Crowns and Pawns: Kingdom of Deceit

79%
Game Brain Score Based on 228 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • music
Crowns and Pawns: Kingdom of Deceit Game Cover
A charming cast of characters, engaging narrative, and enjoyable puzzles make Crowns and Pawns: Kingdom of Deceit stand side-by-side with some of the best games in the genre.
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Crowns and Pawns: Kingdom of Deceit is a point-and-click adventure game set in present day and historical Lithuania. The player uncovers a conspiracy while searching for the lost royal crown of Lithuania, combining puzzle-solving with narrative-driven gameplay. This game offers a rich, immersive story informed by historical and regional lore.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

79%
Audience ScoreBased on 228 reviews
story60 positive mentions
grinding3 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful graphics and a charming art style that enhances the overall experience.
  • Puzzles are mostly logical and provide a good challenge without resorting to frustrating moon logic.
  • The voice acting is excellent, bringing the characters to life and adding depth to the story.
  • The story feels rushed towards the end, leaving some plot threads unresolved and lacking a satisfying conclusion.
  • Some puzzles can be overly convoluted or require trial and error, which may frustrate players.
  • The game is relatively short, which may not justify its price for some players.
  • story140 mentions

    The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it average and lacking depth, often describing it as cliché and predictable. While some appreciated the intriguing premise and engaging characters, others criticized the execution, noting rushed endings, plot holes, and a lack of emotional investment. Overall, the narrative is seen as a solid but unremarkable entry in the adventure genre, with potential that feels underutilized.

    • “The story is unique and gives some insights about Lithuania's past.”
    • “An intriguing story, beautiful graphics, and enthralling dialogue!”
    • “Great story, great characters, and great puzzles.”
    • “Overall, the story of this game is just absurdly mediocre.”
    • “A typical story told far too many times and simply lacks imagination; there isn't a whole lot of intrigue or any real plot twists.”
    • “The weakest part of the game is in the story; a young woman travels to Lithuania in search of an ancient crown with magical powers.”
  • graphics66 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beautiful art style, vibrant colors, and appealing design, often described as a blend of 2D and 3D elements. Many reviewers noted the high quality of the visuals, which enhance the overall experience, although some mentioned minor technical issues and a few dated character models. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's charm and immersive atmosphere, making it a standout feature for players.

    • “The artwork and animation is a magnificent pearl to look at and play.”
    • “A very well-crafted, polished experience, featuring an instantly likeable main character, a lovely atmosphere throughout, and stunning graphics.”
    • “An intriguing story, beautiful graphics and enthralling dialog!”
    • “The mechanics of this game and artwork weren't great either.”
    • “This is a charming, albeit short game which suffers from somewhat glossy character graphics and occasionally obtuse puzzles.”
    • “Graphics are fine, I'm personally not a fan of this mixture of 2D and 3D, but that's a personal thing.”
  • music24 mentions

    The music in the game is generally described as pleasant and fitting, complementing the visuals and overall tone, though it may not be particularly memorable. While some players found the soundtrack enjoyable and well-matched to the gameplay, others noted instances of mismatched action music and repetitive tracks that detracted from the experience. Overall, the voice acting and sound design received positive remarks, contributing to a well-rounded audio experience.

    • “This is a light and colorful game with beautiful backgrounds, a movie or good TV show quality soundtrack, and a fun-to-play main character whose outfit you can even customize.”
    • “The voice over and music are great, and the visuals are really good as well.”
    • “Lovely game, definitely Broken Sword vibes; great story, great puzzles, great music, great graphics, hoping for more adventures with Milda.”
    • “Soundtrack is fine - although sometimes there is action music where there is not much action in the scene, which feels a bit off.”
    • “Stupid conversations, illogical puzzles, and annoyingly repeating music in some of the episodes.”
    • “The soundtrack, although not very memorable, does what it sets out to do and is quite pleasant and fitting with what's happening in the background.”
  • humor23 mentions

    The humor in the game is generally well-received, featuring a mix of genuinely funny moments, clever dialogues, and engaging character interactions that resonate with contemporary youth. While some players feel the humor alone isn't enough to elevate the overall experience, many appreciate the lighthearted tone and effective voice acting that enhance the comedic elements. Overall, the game is described as funny, charming, and reminiscent of classic point-and-click adventures, with a good balance of wit and enjoyable presentation.

    • “It's funny, it's cute and enjoyable.”
    • “This is an excellently designed, funny and engaging game.”
    • “The dialog is lighthearted and occasionally honestly funny, and the voice actors do a great job delivering it, especially the protagonist.”
  • gameplay22 mentions

    The gameplay is primarily a classic point-and-click adventure, featuring item collection, puzzle-solving, and NPC interactions, with most puzzles being logical and solvable without guides. While some players appreciated the intriguing story and unique mechanics like character customization, others found certain puzzles frustrating and the lack of quick movement options cumbersome. Overall, the gameplay received mixed reviews, praised for its nostalgic feel and artistic presentation, but criticized for occasional tediousness and inconsistency in mechanics.

    • “A short game, but it is better to have a shorter and tighter experience than long and padded gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay is classic point & click fare: collect items, use them to solve puzzles, talk to NPCs, etc. The puzzles are mostly logical and can easily be solved on your own, without the need for a walkthrough.”
    • “Really nicely made point and click adventure game - story, characters, visuals, gameplay, voice acting - all well, especially for an indie game.”
    • “Being forced to choose dialogue for the sake of a cheeky text conversation that didn't affect the gameplay was irritating, especially since I couldn't seem to click past it all to speed it up.”
    • “Most of the gameplay is about solving puzzles, which some are tedious, requiring fail and repeat until you look it up in a guide.”
    • “Mechanically, the game lacks the principle of 'teleports,' which is the immediate movement of the character after double-clicking.”
  • replayability6 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability through its unique profession selection at the start, which alters puzzle solutions and interactions throughout the gameplay. Players can experience different outcomes and challenges by choosing various professions, encouraging multiple playthroughs to explore all possibilities. Overall, the logical and varied puzzle design enhances the game's replay value.

    • “Another uncommon (but not unheard of) feature is that you can choose your profession in the intro - photographer, programmer, or psychologist - and one puzzle in the mid-game has a different solution depending on your profession, adding a bit of replay value.”
    • “Most puzzles feel logical (i.e., no cockroaches needed to fix an electronic circuit, hear me Broken Sword?) Puzzles can be solved in different ways, depending on which profession you select for the main character at the beginning of the game - this also means there's a lot of replay value.”
    • “Puzzles are interesting and since you can determine the protagonist's expertise at the beginning, some puzzles need to be solved in different ways accordingly, which gives it replay value.”
    • “At least there's some replay value by choosing a different profession at the start of the game.”
    • “There is even replay value, as different decisions lead to different puzzles—something noteworthy, indeed.”
    • “Most puzzles feel logical (i.e., no cockroaches needed to fix an electronic circuit) and can be solved in different ways, depending on which profession you select for the main character at the beginning of the game - this also means there's a lot of replay value.”
  • atmosphere5 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is described as vibrant and joyful, capturing the essence of beautiful summer days in the 1990s with warm light and engaging conversations. While some reviews note a lack of depth in character and puzzles, the overall experience is characterized by a cozy, polished environment that evokes positive emotions and a sense of place.

    • “The atmosphere of Vilnius, New York, and other cities you visit along the way is joyous, sunny, and colorful—something that gloomier point-and-click adventures tend to lack these days.”
    • “It's fairly short and had a couple questionable solutions, but it was overall a very fun, cozy game with lots of atmosphere, personality, and heart.”
    • “Its atmosphere perfectly captures the feeling of beautiful summer days in the 1990s—warm light, interesting and deep conversations, a glimpse of tension in the air, and the desire to simply dwell a little in this cozy place and immerse yourself in the pinnacle of all positive emotions.”
    • “It has weak characters, too easy puzzles, no atmosphere, no third act, and tonal issues.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    Overall, user feedback on optimization is mixed; while some players report smooth performance with minimal issues, others suggest that future games should prioritize better optimization. The game received a score of 7/10 for graphics, performance, and technical analysis, indicating room for improvement despite generally positive experiences.

    • “First, the good: the game runs great, had no issues with performance, and besides one or two crashes, I had no other problems bug-wise.”
    • “So I guess with the next game, developers should take more care with optimization.”
    • “Graphics, performance, and tech analysis score: 7/10”
    • “I guess with the next game, developers should take more care with optimization.”
    • “The graphics, performance, and tech analysis reveal significant issues with optimization.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    Overall, the emotional aspect of the game received mixed reviews; while some players found the story lacking in engagement, others appreciated the believable characters and friendships, which enhanced their investment in the main character through choices and customization.

    • “The characters and friendships were really believable and sweet, and the control you have to both choose your main character's profession and change their outfit made me feel more invested in the character.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive, particularly due to the requirement of three playthroughs for full achievement completion, which can feel repetitive despite some unique elements. Additionally, the puzzle-solving mechanics often lead to tedious trial-and-error gameplay, and lengthy character animations contribute to the overall frustration of repeated interactions.

    • “Getting all of the achievements requires three playthroughs, and while there are some unique elements based on the chosen profession, completing the game three times might involve a bit too much grinding.”
    • “Most of the gameplay revolves around solving puzzles, which can be tedious as you often fail and repeat until you resort to looking it up in a guide.”
    • “Another cause for frustration is that some characters have quite tedious animation sequences before or during their dialogue, making repeated interactions feel tiresome.”
  • stability2 mentions

    Overall, the game demonstrates strong stability, with most users reporting smooth performance and minimal issues. While a few players experienced occasional crashes, these were not widespread, and glitches were largely absent.

    • “The game runs great, and I had no issues with performance. Besides one or two crashes, I experienced no other problems with bugs.”
    • “Overall, the stability of the game is impressive, allowing for a smooth and enjoyable experience.”
    • “I appreciate how stable the game is; it rarely crashes and performs consistently well.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
    • “I encountered several glitches that disrupted my gameplay experience.”
    • “There are constant stability issues that lead to frustrating interruptions.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

77% average critic score

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Play time

7hMedian play time
7hAverage play time
6-7hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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