Jester / King
- September 8, 2021
- Rolling Crown
Get on Steam"Jester/King" is a visual novel with a dark setting and a story of over 90,000 words, featuring a jester named Madion who is torn between seeking the truth, helping survivors, and escaping a cursed kingdom. The game includes voiced-over lines, the option to build relationships with three characters, and the ability to collect keys to progress the story. The kingdom is stuck in a time loop, allowing players to change their choices using a flowchart.
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Reviews
- The story is well-written with engaging twists and a strong narrative that keeps players invested.
- The characters are distinct and complex, providing a rich experience as players navigate their relationships and secrets.
- The art style and background visuals are beautiful, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.
- The game is overly long, with a slow pace that can feel tedious, especially after the main plot is resolved.
- Despite the illusion of choice, the game is linear, with limited impact from player decisions on the overall story outcome.
- Voice acting quality is inconsistent, and some characters' dialogue can feel unnatural or overly verbose.
- story162 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story has received mixed reviews, with many praising its complexity, intriguing plot twists, and immersive narrative, particularly in the context of a time-loop mechanic. However, some players criticized the linearity and limited impact of choices, as well as excessive exposition and inner monologuing that detracted from character development and pacing. Overall, while the narrative is engaging and well-crafted, it may feel slow and overly detailed for some players.
“Thrilling story, great supporting cast, and an amazingly complex protagonist.”
“I was beyond impressed with the story.”
“The twists, turns, and hidden motives in this plot are absolutely wild.”
“The story drags on due to a copious amount of inner monologuing by the main character, exposition to explain the backstory, and unnecessary banter between the unlikeable characters that feels artificial.”
“The game is also quite long compared to other visual novels that I've read and the sheer amount of text, exposition, and backstory that you have to wade through feels like uninteresting filler for the most part, becomes a tedious chore after a while, and makes the pacing very inconsistent as you switch back and forth between flashbacks, the present time, inner monologues, and banter.”
“You are also forced to suffer through the main character's constant inner monologues that drone on and leave you with very little opportunity to figure out the intricacies of the story for yourself, which is disappointing and borders on being patronizing towards the reader since all of the theories and answers are given to you.”
- music28 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it atmospheric and fitting, while others describe it as uninspired and forgettable, often noting its reliance on royalty-free tracks. While some appreciate the melodic and soothing qualities that enhance the narrative and immersion, others criticize the repetitive nature of certain tracks, particularly in the menu. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, though it may not stand out as memorable.
“I’ll echo a lot of things others have already mentioned as positives: strong narrative, fun branching system, fleshed-out-but-not-overly-stereotypical characters, polished visuals, enchanting music that I have adopted into my personal relaxation playlists, all tied together in a unique and interesting plot.”
“I loved this visual novel very much; the music, plot, and the twists and turns were artfully created in this medieval-fantasy time-loop thriller/mystery.”
“Visuals and soundtrack for the game are great and make you feel invested in the story, characters, and the setting.”
“The music is composed of fitting but uninspired and forgettable atmospheric royalty-free songs from Kevin MacLeod.”
“I actually found the menu song to be annoying after navigating the main menu and its sub-menus for more than a few minutes since the song loops so quickly.”
“The production value is quite lackluster because there is only one low-quality full-body character portrait and pose per character (with minor variations in their facial expressions) and royalty-free music is used.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the colorful and unique art style that complements the narrative, while others criticize the low-detail character portraits and rudimentary backgrounds. Despite the visual shortcomings, many players appreciate the overall polish and the immersive atmosphere created by the visuals and soundtrack. Overall, the graphics are seen as simple yet effective, contributing positively to the game's storytelling.
“The visuals and soundtrack for the game are great and make you feel invested in the story, characters, and the setting.”
“The art style is cute and colorful, and the background images are plentiful and display the world well.”
“Jester/King is also very well polished - visually the art style is nice and colorful, the main character designs are unique and memorable, and the music is very melodic and atmospheric.”
“The graphics are somewhat low-effort and rudimentary because the full-body character portraits are lacking in detail, look quite flat, and some aspects just aren't drawn well such as hands and fingers, while the backdrops are made up of typical medieval fantasy settings that set the scene and sometimes have visual effects such as fire and smoke lazily overlaid on top of them in an attempt to add more immersion.”
“The graphics are somewhat low-effort and rudimentary because the full-body character portraits are lacking in detail, look quite flat, and some aspects just aren't drawn well such as hands and fingers, while the backdrops are made up of typical medieval fantasy settings that set the scene and sometimes have visual effects such as fire and smoke lazily overlaid on top of them in an attempt to add more immersion.”
“The art style feels different from Demonheart, but it goes well with the story and looks good.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily linear, characteristic of a kinetic visual novel, where all choices lead to predetermined endings. However, the innovative time loop mechanic adds depth and complexity, enhancing the overall experience despite a slight initial learning curve with the mechanics. Players appreciate the strong narrative and the developer's effective execution of the time loop concept.
“This game is really great, I love the very surprising mechanics of the time loop and how heavy the storyline was.”
“The loop system works extremely well with surprisingly advanced mechanics for a small dev team.”
“The story revolves around a time looping mechanic which, in my opinion, is pretty cool, and the developer did a good job writing it.”
“The gameplay is standard for a visual novel except that it may as well be considered a kinetic visual novel because all choices eventually lead to the good or bad ending and the story is completely linear as a result.”
“The time loop mechanic chart is just a little confusing at first and I definitely had to save/reload a couple of times to get it right, but you get used to it quickly (very minor con).”
- atmosphere12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is described as immersive and surreal, enhanced by a visually appealing art style and unique character designs. While the music is noted as fitting yet somewhat forgettable, the protagonist's introspective nature adds depth and aligns well with the story's suspicious tone. Overall, players feel a strong sense of presence within the game's world.
“While some would maybe prefer to just move the story along, I found that Madion’s constant questioning of his surroundings, his companions, his past, and even his own motives gave the novel more depth, and that it reflected the general suspicious atmosphere of the story quite well.”
“The music and engrossing atmosphere gave me the sense I was there.”
“I did like the surreal atmosphere the visual novel created.”
“I like this game; it's all different from the dev's previous Demonhearts, I mean the main character, the atmosphere, everything (everything but the voice of Madion, hello to Raze!).”
- character development6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is largely lacking, primarily due to the reliance on overused plot devices that focus on past events rather than present character growth. While the visual and auditory elements are praised for their quality, they do not compensate for the absence of meaningful character arcs throughout the story.
“Jester/King is also very well polished - visually the art style is nice and colorful, the main character designs are unique and memorable, and the music is very melodic and atmospheric.”
“There is also barely any meaningful character development throughout the story, and this is due to the use of two major plot devices (one of which is severely overused). Although these are the crux of the progression and gradual reveal of the story and its twists, they do nothing when it comes to developing the characters.”
“Unfortunately, due to the primary plot device, so much of the game is predicated on the past rather than present events and character development, and this is a symptom of it.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be profoundly impactful, highlighting deeply touching romances that foster genuine care for the characters. The overall experience is described as an intense emotional rollercoaster, leaving a lasting impression on players.
“The romances are deeply touching, and I genuinely cared about all the characters.”
“Seriously, this game is one hell of a ride on an emotional rollercoaster.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, as the extensive text, exposition, and backstory often feel like filler, leading to inconsistent pacing and a sense of chore-like engagement. The lengthy narrative can detract from the overall enjoyment, making it a slog for some players.
“The game is quite long compared to other visual novels I've read, and the sheer amount of text, exposition, and backstory feels like uninteresting filler for the most part. It becomes a tedious chore after a while and makes the pacing very inconsistent as you switch back and forth between flashbacks, the present time, inner monologues, and banter.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of tragedy and wit, enhanced by a standout performance from the voice actor, which adds depth to the character's complex backstory.
“He is tragic and funny with a complex past, and his voice actor is fantastic.”
