Kidnapped! A Royal Birthday

About

Kidnapped! A Royal Birthday is a single player casual role playing game with fantasy, medieval and historical themes. It was developed by Choice of Games and was released on August 20, 2020. It received neutral reviews from players.

Escape your captors…and endure your rescuers, but don't be late to the ball! Take charge of your rescue, and reclaim your rightful throne.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

42%

Audience ScoreBased on 38 reviews

humor14 positive mentions

gameplay4 negative mentions

The story is well-structured and maintains a good pace, keeping players engaged throughout.
The characters, while intentionally clichéd, are written in a way that makes them interesting and adds depth to the narrative.
The writing is humorous and entertaining, providing a lighthearted experience that many players find enjoyable.

The game lacks meaningful player decisions, leading to repetitive gameplay and minimal differences in outcomes across playthroughs.
Stat checks can be obtuse and punishing, making it frustrating for players who may not understand the mechanics.
The ending feels abrupt and unsatisfying, with a very short epilogue that leaves players wanting more closure.

story
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
72%
14%
The story is characterized by a lighthearted tone interspersed with heavier themes, featuring a well-structured narrative and a compelling cast of characters. While some players appreciate the humor and creativity, others criticize the plot for being directionless and overly silly, leading to a lack of engagement. Overall, the game offers a mix of enjoyable writing and frustrating mechanics, with replayability being a notable aspect despite its flaws.
- “It's a more lighthearted story than a lot of hosted games usually are, but it still has some heavier subjects here and there, and a surprisingly compelling cast of characters.”
- “The story itself is well-structured, and the pacing makes it so it never gets dull.”
- “The game is mostly story-oriented, but there are a lot of skill checks, and they never impeded me from roleplaying my character the way I wanted, as long as I remained coherent with my own choices and decisions for his personality.”
- “This story is pretty bad, to be honest. Its lack of direction, its terrible plot, and the decisions you make are so random that even if you want to go a certain way, you will be forced to do something different at a different point.”
- “The plot was intended to be humorous, but the resulting effect is annoying and stupid.”
- “Overall, it fails at being a game, and it's not good at being a story.”
humor
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
78%
22%
The humor in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it genuinely funny and entertaining, while others criticize it as overly silly, annoying, and lacking depth. While the light and ridiculous style appeals to some, many feel that the comedic elements fall flat, leading to a boring experience rather than the intended comedic effect. Overall, the humor seems to be a hit or miss, depending on individual taste.
- “The humor was somehow very funny and unobtrusive to me.”
- “It's silly but the writing is actually really funny, and the story is pretty entertaining too.”
- “The rather light, humorous (sometimes ridiculous) style makes for an easy read.”
- “Yes, it's supposed to be a comedy, but it's just not funny... most of the time.”
- “The story is just overly stupid and silly; it is not funny, just stupid and boring as all hell.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
50%
33%
The gameplay has been criticized for lacking nuance and depth, requiring multiple playthroughs to fully understand the mechanics, which some players found frustrating. While the writing is considered enjoyable, many reviewers felt that the gameplay itself was disappointing and did not allow for meaningful choices, leading to abrupt endings and a sense of dissatisfaction. Overall, the mechanics are seen as sound but ultimately uninspired, detracting from the overall experience.
- “You will need to play through more than once to grok the mechanics; once you do, shaping the story to your aims becomes much easier, especially once you see the author's style of cause and effect.”
- “I mean, sure, mechanically that's sound, but let me choose if I want to be snide or not in the actual decision, and not just as flavor text.”
- “Yet another game with passable writing, but horrible gameplay.”
- “I really wanted to like it, and while the writing is fun, the gameplay was not and I just didn't enjoy it.”
- “This is not a game that offers nuance in its mechanics.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is enjoyable, but many users feel it lacks significant replay value, suggesting that once completed, there isn't much incentive to play again.
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting moments of profound sadness, such as crying over the death of a monster, which underscores the game's ability to evoke deep feelings and empathy.
- “I cried at the death of a monster.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be overly tedious, making it feel more like a chore than an engaging activity, despite the rewards being easily attainable.
- “It would be easy to get, but it's too tedious to bother.”