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Sultan's Game

Sultan's Game Game Cover
93%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay
Most mentioned negative aspects:grinding, stability
93% User Score Based on 1,384 reviews

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Sultan's Game Game Cover

About

Sultan's Game is a single player survival role playing game with horror, fantasy and dark fantasy themes. It was developed by Double Cross and was released on March 30, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

VERIFIED ON STEAMDECK Digital Deluxe Edition Sultan's Game is more than just a game — it's a complete world woven together by music and words. Deluxe Edition Content: Base Game Original Soundtrack: Our soundtrack is inspired by the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Uyghur Twelve Muqam. We blend traditional Xinjiang instruments - tanbûr, rewap, and gijak - with classical Chinese …

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Sultan's Game screenshot
Sultan's Game screenshot
Sultan's Game screenshot
Sultan's Game screenshot
Sultan's Game screenshot
Sultan's Game screenshot
Sultan's Game screenshot
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93%Audience ScoreBased on 1,384 reviews
story128 positive mentions
grinding23 negative mentions
  • Unique and original gameplay blending narrative-driven resource management and turn-based strategy with a rich and intricate story inspired by 1001 Arabian Nights.
  • Extensive replayability with numerous branching storylines, diverse character developments, many possible endings, and a deep world full of morally complex choices.
  • Exceptional art style, immersive music and sound design contribute to a haunting, atmospheric experience that many players found captivating and engaging.
  • The English localization and translation contain many errors, awkward phrasing, and occasional untranslated content, which can hinder understanding and immersion.
  • The game can become repetitive and grind-heavy, with frequent tedious clicking, long sessions per run, and late game clutter with poor card management UI.
  • Certain important quests and endings have very obscure and unforgiving requirements, often requiring external guides due to lack of in-game hints, leading to player frustration and possible softlocks.

  • story

    375 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in this game is richly detailed, highly branching, and deeply immersive, with numerous character arcs and multiple endings that reward exploration and replayability. While praised for its mature themes, intricate plotting, and atmospheric world-building, some users find the poor English translation, repetitive events, and obscure quest triggers detract from the experience. Overall, it is regarded as a captivating, morally complex narrative that strongly integrates with gameplay, appealing especially to players who enjoy dense, choice-driven storytelling.

    • “I can't believe I've spent over 100 hours so far and still feel like I haven't come close to experiencing all of the storylines.”
    • “With over a million words of branching dialogue and dozens of possible endings, the story is both expansive and deeply personal.”
    • “The storylines mix tragic, horrific, and humorous elements brilliantly, keeping you constantly curious about what’s coming next.”
    • “The poor translation has been discussed in multiple other places, but quickly: it's quite bad which is a pretty big problem for a text-based story game.”
    • “Having to click through the exact same story prompt eighty turns in a row is just insane (and that's just one run!). Literally nothing changes, and you still have to click through 8 paragraphs, roll dice to see the result, etc. These recurring events should be broken out into a different mechanic or sped up somehow because they are a huge waste of time.”
    • “The games' many endings outside of completing the sultan's game suffer a severe case of softlocks where if you are not playing with a wiki to ensure you follow a quest path properly, it's very easy to screw yourself out of an ending without knowing until hours later when you are no longer allowed to backtrack and fix that.”

  • gameplay

    204 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Sultan's Game is a compelling blend of turn-based resource management, card mechanics, and narrative choices, drawing some inspiration from Cultist Simulator but with a more strategic and character-focused approach. While highly addictive and praised for its depth, engaging story, and meaningful player decisions, some players find it repetitive and occasionally cumbersome due to long text sequences and a learning curve exacerbated by minimal tutorial guidance. Overall, the game delivers a unique, richly layered experience that rewards exploration and mastery despite some UI and pacing flaws.

    • “The gameplay loop of Sultan's game involves maneuvering yourself and your followers (a potentially wide variety of nobles and slaves, including your own family) to complete daily tasks as well as random events and other story sequences, many of which are decided by your stats and dice rolls, others by picking choices to advance the story, which can unfold in many ways depending on your actions.”
    • “The gameplay is extremely simple, it's basically a resource manager with some nice pictures attached, the genius comes in how every action you take compounds onto every other action and how so many things react to each other in a way that you would never see in a lesser game of this type.”
    • “The gameplay itself is incredibly addictive, the perfect example of the classic ‘just one more turn,’ and it’s hard to put down.”
    • “Having to click through the exact same story prompt eighty (!!) turns in a row is just insane (and that's just one run!). Literally nothing will change, and it will still spit out 8 paragraphs that you need to click through, roll dice to see result, etc. There is a skip function but you still are loading the same units, clicking a couple of times just to trigger skip, rolling the dice, etc. These recurring events (managing estate, bookstore, etc.) should be broken out into a different mechanic or sped up somehow because they are a huge waste of time.”
    • “The gameplay loop of Sultan's Game involves maneuvering yourself and your followers (a potentially wide variety of nobles and slaves, including your own family) to complete daily tasks as well as random events and other story sequences, many of which are decided by your stats and dice rolls, others by picking choices to advance the story, which can unfold in many ways depending on your actions.”
    • “The gameplay design for the mid to late game really dulls the game for me.”

  • graphics

    95 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique, beautiful art style inspired by classical Middle Eastern aesthetics, with rich, vivid visuals that greatly enhance the narrative's atmosphere. While some users note graininess and oversized interface elements, the overall artwork, paired with excellent music and sound design, creates an immersive and compelling experience that is integral to the game's storytelling. However, the graphic content and certain disturbing visual themes may not be suitable for all players.

    • “The writing is excellent and really pulls you into the game, while the visuals are absolutely stunning.”
    • “The artwork evokes classical Middle Eastern aesthetics with deep color palettes, ornate motifs, and elegant character designs.”
    • “Sultan's game is enrapturing - the visuals are what first caught my eye back in the demo, and the game is a feast for the senses in every regard.”
    • “However, the interface elements are just way too large and the graphics are so grainy.”
    • “Lots of negative, unappealing themes including graphic ritualistic murders, suicides, and homosexuality (young boys as well).”
    • “It’s more direct, more graphic, and often uncomfortable.”

  • music

    90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's music is widely praised for its beautiful, atmospheric, and fitting soundtrack that greatly enhances the immersive experience alongside its unique art style. While the score is minimalistic and mood-setting, many users note it can become repetitive after extended play, with calls for more variety to sustain freshness. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that effectively complements the game's tone and narrative.

    • “The music and sound effects paired with the artwork creates such an incredible atmosphere that fits this game so perfectly that it truly enhances the experience tenfold.”
    • “Everything from the music, the exquisite character art adorning the cards, the lushly embroidered carpet the game plays out upon, to even the little jingles the chime like icons make when you touch them with the mouse just immerses you in the world your protagonist inhabits.”
    • “Oh and can we say a word about music - even though the game is basically about stopping and thinking, and mulling options over, and checking, and reading - the music is energetic, in-theme, and complex enough that it doesn't get annoying even after playing it for.. oh wow, for 14 hours straight.”
    • “Another sore point is the music, which is good, but not good in the way an OST in a game should be; after 10 hours, you will be sick of it.”
    • “There are some downsides - the UI is clunky (stacking events on map, cards refusing to go to different tab, quests and events bugging like characters duplicating), way too few music tracks, so it kinda feels like torture listening to them on repeat for 20+ hours (or the weird silence of the "god" events which is even worse), but all of that is patchable.”
    • “Compare to the demo, the new music lacks dramatic factor and is not memorable.”

  • replayability

    44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers high replayability with multiple endings, storylines, and choices that encourage experimentation over long playthroughs, often exceeding 30 hours. While some players note that repeated runs reveal optimal paths and reduce novelty, the game's rich narratives, unlockable content, and strategic depth maintain strong engagement. However, a few mention that adding more events or QoL features like a save system could further enhance replay value.

    • “I wouldn't go so far as to say that every decision in this game matters and that there's infinite replay value or something like that, especially once you've gone through several runs you generally know which decisions are dead-ends and which are 'optimal', but the fact that after 30 hours I still find plenty of new stuff and still want to play more of this game is just amazing.”
    • “Progression is tracked across runs via the fate system, which allows you to unlock new perks, story options, or relationship outcomes, encouraging replayability and long-term strategy.”
    • “With all that said, Sultan’s game is a treasure trove of possibilities and immense replay value as long as you are patient and forgiving with the minor rough edges.”
    • “No matter how large the event pool, familiarity breeds path dependency—you'll inevitably face decisions like “which card to use” and “on which NPC.” Especially when card quantities are fixed and certain cards are tightly tied to specific events, the difficulty of exhausting every deck is amplified by luck, further eroding replayability.”
    • “So replayability is a bit... lacking.”
    • “But then the UI, repetition and lack of replayability are... sad.”

  • grinding

    27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is frequently described as tedious and repetitive, especially in later stages where players face a loop of similar tasks and RNG-driven events. While some find it a bit grindy and challenging, others appreciate the meaningful consequences of each action, though the extensive text and localization issues can exacerbate the feeling of busywork. Overall, grinding can detract from enjoyment for some, but the game still offers engaging elements that offset the repetitive nature for many players.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Even in late game, there are still new, but not tedious events to explore.”
    • “The more runs you do and objectives you accomplish, the more upgrades and new paths you unlock, but frankly I almost felt like they were a punishment as they just added more tedious busy work to the game.”
    • “At first, the game was kinda fun and kept me hooked, but once you hit the third playthrough and beyond, it just turns into this endless loop of super tedious, repetitive tasks that drive you nuts!”
    • “Definitely falls into the same trap with being very grindy, you repeat a lot of the same resource generation actions while slowly getting through the mire of RNG events taking as little risk as possible.”

  • atmosphere

    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive, richly detailed blend of art, music, and storytelling, evoking a unique and captivating mood reminiscent of courtly drama and "Arabian nights." The haunting, minimal soundtrack and distinctive hand-drawn visuals enhance the experience, creating a dark yet fascinating environment that keeps players engaged. While some note that expanding the soundtrack could improve it further, overall the atmosphere is considered a standout feature that significantly elevates the gameplay.

    • “This is mixed in with a soundtrack and art style that gives such a tremendous atmosphere.”
    • “The art employs a hand-drawn style with baroque flair, paired with classical and exotic costume designs, cultivating a rich atmosphere of courtly drama.”
    • “The music and sound effects paired with the artwork create such an incredible atmosphere that fits this game so perfectly that it truly enhances the experience tenfold.”
    • “There's no real oppressive atmosphere anymore and it feels less like learning about the occult and more like learning about some magical horoscopes.”
    • “It has a crazy atmosphere of moral.”
    • “Its also pretty strong on the story and atmosphere departments.”

  • humor

    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game combines dark, often tragic themes with sharp, witty, and sometimes unhinged humor, creating an engaging and frequently hilarious narrative experience. Players praise its clever storylines, humorous dialogue, and entertaining, niche moments that add levity to the brutal and complex world. Overall, the humor enhances attachment to characters and curiosity about the unfolding story.

    • “Yes, the randomness can be frustrating, but it’s completely worth it for the hilarious and brilliant storylines you uncover. Have some patience and give it a try—you won't regret it.”
    • “The storylines mix tragic, horrific, and humorous elements brilliantly, keeping you constantly curious about what’s coming next.”
    • “Exquisite visuals, witty and humorous language, it's the most fun political and card game!”

  • emotional

    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game delivers a deeply emotional experience, blending a compelling narrative with heavy themes handled thoughtfully, including authentic romantic subplots. Players face difficult, sometimes heartbreaking decisions that evoke strong feelings and moral reflection, making it one of the most impactful strategy-narrative hybrids in recent memory. Despite some rough edges, its emotional depth and rich storytelling resonate powerfully with players.

    • “Card games rarely strike emotional notes, but Sultan's game might just be the deepest and most compelling narrative title I've played this year.”
    • “The dark themes are handled well, there is some humour in it too sometimes, and even heartbreaking moments make this game feel very rich and rewarding.”
    • “It's a rough and brutal experience you are meant to play through many times, that requires you to make some absolutely brutal and heartbreaking choices.”

  • character development

    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development is highlighted as a key strength, offering meaningful growth and moral complexities that engage players deeply. The designs, inspired by diverse cultural aesthetics, are praised for their elegance and historical accuracy, enhancing the immersive storytelling and character interactions.

    • “The fun comes from the exciting story, meaningful character development, inexplicable moral transgressions expected of you, and your attempts to commit to or avoid making them.”
    • “There is also a sense of character development and interaction, much like Crusader Kings but with more direct control.”
    • “If you are interested in the history of the Chinese royal court, you'll find that some character designs are gasp-worthy in admiration.”

  • optimization

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization offers a generally smooth turn-by-turn gameplay experience, though it lacks full fluidity. While not perfect, the performance is sufficient to support the game's mechanics without detracting from the character development.

    • “Mechanically, the gameplay is not what you would call 'fully fluent', but it's optimized enough to allow for a relatively smooth turn-by-turn experience.”

  • stability

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game exhibits several glitches and UI issues that do not impact core gameplay but detract from its overall polish, making it feel more like an early access title than a finished release.

  • monetization

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Monetization in Sultan's game is praised for being fair and unobtrusive, distinguishing it from many recent card-based games by avoiding the feel of a cash grab.

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40h Median play time
45h Average play time
21-75h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 10 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Sultan's Game is a survival role playing game with horror, fantasy and dark fantasy themes.

Sultan's Game is available on PC, Mac OS, Steam Deck, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 45 hours playing Sultan's Game.

Sultan's Game was released on March 30, 2025.

Sultan's Game was developed by Double Cross.

Sultan's Game has received very positive reviews from players. Most players liked Sultan's Game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Sultan's Game is a single player game.

Similar games include Back to the Dawn, I Was a Teenage Exocolonist, Cultist Simulator, Crown Gambit, The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante and others.