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Herald: An Interactive Period Drama - Book I & II

Herald: An Interactive Period Drama - Book I & II Game Cover
90%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
replayability, optimization
92% User Score Based on 131 reviews
Critic Score 80%Based on 1 reviews

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Herald: An Interactive Period Drama - Book I & II Game Cover

About

Herald: An Interactive Period Drama - Book I & II is a single player action game with fantasy, drama and historical themes. It was developed by Wispfire and was released on February 22, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

Herald is a choice-driven adventure set on colonial tides. Board the HLV Herald and uncover its dark secrets in an intriguing tale about tyranny and servitude.

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92%
Audience ScoreBased on 131 reviews
story58 positive mentions
replayability3 negative mentions
  • Compelling and well-written story with strong characters and intriguing plot twists that deeply engage players.
  • Beautiful art style and detailed character portraits combined with excellent voice acting and fitting soundtrack enhance the immersive atmosphere.
  • Choices in dialogue and interactions carry meaningful consequences impacting character relationships and narrative, adding replayability.
  • The game is incomplete with only the first two books released and no confirmed release dates for the rest, leaving the story unresolved.
  • Gameplay mechanics such as navigation are sometimes clunky or slow, with no manual save option outside auto-saves at chapter checkpoints.
  • 3D graphics are considered outdated or rough in places, with some technical issues like save file problems or awkward character animations.
  • story
    199 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story is widely praised for its compelling, immersive narrative, rich character development, and thought-provoking themes set in an alternate historical maritime setting. While some found the pacing slow initially and note that the story remains incomplete with only the first two parts released, many are captivated by the twists, emotional depth, and the nuanced handling of historical and social issues. Overall, it offers a strong, engaging interactive drama that motivates players to explore multiple playthroughs and eagerly await the continuation.

    • “Brilliant storytelling, gorgeous art and voice acting.”
    • “Story is filled with twists and turns that feel earned and kept me wanting more.”
    • “Strong, compelling story that covers a diverse range of topics.”
    • “For a story game, this is unacceptable.”
    • “The beginning of the story was rather confusing, especially without much context.”
    • “The "choices" never seem very organic, often feel counterproductive, and don't have much clear impact on the story.”
  • graphics
    39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features a distinctive and beautiful hand-drawn art style with detailed, expressive character portraits that bring the narrative to life, creating a charming and immersive atmosphere. While some find the 3D graphics and animations somewhat outdated or stilted, the overall visuals are praised for their aesthetic appeal and effective storytelling support. The graphics may lack polish in places, but they contribute significantly to the game's captivating mood and artistic identity.

    • “The art style is sincerely one of the most beautiful ones I've seen.”
    • “The graphics continued to astound me as I played the game, the portraits of the characters that popped up when in conversation were incredibly detailed and each portrait shimmers and moves to give a feeling of life to each person in the game, a technique that adds an extra layer of involvement to the gameplay.”
    • “The team have done wonders to make a beautiful game with minimal jank (I did not encounter any bugs or poor performance in my playthrough) and a charming aesthetic despite limitations of scope and team.”
    • “Half a game, half done graphics.”
    • “Although the art is very stylistic, the graphics can be polished more and some movements feel slow and sluggish, especially when inspecting items.”
    • “Whilst the talking heads are beautiful and this cast of relative unknowns do an absolutely excellent job of breathing life into a well written script there is no physical acting to complement the conversations and the graphics are extremely antiquated.”
  • gameplay
    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized by simple, point-and-click mechanics that are somewhat outdated and occasionally clunky, with puzzles that serve mainly to advance the story rather than challenge players. While the gameplay may feel limited or basic, it is generally unobtrusive and complements the strong narrative, immersive worldbuilding, and detailed artwork, making it appealing primarily to players who prioritize story over complex gameplay.

    • “The artwork is stunning, the plot engaging, and the gameplay brisk and (mostly) unobtrusive to the story.”
    • “Really gripping story, amazing art, and great gameplay.”
    • “The graphics continued to astound me as I played the game; the portraits of the characters that popped up during conversations were incredibly detailed, with each portrait shimmering and moving to give a feeling of life to each person in the game. It’s a technique that adds an extra layer of involvement to the gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay mechanics themselves may seem a bit stiff and outdated, but it's the narrative and worldbuilding that is more the focus here.”
    • “There is not a whole lot of gameplay here; however, gamers who like entertaining gameplay woven into the story may not enjoy this one quite as much.”
    • “The gameplay, I think, is this game's biggest letdown.”
  • music
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's music receives high praise for its atmospheric and unobtrusive soundtrack that perfectly complements the nautical theme and story, enhancing immersion without becoming repetitive. Composed by Bart Delissen, the score is noted for its personality, mood-setting quality, and seamless integration with gameplay and visuals. Players appreciate the thoughtful sound design and suggest additional features like a musical library to further showcase the excellent compositions.

    • “Top marks as well for the soundtrack which complements the story and nautical themes, yet blends pleasantly into the background so as not to become grating or repetitive.”
    • “The soundtrack is fantastic, and is nicely integrated into the main story.”
    • “The background music appropriately complements each section and ambience such as the creaking of the herald itself sets the scene in an evocative way without being intrusive.”
  • atmosphere
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is widely praised for its beautiful, atmospheric setting that effectively captures the feel of a period piece, enhanced by natural-feeling characters and engaging storytelling. While it focuses more on plot and atmosphere than challenging puzzles, this approach is appreciated for maintaining immersion without unnecessary gameplay extensions. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout aspect, complemented by strong visuals and a captivating world.

    • “This game has a gorgeous aesthetic and wonderful atmosphere.”
    • “Herald is a beautifully atmospheric game all around that really captures the feelings of a good period piece.”
    • “An interesting and engaging story, displayed in an atmospheric and enthralling world.”
  • emotional
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game delivers a heartfelt and meaningful emotional experience, with a well-paced story and a smaller cast that allows for strong character development. Key moments provide significant emotional impact, deeply engaging players and motivating continued play. However, some decisions have limited emotional consequences beyond immediate dialogue.

    • “This is a heartfelt and meaningful story.”
    • “After all, the story takes place on a relatively medium staffed ship (for now), so with a smaller cast of characters and flows well with its plots and twists, actually delivering some solid emotional punches and motivating to play on.”
    • “I just finished Book II and it delivered such an emotional punch that I am left incoherent, I don't know if I can write anything making sense.”
  • replayability
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Replayability in the game is supported by its branching narrative and choice-driven story, encouraging multiple playthroughs despite a relatively short main story. However, limited save slots may restrict some players. Achievements further enhance the motivation to replay.

    • “Herald is a wonderfully realised game and its branching narrative offers replay value.”
    • “I would estimate that if you were just playing for story instead of setting, you could probably finish this in an hour or two, so I will admit there's not a whole lot of content, although given the choices you get to make during the game, there's probably some replayability.”
    • “The replayability is there, but there are only a few save slots to use.”
    • “Did it for the story on my first run, but the replayability is there for the achievements!”
  • optimization
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is exceptionally well-optimized, delivering smooth performance with no bugs or technical issues reported. Users appreciate the seamless experience and find the aesthetic charming despite limited scope, making it one of the few recent titles without noticeable optimization problems.

    • “The first game in years which had zero bugs, performance issues, or a moment where I watched the clock waiting for it to end.”
  • humor
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    User opinions on the game's humor are mixed, with some finding certain moments hilarious, while others feel it falls flat and suggests avoiding it if humor is a priority.

    • “And trust me some are hilarious.”
  • grinding
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features frequent grinding through fetch quests and repetitive tasks, which some players find tedious despite the interactive elements.

  • character development
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development is highly praised for its detailed design, well-crafted writing, and rich worldbuilding, creating an immersive and compelling experience.

    • “The amount of detail in both character design, writing, and worldbuilding blew me out of the water.”
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80%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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4h Median play time
4h Average play time
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Frequently Asked Questions

Herald: An Interactive Period Drama - Book I & II is a action game with fantasy, drama and historical themes.

Herald: An Interactive Period Drama - Book I & II is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

On average players spend around 4 hours playing Herald: An Interactive Period Drama - Book I & II.

Herald: An Interactive Period Drama - Book I & II was released on February 22, 2017.

Herald: An Interactive Period Drama - Book I & II was developed by Wispfire.

Herald: An Interactive Period Drama - Book I & II has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its replayability.

Herald: An Interactive Period Drama - Book I & II is a single player game.

Similar games include Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth, The Council, The Pale Beyond, Dysfunctional Systems: Learning to Manage Chaos, Backbone and others.