The Confines Of The Crown

About

The Confines Of The Crown is a single player action game with fantasy and mystery themes. It was developed by Hanako Games and was released on April 3, 2015. It received positive reviews from players.

"The Confines of the Crown" is a visual novel game that follows the story of Prince Luca, who must choose between his duty to the crown and his own desires. The game features multiple endings, depending on the player's choices throughout the story. With a strong focus on politics, drama, and romance, players will explore the complexities of royal life and the consequences of power.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 211 reviews

story103 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game features a strong and well-developed main character, Madeleine Valois, who is capable and relatable.
The story is engaging with multiple routes and endings, allowing players to uncover different aspects of the plot and character backgrounds.
The artwork and music are beautiful, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.

Some choices feel insignificant, leading to a lack of meaningful impact on the story.
The pacing can be slow, especially in the first half, with repetitive content across different routes.
Certain routes may feel rushed or underdeveloped compared to others, leaving some characters feeling less fleshed out.

story
307 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
62%
4%
The story of this visual novel is rich and multifaceted, featuring a blend of intrigue, romance, and character development that draws players in. While some reviewers noted predictability and a lack of depth in certain routes, many praised the well-crafted plot twists and the emotional weight of the narrative, which often requires multiple playthroughs to fully appreciate. Overall, the game is recognized for its engaging storytelling, strong character arcs, and the ability to explore complex themes, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.
- “The individual storylines are unique and they all add to the overarching storyline, which is great and surprisingly deep.”
- “The story is engaging, with a lot of plot twists.”
- “The royal trap boasts a solid story of intrigue with unique characters, a courageous and capable heroine, and several different routes and endings.”
- “The plot is utterly predictable, and the characters are utterly dense, but some details still come as a surprise.”
- “The story lacks depth and seems very rushed with the routes.”
- “A very short medieval western visual novel which had a great potential to be an interesting story but got ruined by rushed routes and no or very little character development.”
music
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
42%
4%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many players noting its catchy and atmospheric nature. However, some reviewers pointed out issues with repetitiveness and abrupt transitions between tracks, which occasionally detracted from the gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's mood and storytelling.
- “The music is varied and fun, from lively guitars to James Bond-esque music for when the heroine is stealthing around and doing her job as the valet of a prince -- gathering info to aid him and his pursuits.”
- “The music is phenomenal as well and adds a lot to the story.”
- “Music: the ambient music is absolutely perfect for this game, and I couldn't help but hum some of the songs while playing.”
- “As for the music (at least for me) - it worked some of the time and other times seemed awkward.”
- “- music: good enough but short and repetitive pieces.”
- “The soundtracks don’t transition too well from one to the other, but other than that suit the scenes beautifully and fitfully.”
graphics
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
41%
6%
The graphics of the game have received a mixed yet generally positive reception, with many praising the unique hand-drawn art style and beautiful character designs that evoke a nostalgic 80s/90s aesthetic. While some users noted inconsistencies in quality, particularly with character sprites, the overall artwork, including the well-crafted CGs, is often described as gorgeous and fitting for the game's themes. The visuals, complemented by a lovely soundtrack, contribute significantly to the game's appeal, making it a standout in its genre.
- “I kept marveling and posting screenshots because the art style is so unique and incredibly gorgeous.”
- “The design of the characters, the artwork, the development, and the overall aesthetics of the game are very good and remarkable.”
- “With gorgeous high-quality artwork, great writing, and an enjoyable soundtrack, there's very little I can complain about when it comes to this gem among OELVNs.”
- “The art style seems hand-drawn for the characters and can initially be off-putting to some people, but it isn't bad and truly shines during certain scenes.”
- “The artwork is nothing extraordinary, but it's at least pleasant to the eyes.”
- “Do expect some slight graphical hiccups caused by backgrounds due to the HD treatment.”
gameplay
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The gameplay is primarily standard for a visual novel, featuring basic mechanics with a focus on choice-driven storytelling and branching paths, though it lacks depth and variety in gameplay elements. While it effectively incorporates themes of gender identity, players seeking more interactive gameplay may find it lacking, as the choices often lead to similar endings. The interface is well-designed, offering convenient features like skipping and auto-play, which enhance the overall experience for fans of the genre.
- “The mechanics are a fairly standard visual novel, with a decent balance between events that are within your control to choose and challenging obstacles put forth by other characters.”
- “While it may not dive very deep into the topics, it is interesting for a game to even lightly include gender identity so intricately into gameplay.”
- “Regarding the game itself, it has a couple of tricky branching paths that are to be expected for something of this complexity; choosing an innocuous choice now may change a later choice by some believable reason in the story, such as a missed opportunity or causing a reaction or implying something at the right moment.”
- “As far as gameplay goes, it's your standard ren'py visual novel with copy-paste menu screens and buttons, with the added benefit of storing walls of text on one side of the screen instead of the whole center.”
- “This is more visual novel than gameplay, as once the choices lock you into a route, the different endings are just a choice apart from each other.”
- “Just note that the game has no gameplay besides the choices, so if you do not like that, then this is not the game for you.”
character development
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
Character development in the game is generally viewed as weak, with most characters lacking significant growth throughout the story. While some characters, particularly the princess, exhibit minor progressions and intriguing traits, the overall narrative suffers from rushed routes and underdeveloped arcs. Despite this, the character designs are praised for their aesthetic appeal, and some players still find the characters engaging enough to recommend the game.
- “The characters were for the most part very intriguing and each route showed solid character development.”
- “Valois' personality and character development is one of the things that makes the story work so well.”
- “For some of the characters there are slight progressions in their character development but nothing major; the princess, on the other hand, is the most interesting character of the whole story with some character development at least.”
- “However, character development is pretty much non-existent in almost all cases outside of you actually getting to know the characters as you play.”
- “A very short medieval western visual novel which had great potential to be an interesting story but got ruined by rushed routes, no or very little character development.”
- “The guys she's supposed to flirt with either have the personality of a rock or are simply there to make a statement about homosexuality and gender equality, which, although completely fair, is not a suitable example of character development.”
humor
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as versatile and engaging, with both main and secondary characters contributing to its comedic elements through clever banter and wholesome moments. While some aspects, like the portrayal of certain relationships, may not resonate with all players, the overall tone is enjoyable and often funny, balancing political intrigue and romance effectively. The cleverness of the heroine and the unexpected humor in various routes enhance the game's appeal.
- “Unexpectedly, his route is the most funny and wholesome one ever.”
- “Without a doubt, there is a lot of versatility, and even the secondary characters bring humor and sustain the story throughout the game along with the main characters.”
- “The heroine is very clever, and a lot of the story has excellent humor and banter.”
emotional
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its blend of heartfelt moments and humor, creating a rollercoaster experience for players. While some connections feel forced or overly convenient, the narrative still offers genuinely touching scenes and character depth that resonate with fans of romantic fiction. Overall, the game is praised for its emotional storytelling, despite some criticisms regarding the execution of certain plot elements.
- “The story is emotional and sentimental at first; the girl is like a bodyguard and the prince is in love with her.”
- “But this game was an emotional rollercoaster that I feel everyone interested in the genre should play.”
- “The story is not only exciting as you see the plot unraveling but also quite emotional as the characters are more than pretty faces to romance.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the variety of storylines and character insights that encourage multiple playthroughs, others find it repetitive and lacking depth after a short duration. Those interested in exploring different routes may enjoy the replay value, but players focused solely on romantic storylines might feel limited. Ultimately, the experience can vary significantly based on individual preferences and play styles.
- “This provides a decent amount of replayability, and with judicious use of the skip function, you should be able to play through all routes and all options without ever becoming bored with any repetition.”
- “The routes had enough variation to make it replayable.”
- “The game has great replayability since you only get the whole story by playing the different routes.”
- “It's very well done and the story is interesting, but I don't rank it very high and it doesn't have much replay value, at least, not to me.”
- “Verdict: as I mentioned, the game is pretty short at around 5 hours with no real replayability (just make saves at choices), so I suggest you pick this up in a sale or a bundle if you want to play it.”
- “Replayability is pretty low though; it becomes very repetitive very quickly even when you are pursuing a different ending.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the impactful soundtrack and visuals that create a rich, immersive experience. The absence of voice acting is compensated by a gripping narrative and professional writing, which together foster a convincing and atmospheric setting, enhanced by thoughtful language choices. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as lovely, understated, and free from distracting errors.
- “There is no voice acting for any part, yet the soundtrack already establishes a rich and driving atmosphere through a gripping narrative - both describing actual events and commenting on Madeleine's train of thought.”
- “Apart from the clever mystery and story, the music and visuals are lovely and understated, and the writing is solid, professional, and atmospheric.”
- “You'll be hard-pressed to find an atmosphere-ruining typo or spelling error.”
- “A minor aside, I really enjoyed the French word usage for some of the terminology; such a small effect goes a long way in establishing a convincing courtly atmosphere.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that while the game features engaging graphics and music, the grinding aspect can become tedious, particularly in the story-heavy chapters that feel repetitive. However, the overall experience remains enjoyable, with varied content in the later chapters helping to alleviate some of the monotony.
- “In short: good graphics, nice music, rather 3D characters, a goofy story with 'high stakes' and basic logic present, and endless tedious melodrama from the grinding.”
- “The first and the third chapter (which are story heavy) are nearly the same no matter the track, so they can be a bit tedious to get through.”