My Lovely Empress
- August 20, 2024
- GameChanger Studio
- 19h median play time
Get on Steam"My Lovely Empress" is a narrative-driven strategy game where you play as Emperor Hong, ruler of the Crimson Empire. After the loss of your mother and empress, you must navigate political challenges and manage your empire with the help of forbidden, powerful creatures. Balancing the needs of your people and other rulers is crucial as you work to grow and prosper the empire, while also dealing with the grief in your heart.
Reviews
- The game features stunning visuals and unique character designs, enhancing the overall experience.
- Gameplay offers a satisfying mix of resource management and decision-making, with multiple endings that encourage replayability.
- The integration of dark themes and moral dilemmas adds depth to the story, making it engaging and thought-provoking.
- The gameplay can become repetitive and grindy, especially in the mid to late game, leading to potential frustration.
- The learning curve is steep, and players may find themselves overwhelmed by the mechanics and decision-making processes.
- Some players may feel disappointed by the lack of romance options for the Yaoguai characters, which were a feature in previous games.
- gameplay60 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a satisfying loop that combines resource management, decision-making, and kingdom-building mechanics, offering a rewarding experience despite some repetitive elements and grind. While the game introduces more depth and unique character interactions compared to its predecessors, some players find the mechanics can feel shallow or tedious at times, particularly during the early stages. Overall, it appeals to fans of strategy and simulation games, though it may not resonate with those seeking a more traditional gameplay experience.
“The gameplay of having to juggle your action economy for decisions while making your empire as rich and populous as possible to prepare for disasters is a nice and quick dopamine loop.”
“The robust gameplay mechanics offer a satisfying mix of diplomacy, resource management, and narrative-driven choices.”
“The gameplay builds upon the foundation of 'My Lovely Wife' with much greater depth when managing your actions, resources, and characters.”
“Even the story itself is quite enjoyable for the most part, only held back a bit by the tediousness of the actual gameplay grind.”
“I think the only gripe is that the gameplay can become too grindy at times or RNG can screw you, so you have to start over and hope it doesn't happen again.”
“The game's story, while interesting, is overshadowed by repetitive gameplay loops.”
- story40 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is engaging and features strong themes of political intrigue, alliances, and moral dilemmas, though it can be overshadowed by repetitive gameplay and predictable plot points. While the character designs and artwork are praised, some players feel that the yaoguai characters could have a more significant role in the main narrative. Overall, the story is enjoyable but may not meet everyone's expectations, with a mix of lighthearted moments and darker undertones.
“I like that the story is not your usual save the princess/build a harem setting, and even if the tone is mostly light, there are some dark undertones.”
“From the story itself, I really like the engaging storyline with political intrigue, alliances, and betrayals, along with the addition of each unique yaoguai background story.”
“The story is captivating and the gameplay is satisfying.”
“I thought that was neat, until I realized there is almost always one party in every personal quest that will disapprove of any action you do.”
“At a certain point, the game can also become too easy and you are just waiting to go through the story while amassing resources at a slow pace.”
“My only gripes are that the yaoguai could have played a bit more of a role in the main story; as it is, they are kind of divorced from the rest of the story.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 18 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game's graphics have received praise for their unique and visually captivating art style, which blends 2D and 3D elements, creating a culturally rich and immersive experience. While the character designs and overall visuals are considered stunning and vibrant, some players feel that the gameplay mechanics are somewhat shallow and repetitive. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's aesthetic, making it worth experiencing for fans of the genre.
“Overall, I would recommend it, as the visuals are quite nice and have unique designs, and the individual character stories make you get attached to the characters.”
“I see the game visuals as stunning, culturally rich, and immersive.”
“The game offers a very unique art style that is visually captivating, and strategically I consider it a satisfying game with multiple endings.”
“The art style is okay; surprisingly, they used 3D character models with 2D style colorings.”
“Not quite as expansive as earlier games, but the style agrees with the Chinese aesthetic, and the games are much more vibrant than before in a way that benefits it.”
“Although quite short, once you know what to do, for the art style alone, you should give it a shot!”
- grinding10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 90 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while it can be enjoyable and rewarding, it often becomes tedious, especially in the mid to late game. Many reviews highlight that excessive grinding is necessary to achieve better endings or to manage merchant quests, which can lead to frustration and a sense of repetitiveness. Overall, while the game is praised for its story and mechanics, the grinding can detract from the overall enjoyment.
“Not too grindy, although it's challenging to unlock every route.”
“The grinding feels rewarding, as each effort brings you closer to your goals.”
“I appreciate how the grinding mechanics are balanced, making progress satisfying without feeling tedious.”
“Even the story itself is quite enjoyable for the most part, only held back a bit by the tediousness of the actual gameplay grind.”
“I think the only gripe is that the gameplay can become too grindy at times, or RNG can screw you, so you have to start over and hope it doesn't happen again.”
“Overall very good game, but can get extremely grindy towards mid-late game.”
- character development6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the character development in the game is praised for its appealing 3D designs and engaging motifs, contributing positively to the overall experience. While some players feel the story is simple, they appreciate the improvements from previous installments and find the character designs and aesthetics captivating. However, a few players express that the character development did not fully meet their expectations despite the visual enhancements.
“It made the jump to 3D gracefully, and I find all of the character designs appealing.”
“I've gotten 2 hours so far, and the improvement from the previous game is astounding. The gameplay is much improved, the character designs are 3D renders now and look better to me. While I would say I've kind of been worn out on the Chinese fantasy aesthetic from other games, the character motifs and plot developments are all wonderfully engaging. I'd highly recommend it, especially if you've played the previous games.”
“I've gotten 2 hours so far and the improvement from the previous game is astounding. The gameplay is much improved, the character designs are 3D renders now and are better looking to me. While I would say I've kind of been worn out on the Chinese fantasy aesthetic from other games, the character motifs and plot developments are all wonderfully engaging.”
“But the art, character design, and story really keep me going.”
- music5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the music and sound design in the game receive positive feedback for their quality and enjoyment, with many praising the graphics and soundtrack. However, some users noted that certain elements, like character humming, can become repetitive and tiresome over time.
“The music and art are great.”
“Graphics and soundtrack are great.”
“I also found the sound design and music to be quite enjoyable.”
“The music and sound effects are decent, but the character's humming becomes repetitive and tiresome after a while.”
“The soundtrack lacks variety, making it feel monotonous during extended gameplay.”
“While the music is catchy at first, it quickly becomes annoying and detracts from the overall experience.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the game highly replayable due to its unique playthroughs influenced by political and supernatural elements, as well as the ability to alter decisions and explore different routes in each session.
“Each playthrough feels unique as you navigate the treacherous waters of politics and supernatural elements, making it a highly replayable experience.”
“Replay value comes from changing your decisions at each turn or figuring out which route you want to take.”
“The replay value is quite low, as the game doesn't offer enough variety in choices or outcomes.”
“Other forms of replay value involve changing your decisions at each turn or figuring out which route you want to take, but the game feels too linear.”
“Once you've completed the game, there isn't much incentive to go back and play through it again.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a wholesome story that grapples with dark themes such as death, betrayal, and sacrifice, creating a complex narrative. Players express disappointment that the deep emotional connections formed with characters do not significantly influence the game's outcome, overshadowed by more trivial plot elements.
“No h-scenes, wholesome story with dark moral implications, death, betrayal, mass human population sacrifice, and more...”
“The interactions you have with them provide the closest thing the emperor gets as emotional support during the game, unlike the deceitful advisors and other rulers who seek to use you. It's disappointing that your bond with them doesn't significantly affect the ending or other aspects of the story, especially when a trivial vial of medicine does!”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted for its unexpected moments, providing a lighthearted contrast to the otherwise intense storyline.
“The story is pretty intense in some parts, and there was a funny moment that caught me completely off guard.”
“I love how the game balances serious themes with unexpected humor that keeps you laughing.”
“The witty dialogue and hilarious character interactions make every moment enjoyable.”
