Queen's Wish: The Conqueror
- September 10, 2019
- spidweb
- 44h median play time
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Get on Apple Store"Queen's Wish: The Conqueror" is a fantasy role-playing game where you, as the reluctant heir to the throne, must explore, conquer, and rule territories in the name of your mother, the Queen. With turn-based combat and various character classes, players must make strategic decisions to expand their kingdom, face challenges, and interact with diverse characters. The game offers a rich storyline, multiple endings, and challenging moral dilemmas in a vast, unique game world.
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Reviews
- Engaging story with interesting moral choices that impact gameplay.
- Streamlined mechanics that reduce busywork, allowing for a more focused experience.
- Fort building and resource management add a new layer of strategy to the gameplay.
- Combat lacks depth and becomes repetitive, with limited enemy variety and no XP from kills.
- Character progression feels overly simplified, with fewer skills and abilities compared to previous titles.
- The game lacks immersive exploration elements, as there are no items to loot from the environment.
- story192 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its depth, engaging writing, and moral choices that impact gameplay, while others find it repetitive, linear, and lacking in character development. Many appreciate the world-building and the integration of kingdom-building elements, but some express disappointment in the limited quest variety and the simplistic narrative structure. Overall, while the storytelling is often highlighted as a strong point, it is not without its flaws, leading to a varied reception among players.
“Good storytelling with moral choices that are not black and white and some challenging tactical combat.”
“The game's story is interesting, and it is honestly one of the first games I recall rarely skipping dialogue.”
“The story is good, as always, but all the previous points ruin the RPG in this game for me.”
“The story is just so stale and repetitive.”
“The story was something you would expect from a 5th grader's fan-fiction... actually, I take that back, I bet their fan fiction would be better.”
“I got 30ish hours in before I realized it wouldn't get any better and it consistently spiraled into awful predictable storytelling.”
- gameplay81 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the streamlined mechanics and base-building elements that enhance progression, while others criticize the repetitive nature and lack of depth compared to previous titles. Many find the combat system easy to learn and engaging, but some feel it devolves into a grind with limited strategic options. Overall, the game is seen as a fun experience with a solid core loop, despite its mechanical simplifications and occasional frustrations.
“The core gameplay loop this time is a lot more fun, while still feeling rewarding in the long term.”
“The gameplay systems are simple and easy to pick up - the gameplay is entirely made up of going around the map, killing things, and doing dialogue trees.”
“The various mechanics—building up forts, unlocking new equipment, attaching runes/augments to equipment, unlocking abilities that have a synergistic effect—all begin to come together toward the middle-end of the game, and it feels quite satisfying.”
“With the only solution to every problem you're presented with being 'combat', and the combat almost instantly devolving to 'slow enemy, remove dots', there is essentially nothing of interest to be found here after the first few hours of gameplay.”
“Gameplay lacks the depth of previous Spiderweb titles, and the story isn't good enough compared to Geneforge/Avernum to make up for this.”
“The gameplay loop is pretty simple: talk to a local person, go clear out a dungeon for them to get more monthly income for your fort, hate your mother, build up forts to get more income and better gear, go rebuild other forts, repeat.”
- graphics46 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics in this game are generally described as simplistic and reminiscent of older titles, with many reviewers noting that they are not the main focus of the experience. While some appreciate the nostalgic, minimalist aesthetic and improvements in character visuals, others criticize the graphics as outdated and lacking in detail. Overall, players emphasize that the engaging gameplay and rich storytelling compensate for the graphics, making it appealing to those who prioritize substance over style.
“The graphics are sublime, somewhat simple, but things like animated weapons and weapon and armor sprites being visible on your characters add a ton to the charm.”
“This means, for one thing, that the graphics have been significantly improved - notably, your character models change based on what kind of weapons you wield, what armor you wear, what kind of shield you're holding, and so on.”
“Overall, Queen's Wish is a very fun game to play, especially with pretty nice graphics.”
“Graphics and sound are comically bad, basically no improvement from the games Spiderweb Software made 20 years ago.”
“Graphics are a downgrade from the Avernum series.”
“Still, graphics have never really been a selling point for Spiderweb, seeing as they've been consistently about 20 years behind the curve on that count - which is fine.”
- grinding20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a significant reduction in traditional grinding mechanics, with players appreciating the shift towards experience gained through quest completion rather than combat. While some miss the traditional RPG grind, many find the streamlined approach enhances the gameplay experience by focusing on story and progression without the tedium of repetitive battles. However, the lack of enemy diversity and resource-based progression gating can lead to feelings of monotony and a lack of reward for combat encounters.
“No grinding trash mobs, and dungeons have to be completed in one attempt.”
“The result is a very playable, enjoyable journey where story and progression is the heart and meat of the game, not the tedious busywork that bogs down the experience and disrupts flow.”
“No grinding; you cannot repeat fights.”
“The level progression may have done away with traditional RPG grinding, but it's certainly back in an even worse format with gating progression behind resource acquisition.”
“After a while, you'll just want to finish the game as quickly as possible since battling enemies becomes more and more tedious for no XP.”
“So, there isn't any grinding, and... there also isn't really any reward to a lot of the bread and butter activities of gameplay and combat, like character development and powerful and unique items.”
- music14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received largely negative feedback, with many reviewers noting its dullness, repetitiveness, and minimal presence, particularly during gameplay. While some appreciate the nostalgic feel of the game despite its lack of a robust soundtrack, others express disappointment over the absence of immersive music, especially given the availability of free music resources. Overall, the sound design is considered basic, with only a few decent tracks and sound effects that fail to enhance the gaming experience.
“If you can look past the dated graphics and cheap animation, the basic sounds and music, you will find an old-school RPG with some depth and nostalgia... and I imagine that's all QWTC ever wanted to be.”
“Yes, you can't pick up items, lockpick, steal, or earn XP killing enemies; however, the music, artwork, story, writing, and sound effects make up for all these major changes one is normally used to when playing a Jeff Vogel game.”
“The sound effects and music are top notch.”
“After a couple of decades in the business and kickstarted funded games, Jeff Vogel still categorically refuses to invest in soundtracks.”
“It's dull, repetitive, and there is not even any combat music.”
“Sounds are similarly minimalist, with no voice acting (but still decent characterizations in dialogues), a couple of music tracks that become repetitious, and stock sounds.”
- character development10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has been criticized for being overly simplistic and lacking depth, with players primarily focusing on their own progression rather than engaging with a diverse cast of characters. Many reviewers noted that the system feels bare-bones, offering limited rewards and choices, which detracts from the overall RPG experience. Overall, the character development aspect is seen as a significant shortcoming, failing to meet the expectations typically associated with the genre.
“I don't know if this game is for everyone, but if you like adventure, character development, tactical combat, and a good story, I think you will find this game worth your time.”
“In general, RPGs operate on three vectors -- writing and story, character development, and combat.”
“Now that I finished the game, I can see it still allowed for very tactical fights, yet I still could expect a bit more character development from an RPG.”
“Likewise, the only real character development that happens in this game is the player's, which is fine, but there isn't really anyone else in the game to have a love/hate relationship with.”
“Character development is similar - when you do level up, you just get points to spend on abilities, and your stats are essentially tied to what abilities you have.”
“The character development is stripped down and bare bones.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is highlighted by its multiple endings and the impact of player choices on events, encouraging players to explore different outcomes. However, some users noted a lack of replay value in certain aspects, suggesting a mixed experience.
“This created replay value to see what the other sides and endings had to offer.”
“No replayability.”
“This game has lots of replay value.”
“Choices and reactions to events and conversations impact further events and endings, adding to immersion and potential replayability.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised for its smooth performance, even on low-end systems, and the efficient design of builds and abilities. However, some users report occasional random hangs lasting 5-10 seconds, indicating that there are still optimization issues to address.
“Builds and abilities are lean and optimized, but there are interesting combinations and nothing is useless.”
“Runs smoothly even on a potato, and it's a cinch to reconfigure.”
“The only other complaint I have is that it's weirdly unoptimized, and so randomly hangs for 5-10 seconds at a time.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is characterized by its quirky dialogue options that allow players to choose between serious and absurd responses, often leading to comedic situations, particularly in the ukat region. While the main story has light-hearted moments, the humor is more pronounced in specific side quests that players must seek out, adding an element of discovery to the comedic experience.
“There are several voices in every dialogue tree that the player can respond with: authoritarianism versus idealism; pragmatism versus activism; even eschewing it all and spurning every bit of political intrigue or impassioned pleas in favor of whining at the locals about how much it sucks that your mother is forcing you to subjugate them (the Ukat region is particularly humorous here).”
“The story is quirky and can be funny, so it has a bit of light humor which I enjoyed.”
“The 'open world' is less open than in Avernum; there are only a few places with nice or funny side quests that you have to discover by yourself.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "Queen's Wish" is characterized by a blend of engaging exploration and fast-paced, challenging combat, which some players feel compensates for the absence of traditional atmospheric elements like item scavenging. While it may lack the depth of sifting through numerous items, it retains the charm typical of Spiderweb's games, providing a satisfying experience overall.
“Ultimately, while part of me misses the atmospheric elements of sifting through 50 useless bricks on the ground to find a valuable item, Queen's Wish offers enough in exchange that it's a great experience while keeping all of the charm of Spiderweb's games.”
“The game focuses on atmosphere, fast and difficult combat, and exploration, allowing players to enjoy the experience without the need to waste effort on story, character, or dialogue.”
“The atmosphere feels empty and lifeless, making it hard to get immersed in the game.”
“Despite the fast-paced combat, the lack of a compelling atmosphere leaves the experience feeling hollow.”
“The exploration is overshadowed by a bland atmosphere that fails to engage the player.”
- stability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the stability of the game, noting a relatively bug-free experience that allows them to focus on the engaging writing, meaningful choices, and challenging combat.
“You play them for the writing, choices, challenging combat, and a relatively bug-free experience.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game lacks the emotional depth and resonance typically found in classic Bioware RPGs, leaving players feeling less connected to the narrative, even during pivotal moments.
