more sense in your opinion? focus only on ashas events to see all of her content OR do see atleast one of the other?
i still have 2 new questions, sorry for that ;)
- during character creation you can choose one of 4 paths. do they influence anything else besides the starting ressources? e.g. cheaper decision costs depedning on your chosen path
- this last question is more spoilery, so i completely understand, if you dont want/cant answer it: does every romance path have an equal ending? ==> can Calydia has 2 empresses in the end *wink wink*?
Hello, no problem, happy to answer your questions!
- There is rarely direct influence between what you do in diplomacy and the main story (no you did X so Y happens in the main story), but at some key moment if a country like you they will help, if they dislike you they will make it harder for you and some decision might have further consequence on the long term (like epilogue wise).
- They are hard to get in a sense you need to do several precise bad decision to get their bad ending. For Alexander it's "the end justifies the mean" mentality, for Theodore is to put your well being before your country prosperity, and for Asha it's to not respect her.
Stupid decision are more likely to give a direct game over, so you can just reload and try again.
- No this choice with Asha is just about setting your boundaries! She will respect it either way, and you can romance any love interest! Overall simple shape choices (as opposed to the big choice screen) are here to set your MC personality and are "not important" to the story = unlikely to have big consequences.
- If you already know which love interest you will romance, you can spend all your time with them to not miss any content from them, I think it will be more enjoyable.
- Yes, you have unique choices (most of the time more favorable) depending of your starting specialty, as well as two unique scenes to really showcase your skill.
- No Calidya can't have two empress, but you can have an exclusive relationship with Asha. She will also have a route in a mariage DLC we will do later. There is a lot of possible relationship variation, but it's often open secret flavor. Most obvious, being: everybody know you are a couple, because you don't hide how close you are and you never marry etc. but officially everyone will pretend they don't see you kiss and say you are very good friend.
I'm sad I didn't find out about this game sooner because OMG just the demo has me hooked!! The art and story is already just outstanding. I can already tell as soon as this releases it's gonna be one of my fav VN's, keep up the great work!!!
At least you won't have to wait long to play it! (Release planed in April/May 2024), thank you for your kind word and your support, I can't wait to share all our hard work to the world!!!
If you are looking for indie games with a possible male MC and a medieval court shenanigan , I can recommend Royal Alchemist and Celestial crown! Both are lovely game and you can pick a male MC (pronoun + physical appearance). Imperial Grace will never get one, so I understand it's not for everyone ^^
Thank you so much for leaving this message!!! Like I am genuinely super happy to read this nice comment and to know you take the trouble to create an account just to say something nice, it's heartwarming, so thank you, we do put a lot of love and dedication into the game, the development is going well, so hopefully you won't wait too long for the full story <3
I completely forgot I was playing a demo, so when the screen came up showing the end of the demo, I was practically devastated. Can't wait for the full game!
Omg no! Excuse me but I can not wait for this to be fully out! I forgot I was playing a demo!! It is that good! I love that you get to experience such an interesting story and decide on laws and all sorts of stuff! Really excited to see how this turns out!
Getting to customize the MC is nice because you actually get to see her a lot, which is also good! She's been thrust into the role she's always wanted but wasn't sure she would get, which is a neat place to pick up her life. She needs allies but the choices you have to make don't always make that easy. That being said, the politics aren't so bad that you feel you have no good options.
The resource management system isn't too difficult, and having to spend resources in order to choose certain options is engaging. The phases you can enter (such as when you read and decide on petitions) are welcome asides that expand on the view of the kingdom.
The art is lovely and the facial expressions are fun! (The MC biting her lower lip is probably my favorite.) The characters are all very much their own people and make you want to interact with them. The love interests are interesting enough that I'll have to try them all, but the Master of Murmurs is just too hawt.
I'm glad I backed the Kickstarter and anticipate spending a lot of time with the full VN when it's released!
Played the Demo and really hyped for the full Version! Asha is so fkdksdaj adorable <3 Can only recommend xD And the MC is sooo relatable for me, love her already. Only thing I'd ask for are more hair colours xD That's it. Great work, hope all goes well with development!
As for the hair colors, unfortunately we won't add more even in the full game. Our artist is very perfectionist so it's not just color swap, they redraw everything each time so the shadows, contrast with the clothes and skin etc. are always perfect. Since the MC will have several hairstyle, several clothes, several color skin, it makes way too much variation to account for, so we decided to let them as it is I hope you understand!
No, totally. As an artist myself, I 100% get it. And I appreciate the work you did, positively surprised different ethnicities actually have different facial features, no just different skin colours as is often the case. Tremendous job on the art overall, give my props to the artist, they did great! Wasn't a serious critique anyway, just humour. Just saying, I like the game so much that something so minor is the worst thing I found^^ And thanks for the detailed reply, much appreciated :)
Oh I see, sorry I tend to take everything first degree ahah, I am very happy you enjoyed our game and understand all little extra work we put in it, it's so rewarding when people notice the little things <3
Any chance there will be an update? And sorry to hear about the kickstarter ending that's terrible. I myself don't have money at moment but when I do (assuming full version isn't terribly expensive) will happily buy it :)
Yes, we are working on it as we speak! We are doing good progress on the game, the release date is expected around May 2024! Thank you for your support <3
Yay, I love all the twists and turns for the game. My oc's name in it is *grin* Daenerys :D I'm hoping again for another update because I just got past saving the agent and want to play more, I love the interaction between Daeny and Theo for example and those between her and Asha :)
Ahah, a name very on point once again! We might actually released an update demo in a couple of month when we have the new sprites! With a couple of more scenes!
Oooo :D I hope so lol Daeny was just starting to have fun with all of that intrigue! Lol of course she also kneed Theo on the training grounds when he got too presumptuous ;)
By the way, does the current version have the adult scenes? I'm uncertain whether grayed out means their on, or skipped. Also cannot seem to sign up for email updates :(
Yes, I choose to respect the team by paying them, and respect the player by not using micro-transaction design to frustrate them to pay way more than 20$ 😊
Currency fluctuation is very though, I understand! The demo will be updated when we got the full sprite version, but it will mostly be a visual update (not much more content) except maybe some extra scene with the MM.
I could'nt participate in the kickstarter but I would love to read the story from some Li's pov. Do you think you could make this a dlc or a payant option please? and for the guide too?
Hello, all the DLC (MM romance & mariage), the lore book and the guide will be available when the game release. The character booklet with the POV is the only thing that won't. It's a cool bonus but it doesn't impact the game experience, and I really wanted to thank our early supporters with something unique. It's not yet too late to grab it, we have some late pledge through backerkit where you can take individual rewards (so for example you can take just this one) for one more week for people who missed the KS for whatever reason.
Somehow I always end up wanting the men who aren't a actual romance option. Petition to potentially get a romance route for the Master of Murmurs! Other than me always wanting what I can't have, I can't wait for this game to be released. This game has so much potential, especially for someone who loves political intrigue and shows like Game of Thrones.
Hello, so you need to download the windows folder, then you need to unzip it with a software (I personally use Izarc it's free and it does the job, but there is a lot of different software.) You will then get a folder, open it and you will find the .exe to launch the game right away!
If you don't want to bother with those extra step, we are also on steam where you just need to click to download and the play button, steam will launch the game automatically^^
I hope it helps! If you have more question, don't hesitate!
Played this demo as part of the storyteller festival on steam. I have to admit, I was thinking that this game might not be for me. I was happily proved wrong. I really enjoyed the game with the combination of the visual novel and then the decision making elements reminded me a bit of "Ambition: A Minuet in Power" The art is really nice and I love the MC. I love that she is a strong woman trying to survive in a man's world. Looking forward to the full release. Following the KS so I can support :)
Hi, it's a bit more complicated to allow Android, I don't know if I will be able to do it for this game. If you want you can try our other game Autumn Spirit who does have an android version because it's a cute melancholic romance without management element! <3
XDDD It's actually one of the most picked option, but it's close with the influence one, some people try to hide the darkness in their heart at the begining of the game :p
The place I talk the most is discord if you want more day to day news I had a rough time IRL so I didn't post much on social media, but things are still in progress and alive!
First things first... I saw the 3 LI and okay, yeah let´s see. Starting the Demo I saw the Master of Murmurs and I freaked out, like "ohhhhh Helloooo Mr. Dark Hottie! I would totally invite YOU into my private Chambers!", but the Game was like "Nope! Not this one for you!". Shatter my little Heart u evil Game Creator! *wink*
Sooo, just finished the Demo and i never "kissed" my table so many times with my head... I played VN´s for many Years and I played like...a lot but only a few could hold my attention like that. Every Decision was so hard and i was struggling with myself on what to do. Go for Justice? Be Selfish? I had serious discussions with myself most of the times ( It was kind of embarrassing and ridiculous at the same time). But I LOVED how much the Options rly matters in the actual Situation the Empress was in.
The Atmosphere was totally in Sync with the Story and Timeline. The Characters are beautiful designed and very catching with their unice personalities. The Soundtrack was relaxed/in harmony with the Game and heightened the Atmospheric experience of the Story.
I´m rly excited to play the finished Game. It will be a loooong Year to wait.
Ahah, I totally get it, I speak to myself facing hard choices so I know exactly how it feels like XD! I am glad you enjoyed the demo, maybe the Master of Murmurs will be part of the romance someday ~
Je viens de réaliser que j'avais noté ce jeu sans laisser de commentaire, ce qui est plutôt rare alors je me lance. Ce jeu me laisse un peu perplexe (et vous saurez un peu plus loin dans mon commentaire pourquoi, je vais commencer par le positif d'abord !)
- J'aime beaucoup la liberté que le jeu nous accorde. Même si ce n'est qu'une démo, j'ai constaté que mes choix avait bel et bien un impact, que ce soit sur le moyen à long terme. - L'esthétique générale du jeu est belle, c'est très plaisant à regarder. - Je ne me rappelle plus des options proposées dans le menu de personnalisation de la MC mais il me semble qu'on pouvait faire une MC POC avec des cheveux texturés, ce qui est un bon point aussi.
En ce qui concerne le négatif maintenant : - L'intrigue est un peu basique. Ayant joué à des VN de survie/gestion similaires (Long Live The Queen, Royal Alchemist, The Queen's Choice...etc) c'est à peu près le même trope qui revient en boucle : un roi/une reine ou un(e) empereur/impératrice qui meurt, laissant derrière iel son/sa seul(e) héritier(e) donc j'attends de voir comment vous tournerez ce trope à votre avantage dans le futur avant de me prononcer. - J'étais ravi.e à l'idée d'avoir un CDC féminin... Jusqu'à ce que je découvre que la MC fasse tout le temps des réflexions dans sa tête sur la diction et l'accent d'Asha. Je ne vous cache pas qu'en tant que personne d'origine maghrébine, j'ai trouvé ces réflexions inappropriées. Ça banalise totalement la fétichisation des POC et c'est pourquoi ce jeu me laisse perplexe. Ça ne m'intéresse pas d'incarner un personnage qui a des biais d'exotisme, qui trouve que ramener une personne POC à sa diction c'est "sexy". J'espère que ce constat ne vous froissera pas, je sais qu'on peut facilement faire dans l’inapproprié en étant plein de bonne volonté. Ça reste tout de même mon point de vue et j'espère qu'il vous aidera à aller de l'avant. Si vous tenez à garder cette partie de l'histoire dans la version finale du jeu, je vous recommande d'ajouter "exotisme" dans la liste des trigger warnings pour que les personnes comme moi sachent à quoi s'attendre !
Bonjour Nootellix! Je suis contente que le jeu t'ai plu malgré tes réserves et je suis tout à fait ouverte à la discussion, après tout une maladresse est toujours possible et je suis toujours prête à me remettre en question sur le sujet, mais je pense que j'ai besoin de plus de détails pour prendre la décision de modifier le script à ce sujet.
- Personnellement, j'aime beaucoup les accents, qu'ils soient anglais, italien, russe, maghrébin ou autre. Je manque sûrement de bagage pour comprendre où est le mal ? En fait, j'ai souvent vu les accents moqués, donc j'ai toujours pensé que c'était plus la médisance le problème ?
- Asha n'est pas le seule POC du jeu, notre cast est vraiment divers Léon et le Maitre des Murmures par exemple n'ont pas d'accents particuliers bien qu'ils soient POC (IE: Les POC de manière général ne sont pas fétichiser à travers leurs accents dans le jeu.)
- La MC reconnaît beaucoup de qualités à Asha, même si elle aime son accent car elle vient d'un pays étranger et qu'elle n'a pas l'habitude de l'entendre, elle admire surtout son esprit acéré, sa curiosité qui la rend très savante, son talent pour les chiffres et pour les langues (car les remarques sur son accent sont surtout là pour souligner le fait que Asha parle très bien la langue Calydienne bien que ça ne soit pas sa langue maternelle.) Globalement, je ne pense vraiment pas que le personnage d'Asha soit réduit à son accent ou à son physique.
- Les remarques disparaissent au fur et à mesure du jeu quand la MC s'y est suffisamment habituée pour ne plus le remarquer. EDIT : J'ai vérifié, et il me semblait bien que passait leur première rencontre, elle n'y faisais plus du tout allusion. Il y a deux remarques sur son accent dans la démo, donc ce n'est clairement pas "à chaque fois" qu'elles se parlent.
Donc voilà, je vais renseigner de mon côté sur la question, c'est la première fois qu'elle est soulevée, mais n'hésites pas à m'aiguiller davantage !
Je viens de voir la scène évoquée et je n'y vois pas de problème... Elle sait qu'une personne d'un autre royaume doit arriver, l'apparence suivi de l'accent a permis de l'identifier et de l'appeler par son nom. Ce serai étrange voire suspicieux que sans justification la MC devine son nom et pourrait amener à des troubles diplomatique éventuellement (un espionnage, une surveillance à l'encontre d'un autre royaume).
Pour ma part je trouve que c'est bien amené et il en aurait été de même avec un personnage blanc avec un accent Nordique ou de l'Est, l'accent est révélateur de l'appartenance à une culture, un pays, une région; rien qu'en France il y en a pas mal et dans la francophonie une myriade, c'est pas pour autant que dès qu'on devine d'où l'on vient via cet accent on sente du fétichisme... Au contraire ça ouvre l'échange et pour avoir traversé la France il y a pas mal de différences culturelles, syntaxiques et au niveau du vocabulaire à découvrir sous-jacentes à l'accent.
De plus dans un Empire fictif regorgeant de diversité il est normal d'avoir ce genre de différence et donne une cohérence à l'histoire. Le mot fictif ici est important car ne cible personne à part le royaume de Isiria, serais-tu en mesure de me dire quel type d'accent il peuvent bien avoir ?
Après si tu ne veux pas d'accent dans un VN d'inspiration médiévale va sur un truc où y'a 0 personnage de couleurs à part les serviteurs éventuellement c'est plus réaliste pour l'époque et au moins il n'y a pas la mention de l'accent puis qu'ils ne parlent pas.
Ah, it's just I thought about Scar in Lion King, who has this kind of line, and it's often the case with the character who is like "Long live the King" and then back stab the said king. So it never occured to me before, but when you pointed out, I think it was a fair fear to have, that's all!
Hello, I will consider it for the full game, I think this kind of features are great but they are tedious to implement because even if I implement it only for the in-game text, I have to check nothing go out of the textbox or the choice box in the three font. It's especially hard for the important choices where there can be a lot of text displayed in the screen...
But it's definitely something I will carefully consider.
I love how this page represents the game, it is well designed! I tried the game a few months ago, albeit it was very short, I will follow the progress.
Ah thank you! It's rare people notice this kind of things! And yes the demo is quite short compared to the full game, but I don't want to spoil too much of the story before the full game is out huhu
Hello! I heard that this game will be released in 2023 can you tell me how much I need to save up to purchase this game so I can save up my allowance? Thank you in advance!
Hello, unfortunately, I can tell you now, every time I try to say a release date, some world catastrophe happens so now I decide to wait for the french version to be done to have a clear deadline. If it can help I expect more the end of the year.
Also, if money is tight (I remember my days back as student >.<) we will make several giveaway in our mailing list. <3
Thank you so much! I already subscribed into the mail list thingy can't wait for the game to come out! Good luck to the writers, developers and artists! You guys are awesome!
Hello, I am thinking about doing an android release, but it's complicated so I can’t do any promises. It’s technically doable. The real question for me is would it be worth? I don’t have money to spend on ads, so I am afraid the game would go unnoticed, especially since - overall - mobile player doesn’t like onetime purchased economic model. Also, I have heard that the algorithm tend to burry app with no regular update, and if there will probably be some patch fix, it's not a long term content economic model.
Doing a mobile release would be a lot of work (mostly because I would have to remake some of the UI and thus some of the code to fit the phone size), so I definitely have to carefully consider it.
ah...thanks for answer...heemm....no need rush....i know...make visual novel in android not easy...hehehe....i know...and im sorry......for asking you......
Just finished running through the demo... the art's fantastic, the proclamation system is very interesting (looking forward to playing around with diplomacy when it's added). On a personal note, though, I really, really hope I'm not going to have to cheat on Asha to produce an heir.
As for Asha don't worry, the game is choice heavy, the heir question will be discussed and the final decision will be on the player hand! Overall, Asha or not, the player can decide they don't want children anyway ^^
I saw this coming soon on GOG and am excited for its release that I already have it on my wish list there. No, I haven't played the demo as those just lead me sad and frustrated that I have to wait on the full game.
Thank you,!!! I take it as a huge compliment coming from someone who like shinny stuff :p (sorry couldn't resist to your name I love Moana)
I totally understand you, I rarely play demos for the same reason because then I am lingering like a 18 century lady painting for years until the final release...
Lingering like an 18th century lady painting is the best description of what it feels like to wait around for releases. Oh and I'm hoping after watching that trailer video that I'll have the option to play the game with French voices and English subtitles.
dang! I can tell a lot of work went into this, the gameplay is impeccable and the dialogue is smooth and engaging. can't wait for the full release- this is def one of my top five games (yes, including all types!)
Oh I am so happy to hear it!!!! <3 Also curious to know what the other games of your top 5 are! My backlog is already too long but I can't resist good recs x)
Ah Queen's crown... I still hope it's released one day :v
It's not the same game, different team, different characters, different settings, and I think Queen's crown had stat raising when here it's ressources managment. But I think if you liked Queen's crown, you should definitely give a try, because it's indeed the same vibe!
I need to stop doing this to myself and playing not finished games. I enjoyed this so much now its gonna pain me to wait so long for the rest to come out.
Hi! I wanted to compliment you on the intresting story. I just finished the demo four times and I am obssessed! I have the game now on my wishlist on steam and can't wait for you to finish so I can learn the whole story. I apreachiate that there is a female love intrest too.
(Do you plan on making the Master of whisphers romanceable orrr...?👀👀👀)
Hello, thank you so much for your interest, I am glad you liked the game and try the different path! Also, Asha deserves more love, thank you for her U.U
As for the MM, since a lot of player are requesting it, we are thinking about making a DLC with him as romance once we finish the based game but for now we don't want to overscope the game.
Again, thank you for taking the time to leave this kind message to us, it's really motivating <3
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wooo amazing demo! can't wait for the full game <3 i always loved as a teenager that kind of games and looks like i still do as an adult xD
Thank you for your kind word!!! Also, there is no shame at being consistent, I also always loved medieval love stories (if plot is involved even better) even during my teenage-edgy-emo-phase and I am PROUD OF IT!
2024, at long last.
Just a few more months to finally get my hands on this game :3
YES, we are working hard on it, for now we are on the deadline for a spring release *cross fingers* <3
Fingers crossed 🤞
hi devs
just completed the demo on steam and i really enjoyed it. the game made it on my wishlist.
i still have some questions
1.) how difficult is/will be normal mode? can i only lose if i make stupid decisions?
2.) will the full game has a difficulty slider for normal mode? maybe with higher strating ressources or "better income"? personally im right in the middle of "storymode" and "normal mode": i enjoy mild ressource management, but also want to enjoy the story.
3.) the demo didnt had the diplomacy option available. i guess it will be in the full game. can you explain, what i will be able to do with this option in th full game?
4.) when you decide with whom you want to spend time with (e.g. at the coronation) will this have consequences beside romance?
=> if i only choose asha in these events will i end up with a bad pöatonice relationship with theodore/does it have negative consequences one the other romance-options?
thank you very much for such a great game.
Hello, thanks for your support!
1) I think the normal mode is quite balanced. When the full game is out, we will adjust the numbers so it's not too punishing, but require a bit of thinking. Basically, besides obvious wrong choices story-wise, the ressources is here to make the player think twice about their decision. Like, I would say the main challenge is you can't please everyone in normal mode, because for example, if you say yes to everyone asking you to give money, you won't have money anymore. It's more this kind of strategic thinking about priority I want to induce in normal mode, not like hardcore management.
2) For now, it's not planned, but I might add it as small goals for the release. As I said, I think the normal mode won't be really difficult, so if I do that, it would more be to have an harder mode for player who really like challenge.
3) Yes indeed it will be in the full game. Basically, you will be able to check your diplomacy level with all the neighbor countries, and to perform special actions like sending gifts, trying to spy someone, sending assassin's to kill an annoying person etc.
4) The people you spend time with, is just a way for you to discover the characters! You will have a clear choice for your romannce later (so even if you spend all your free time with Asha, you can still enter Theodore romance for example. Or you can spend a bit of time with each character to decide who you will romance etc.) Each non-romanced character have a bad ending but they are actually really hard to get. That said, spending a bit of time of Asha if you don't romance her, is a very good way to make sure you don't get her bad ending, it doesn't matter for Alexander or Theodore.
I wish I had more time to develop the friendship of the non romanced character, but the story is already so long so I mostly focus on your romance past the point you choose it, but there is some moment where you can still see they like you even if you are not in romance with them.
Don't hesitate if you have more questions!
I wish you a lovely day <3
Ayael
thank you for your answers.
to 3): how big is the influence of the diplomacy decisions on the main story? e.g: if i struck a tradedeal will my ressource gain change after a gameloop//if i assasinate person XY of Z-land, will his death play a role in the story itself?
to 4.) thats good to hear. i already decided to romance asha, so im happy that in that case i wont get the bad ending for her.
=>(A) when you said, that the bad endings are hard to get, do you mean they are hidden behind "stupid" decisions? i could think that if you act as a tyrant or send alexander into certain death ("our soldiers bravery is stronger than the enemies larger army..") you would get his bad ending. no idea about theodore
=> (B) if i remember correctly than you get a choice (with asha when you both sit in the garden and "sunbath") to either ro flirt back or not. is this a early "milestone" of enabling her (or the other romancable characters in their scenes) as a romance option?
=> (C) this is more of a direct question: if i play these kind of games i usually decide for a romance option even before the game (here asha) and change it only if the others really impresses me. with that: since i already made up my mind, what would make more sense in your opinion? focus only on ashas events to see all of her content OR do see atleast one of the other?
i still have 2 new questions, sorry for that ;)
- during character creation you can choose one of 4 paths. do they influence anything else besides the starting ressources? e.g. cheaper decision costs depedning on your chosen path
- this last question is more spoilery, so i completely understand, if you dont want/cant answer it: does every romance path have an equal ending? ==> can Calydia has 2 empresses in the end *wink wink*?
again thank you for your answers.
Hello, no problem, happy to answer your questions!
- There is rarely direct influence between what you do in diplomacy and the main story (no you did X so Y happens in the main story), but at some key moment if a country like you they will help, if they dislike you they will make it harder for you and some decision might have further consequence on the long term (like epilogue wise).
- They are hard to get in a sense you need to do several precise bad decision to get their bad ending. For Alexander it's "the end justifies the mean" mentality, for Theodore is to put your well being before your country prosperity, and for Asha it's to not respect her.
Stupid decision are more likely to give a direct game over, so you can just reload and try again.
- No this choice with Asha is just about setting your boundaries! She will respect it either way, and you can romance any love interest! Overall simple shape choices (as opposed to the big choice screen) are here to set your MC personality and are "not important" to the story = unlikely to have big consequences.
- If you already know which love interest you will romance, you can spend all your time with them to not miss any content from them, I think it will be more enjoyable.
- Yes, you have unique choices (most of the time more favorable) depending of your starting specialty, as well as two unique scenes to really showcase your skill.
- No Calidya can't have two empress, but you can have an exclusive relationship with Asha. She will also have a route in a mariage DLC we will do later. There is a lot of possible relationship variation, but it's often open secret flavor. Most obvious, being: everybody know you are a couple, because you don't hide how close you are and you never marry etc. but officially everyone will pretend they don't see you kiss and say you are very good friend.
I hope it helps <3
Ayael
thank you again for answering my questions.
I'm sad I didn't find out about this game sooner because OMG just the demo has me hooked!! The art and story is already just outstanding. I can already tell as soon as this releases it's gonna be one of my fav VN's, keep up the great work!!!
At least you won't have to wait long to play it! (Release planed in April/May 2024), thank you for your kind word and your support, I can't wait to share all our hard work to the world!!!
I love a good game! I like the unique spin this game has on otome-style games. Can't wait for more!!!
Thank you for your kind word, we are working hard!
Too bad it isn't a male MC
If you are looking for indie games with a possible male MC and a medieval court shenanigan , I can recommend Royal Alchemist and Celestial crown! Both are lovely game and you can pick a male MC (pronoun + physical appearance). Imperial Grace will never get one, so I understand it's not for everyone ^^
Best wishes,
Ayael
Thank you for your recommendations, I appreciate it :)
Can't wait for the full game.
Made an account just for this lol
Being serious now:
I love what I got to see in the demo, it's projects like these that need our love and support, not cheap moneygrabs, too many of those.
You can tell just how much love and dedication went (and will go) into this game. Can't wait
Thank you so much for leaving this message!!! Like I am genuinely super happy to read this nice comment and to know you take the trouble to create an account just to say something nice, it's heartwarming, so thank you, we do put a lot of love and dedication into the game, the development is going well, so hopefully you won't wait too long for the full story <3
waiting for the full game!!
I completely forgot I was playing a demo, so when the screen came up showing the end of the demo, I was practically devastated. Can't wait for the full game!
I feel you, that's why I rarely play demo, patience is not my forte :p But I am very happy you enjoyed it so much! <3
Such a great game!! I am so excited for the full thing. Keep up the good work!! 😁
Thank you so much!!! <3
Omg no! Excuse me but I can not wait for this to be fully out! I forgot I was playing a demo!! It is that good! I love that you get to experience such an interesting story and decide on laws and all sorts of stuff! Really excited to see how this turns out!
I feel you, I am always frustrated at the end of demo I like eheh, I am very happy you enjoyed it <3
This is a beefy demo well worth your time.
Getting to customize the MC is nice because you actually get to see her a lot, which is also good! She's been thrust into the role she's always wanted but wasn't sure she would get, which is a neat place to pick up her life. She needs allies but the choices you have to make don't always make that easy. That being said, the politics aren't so bad that you feel you have no good options.
The resource management system isn't too difficult, and having to spend resources in order to choose certain options is engaging. The phases you can enter (such as when you read and decide on petitions) are welcome asides that expand on the view of the kingdom.
The art is lovely and the facial expressions are fun! (The MC biting her lower lip is probably my favorite.) The characters are all very much their own people and make you want to interact with them. The love interests are interesting enough that I'll have to try them all, but the Master of Murmurs is just too hawt.
I'm glad I backed the Kickstarter and anticipate spending a lot of time with the full VN when it's released!
Thank you so much for this detailed review, it made my day! I am so happy you had fun with the demo !!!
Thank you for supporting us <3
Ayael
Played the Demo and really hyped for the full Version! Asha is so fkdksdaj adorable <3 Can only recommend xD And the MC is sooo relatable for me, love her already. Only thing I'd ask for are more hair colours xD That's it. Great work, hope all goes well with development!
Hello, I am very happy you liked the demo <3
As for the hair colors, unfortunately we won't add more even in the full game. Our artist is very perfectionist so it's not just color swap, they redraw everything each time so the shadows, contrast with the clothes and skin etc. are always perfect. Since the MC will have several hairstyle, several clothes, several color skin, it makes way too much variation to account for, so we decided to let them as it is I hope you understand!
Thank you for your support,
Ayael
No, totally. As an artist myself, I 100% get it. And I appreciate the work you did, positively surprised different ethnicities actually have different facial features, no just different skin colours as is often the case. Tremendous job on the art overall, give my props to the artist, they did great! Wasn't a serious critique anyway, just humour. Just saying, I like the game so much that something so minor is the worst thing I found^^ And thanks for the detailed reply, much appreciated :)
Oh I see, sorry I tend to take everything first degree ahah, I am very happy you enjoyed our game and understand all little extra work we put in it, it's so rewarding when people notice the little things <3
When it will come out for android?? :(
I don't think it will. It require a lot of UI adjustment and the mobile market is really not appropriate for one time purchase type of things
Any chance there will be an update? And sorry to hear about the kickstarter ending that's terrible. I myself don't have money at moment but when I do (assuming full version isn't terribly expensive) will happily buy it :)
Yes, we are working on it as we speak! We are doing good progress on the game, the release date is expected around May 2024! Thank you for your support <3
Yay, I love all the twists and turns for the game. My oc's name in it is *grin* Daenerys :D I'm hoping again for another update because I just got past saving the agent and want to play more, I love the interaction between Daeny and Theo for example and those between her and Asha :)
Ahah, a name very on point once again! We might actually released an update demo in a couple of month when we have the new sprites! With a couple of more scenes!
Oooo :D I hope so lol Daeny was just starting to have fun with all of that intrigue! Lol of course she also kneed Theo on the training grounds when he got too presumptuous ;)
By the way, does the current version have the adult scenes? I'm uncertain whether grayed out means their on, or skipped. Also cannot seem to sign up for email updates :(
Will the full game be free or will we have to pay?
Considering it's several years of hard work, the game will cost 20€ when finished!
Yes, I choose to respect the team by paying them, and respect the player by not using micro-transaction design to frustrate them to pay way more than 20$ 😊
I see. That's understandable although I'll probably won't be able to buy it considering it is much too expensive in my currency 😔
That said, does that mean that there won't be any updates to the demo and the next upload will be the final game?
Currency fluctuation is very though, I understand! The demo will be updated when we got the full sprite version, but it will mostly be a visual update (not much more content) except maybe some extra scene with the MM.
Understandable! I'll be paying for it when it releases, I am truly excited for it!
I could'nt participate in the kickstarter but I would love to read the story from some Li's pov. Do you think you could make this a dlc or a payant option please? and for the guide too?
Hello, all the DLC (MM romance & mariage), the lore book and the guide will be available when the game release. The character booklet with the POV is the only thing that won't. It's a cool bonus but it doesn't impact the game experience, and I really wanted to thank our early supporters with something unique. It's not yet too late to grab it, we have some late pledge through backerkit where you can take individual rewards (so for example you can take just this one) for one more week for people who missed the KS for whatever reason.
Thank you for your support!
I used your link and could buy what I wanted. Thank you I can’t wait for the game release. When will the French version be released ?
Thanks for your support! Simultaneously to the English version! So April/May 2024 if things goes reasonably smoothly!
Somehow I always end up wanting the men who aren't a actual romance option. Petition to potentially get a romance route for the Master of Murmurs! Other than me always wanting what I can't have, I can't wait for this game to be released. This game has so much potential, especially for someone who loves political intrigue and shows like Game of Thrones.
Hello, I have a good new for you, the MM romance was unlocked in our Kickstarter! <3
About how long is the demo right now?
Hmmm, depending on your reading speed I would say between 1 and 2 hours!
How do you open this? I have a DELL computer and I’m confused. Would really love to play it though!
Hello, so you need to download the windows folder, then you need to unzip it with a software (I personally use Izarc it's free and it does the job, but there is a lot of different software.) You will then get a folder, open it and you will find the .exe to launch the game right away!
If you don't want to bother with those extra step, we are also on steam where you just need to click to download and the play button, steam will launch the game automatically^^
I hope it helps! If you have more question, don't hesitate!
Thank you!
Played this demo as part of the storyteller festival on steam. I have to admit, I was thinking that this game might not be for me. I was happily proved wrong. I really enjoyed the game with the combination of the visual novel and then the decision making elements reminded me a bit of "Ambition: A Minuet in Power" The art is really nice and I love the MC. I love that she is a strong woman trying to survive in a man's world. Looking forward to the full release. Following the KS so I can support :)
Oh thank you so much, i am glad you give it a try and liked it <3
Would Love to try this game out but only have android would be cool if you ever did make an android version thx 😊
Hi, it's a bit more complicated to allow Android, I don't know if I will be able to do it for this game. If you want you can try our other game Autumn Spirit who does have an android version because it's a cute melancholic romance without management element! <3
thank you so much I'll look into it definitely but I love games that are like brothel,management😊
We come from all walks of life, but every damn one of us killed the greedy soldier.
XDDD It's actually one of the most picked option, but it's close with the influence one, some people try to hide the darkness in their heart at the begining of the game :p
question, when is winter for you lmao
XDDDDD That's a very good question. This page is so out of date, it even has Theo old portrait.
lol I don't see much activity on twitter recently either :'D
The place I talk the most is discord if you want more day to day news I had a rough time IRL so I didn't post much on social media, but things are still in progress and alive!
First things first... I saw the 3 LI and okay, yeah let´s see. Starting the Demo I saw the Master of Murmurs and I freaked out, like "ohhhhh Helloooo Mr. Dark Hottie! I would totally invite YOU into my private Chambers!", but the Game was like "Nope! Not this one for you!". Shatter my little Heart u evil Game Creator! *wink*
Sooo, just finished the Demo and i never "kissed" my table so many times with my head... I played VN´s for many Years and I played like...a lot but only a few could hold my attention like that. Every Decision was so hard and i was struggling with myself on what to do. Go for Justice? Be Selfish? I had serious discussions with myself most of the times ( It was kind of embarrassing and ridiculous at the same time). But I LOVED how much the Options rly matters in the actual Situation the Empress was in.
The Atmosphere was totally in Sync with the Story and Timeline. The Characters are beautiful designed and very catching with their unice personalities. The Soundtrack was relaxed/in harmony with the Game and heightened the Atmospheric experience of the Story.
I´m rly excited to play the finished Game. It will be a loooong Year to wait.
Ahah, I totally get it, I speak to myself facing hard choices so I know exactly how it feels like XD! I am glad you enjoyed the demo, maybe the Master of Murmurs will be part of the romance someday ~
Lovely day
Ayael
any chance for android version
Hi, new player and absolutely OBSESSED!! Need this game like yesterday >.<
Ahah, glad to know it! We are working hard to make it real <3
Je viens de réaliser que j'avais noté ce jeu sans laisser de commentaire, ce qui est plutôt rare alors je me lance.
Ce jeu me laisse un peu perplexe (et vous saurez un peu plus loin dans mon commentaire pourquoi, je vais commencer par le positif d'abord !)
- J'aime beaucoup la liberté que le jeu nous accorde. Même si ce n'est qu'une démo, j'ai constaté que mes choix avait bel et bien un impact, que ce soit sur le moyen à long terme.
- L'esthétique générale du jeu est belle, c'est très plaisant à regarder.
- Je ne me rappelle plus des options proposées dans le menu de personnalisation de la MC mais il me semble qu'on pouvait faire une MC POC avec des cheveux texturés, ce qui est un bon point aussi.
En ce qui concerne le négatif maintenant :
- L'intrigue est un peu basique. Ayant joué à des VN de survie/gestion similaires (Long Live The Queen, Royal Alchemist, The Queen's Choice...etc) c'est à peu près le même trope qui revient en boucle : un roi/une reine ou un(e) empereur/impératrice qui meurt, laissant derrière iel son/sa seul(e) héritier(e) donc j'attends de voir comment vous tournerez ce trope à votre avantage dans le futur avant de me prononcer.
- J'étais ravi.e à l'idée d'avoir un CDC féminin... Jusqu'à ce que je découvre que la MC fasse tout le temps des réflexions dans sa tête sur la diction et l'accent d'Asha. Je ne vous cache pas qu'en tant que personne d'origine maghrébine, j'ai trouvé ces réflexions inappropriées. Ça banalise totalement la fétichisation des POC et c'est pourquoi ce jeu me laisse perplexe. Ça ne m'intéresse pas d'incarner un personnage qui a des biais d'exotisme, qui trouve que ramener une personne POC à sa diction c'est "sexy".
J'espère que ce constat ne vous froissera pas, je sais qu'on peut facilement faire dans l’inapproprié en étant plein de bonne volonté. Ça reste tout de même mon point de vue et j'espère qu'il vous aidera à aller de l'avant.
Si vous tenez à garder cette partie de l'histoire dans la version finale du jeu, je vous recommande d'ajouter "exotisme" dans la liste des trigger warnings pour que les personnes comme moi sachent à quoi s'attendre !
Bonne continuation.
- Nutellix
Bonjour Nootellix! Je suis contente que le jeu t'ai plu malgré tes réserves et je suis tout à fait ouverte à la discussion, après tout une maladresse est toujours possible et je suis toujours prête à me remettre en question sur le sujet, mais je pense que j'ai besoin de plus de détails pour prendre la décision de modifier le script à ce sujet.
- Personnellement, j'aime beaucoup les accents, qu'ils soient anglais, italien, russe, maghrébin ou autre. Je manque sûrement de bagage pour comprendre où est le mal ? En fait, j'ai souvent vu les accents moqués, donc j'ai toujours pensé que c'était plus la médisance le problème ?
- Asha n'est pas le seule POC du jeu, notre cast est vraiment divers Léon et le Maitre des Murmures par exemple n'ont pas d'accents particuliers bien qu'ils soient POC (IE: Les POC de manière général ne sont pas fétichiser à travers leurs accents dans le jeu.)
- La MC reconnaît beaucoup de qualités à Asha, même si elle aime son accent car elle vient d'un pays étranger et qu'elle n'a pas l'habitude de l'entendre, elle admire surtout son esprit acéré, sa curiosité qui la rend très savante, son talent pour les chiffres et pour les langues (car les remarques sur son accent sont surtout là pour souligner le fait que Asha parle très bien la langue Calydienne bien que ça ne soit pas sa langue maternelle.) Globalement, je ne pense vraiment pas que le personnage d'Asha soit réduit à son accent ou à son physique.
- Les remarques disparaissent au fur et à mesure du jeu quand la MC s'y est suffisamment habituée pour ne plus le remarquer. EDIT : J'ai vérifié, et il me semblait bien que passait leur première rencontre, elle n'y faisais plus du tout allusion. Il y a deux remarques sur son accent dans la démo, donc ce n'est clairement pas "à chaque fois" qu'elles se parlent.
Donc voilà, je vais renseigner de mon côté sur la question, c'est la première fois qu'elle est soulevée, mais n'hésites pas à m'aiguiller davantage !
Je viens de voir la scène évoquée et je n'y vois pas de problème... Elle sait qu'une personne d'un autre royaume doit arriver, l'apparence suivi de l'accent a permis de l'identifier et de l'appeler par son nom. Ce serai étrange voire suspicieux que sans justification la MC devine son nom et pourrait amener à des troubles diplomatique éventuellement (un espionnage, une surveillance à l'encontre d'un autre royaume).
Pour ma part je trouve que c'est bien amené et il en aurait été de même avec un personnage blanc avec un accent Nordique ou de l'Est, l'accent est révélateur de l'appartenance à une culture, un pays, une région; rien qu'en France il y en a pas mal et dans la francophonie une myriade, c'est pas pour autant que dès qu'on devine d'où l'on vient via cet accent on sente du fétichisme... Au contraire ça ouvre l'échange et pour avoir traversé la France il y a pas mal de différences culturelles, syntaxiques et au niveau du vocabulaire à découvrir sous-jacentes à l'accent.
De plus dans un Empire fictif regorgeant de diversité il est normal d'avoir ce genre de différence et donne une cohérence à l'histoire. Le mot fictif ici est important car ne cible personne à part le royaume de Isiria, serais-tu en mesure de me dire quel type d'accent il peuvent bien avoir ?
Après si tu ne veux pas d'accent dans un VN d'inspiration médiévale va sur un truc où y'a 0 personnage de couleurs à part les serviteurs éventuellement c'est plus réaliste pour l'époque et au moins il n'y a pas la mention de l'accent puis qu'ils ne parlent pas.
I'm not sure why, but I thought alexander was going to kill the player when he said "Long live the Empress" or whatever he said...
XDDDD
No fair, fair
What do you mean by "No fair, fair"?
Ah, it's just I thought about Scar in Lion King, who has this kind of line, and it's often the case with the character who is like "Long live the King" and then back stab the said king. So it never occured to me before, but when you pointed out, I think it was a fair fear to have, that's all!
oh
It looks great but are you considering adding in a font-size option in the full game as well? The text is a bit hard to read without glasses.
Hello, I will consider it for the full game, I think this kind of features are great but they are tedious to implement because even if I implement it only for the in-game text, I have to check nothing go out of the textbox or the choice box in the three font. It's especially hard for the important choices where there can be a lot of text displayed in the screen...
But it's definitely something I will carefully consider.
I love how this page represents the game,
it is well designed! I tried the game a few months ago, albeit it was very short, I will follow the progress.
Ah thank you! It's rare people notice this kind of things! And yes the demo is quite short compared to the full game, but I don't want to spoil too much of the story before the full game is out huhu
😁 You are welcome.
You are right, unfortunately it is rare, and yet, such details are of utmost importance of any creative project.
As for the demo length & development of the game,
no worries & take your time. 😊
Absolutely! A good interface give the right feeling right away and help set up some atmosphere + professionalism.
Thank you again for your support!
Hello! I heard that this game will be released in 2023 can you tell me how much I need to save up to purchase this game so I can save up my allowance? Thank you in advance!
Hello, unfortunately, I can tell you now, every time I try to say a release date, some world catastrophe happens so now I decide to wait for the french version to be done to have a clear deadline. If it can help I expect more the end of the year.
Also, if money is tight (I remember my days back as student >.<) we will make several giveaway in our mailing list. <3
Thank you so much! I already subscribed into the mail list thingy can't wait for the game to come out! Good luck to the writers, developers and artists! You guys are awesome!
Thank you for your support <3
2023?! MAANNN I CAN'T WAAAIT HOLLYYYY😭😭😭
Hopefully there won't be another plague to deal with until this point ^^" But we are doing steady progress! 3
No android???
Hello, I am thinking about doing an android release, but it's complicated so I can’t do any promises. It’s technically doable. The real question for me is would it be worth? I don’t have money to spend on ads, so I am afraid the game would go unnoticed, especially since - overall - mobile player doesn’t like onetime purchased economic model. Also, I have heard that the algorithm tend to burry app with no regular update, and if there will probably be some patch fix, it's not a long term content economic model.
Doing a mobile release would be a lot of work (mostly because I would have to remake some of the UI and thus some of the code to fit the phone size), so I definitely have to carefully consider it.
Ayael
ah...thanks for answer...heemm....no need rush....i know...make visual novel in android not easy...hehehe....i know...and im sorry......for asking you......
There is no problem in asking, as long it's done nicely and the answer read with consideration <3
thanks for your kind XD....hehehe...im curios...sorry
i'm a sucker for guys like alexander!!
Eheh, if you like extremely devoted love interest you won't be disapointed ~
Just finished running through the demo... the art's fantastic, the proclamation system is very interesting (looking forward to playing around with diplomacy when it's added). On a personal note, though, I really, really hope I'm not going to have to cheat on Asha to produce an heir.
Hello, I am glad you liked the demo <3
As for Asha don't worry, the game is choice heavy, the heir question will be discussed and the final decision will be on the player hand! Overall, Asha or not, the player can decide they don't want children anyway ^^
I love Asha so much <3
She loves you too <3 <3 <3
I saw this coming soon on GOG and am excited for its release that I already have it on my wish list there. No, I haven't played the demo as those just lead me sad and frustrated that I have to wait on the full game.
Thank you,!!! I take it as a huge compliment coming from someone who like shinny stuff :p (sorry couldn't resist to your name I love Moana)
I totally understand you, I rarely play demos for the same reason because then I am lingering like a 18 century lady painting for years until the final release...
Lingering like an 18th century lady painting is the best description of what it feels like to wait around for releases. Oh and I'm hoping after watching that trailer video that I'll have the option to play the game with French voices and English subtitles.
I wish so much to have voice acting, but it's not in our budget unfortunately :v But I can swear if I won lottery, I would pay for voice acting ahah
That is fine too! No voice acting is better than so-so voice acting.
dang! I can tell a lot of work went into this, the gameplay is impeccable and the dialogue is smooth and engaging. can't wait for the full release- this is def one of my top five games (yes, including all types!)
Oh I am so happy to hear it!!!! <3 Also curious to know what the other games of your top 5 are! My backlog is already too long but I can't resist good recs x)
is this the same game as queens crown ???
Ah Queen's crown... I still hope it's released one day :v
It's not the same game, different team, different characters, different settings, and I think Queen's crown had stat raising when here it's ressources managment. But I think if you liked Queen's crown, you should definitely give a try, because it's indeed the same vibe!
I need to stop doing this to myself and playing not finished games. I enjoyed this so much now its gonna pain me to wait so long for the rest to come out.
Ahah, I understand, I usually don't play demos for this reason, but I am glad you liked it <3
Hi! I wanted to compliment you on the intresting story. I just finished the demo four times and I am obssessed! I have the game now on my wishlist on steam and can't wait for you to finish so I can learn the whole story. I apreachiate that there is a female love intrest too.
(Do you plan on making the Master of whisphers romanceable orrr...?👀👀👀)
Hello, thank you so much for your interest, I am glad you liked the game and try the different path! Also, Asha deserves more love, thank you for her U.U
As for the MM, since a lot of player are requesting it, we are thinking about making a DLC with him as romance once we finish the based game but for now we don't want to overscope the game.
Again, thank you for taking the time to leave this kind message to us, it's really motivating <3