The Confines Of The Crown
- April 3, 2015
- Hanako Games
Get on Steam"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.
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Reviews
- The main character, Madeleine, is a strong, capable female lead, breaking the mold of typical naive protagonists in the genre.
- The story features intriguing plot twists and a well-developed overarching narrative that encourages multiple playthroughs to uncover all secrets.
- The art style is visually appealing, with beautifully drawn character sprites and event CGs that enhance the storytelling experience.
- The game has limited character development for some supporting characters, making them feel less impactful in the overall story.
- Certain routes can feel repetitive, as many scenes and dialogues overlap regardless of the chosen path, leading to a lack of variety in some playthroughs.
- The music, while good, can become repetitive over time, detracting from the overall immersion during extended play sessions.
- story302 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of this visual novel is rich and engaging, featuring a strong female protagonist, intricate plot twists, and a blend of romance and court intrigue. Players appreciate the depth of the narrative, which requires multiple playthroughs to fully unravel, although some note that certain routes feel rushed or lack character development. Overall, the writing is well-crafted, with a mix of emotional and dark themes, making it a compelling experience for fans of story-driven games.
“The individual storylines are unique and they all add to the overarching storyline, which is great and surprisingly deep.”
“The story is emotional and sentimental at first, the girl is like a bodyguard and the prince is in love with her.”
“The plot flows well and is intriguing.”
“Apparently the writer doesn't seem to think that there are larger issues to be discussed because a happy ending is a happy ending, end of story.”
“The story lacks depth and seems very rushed with the routes.”
“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.”
- music70 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere, featuring a variety of styles that suit different scenes. However, some players noted issues with repetitiveness and abrupt transitions between tracks, which occasionally detracted from the experience. Overall, while the soundtrack is considered a highlight, its effectiveness can vary depending on the context within the gameplay.
“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 soundtrack is phenomenal and the art is beautiful.”
“The music is pretty fantastic.”
“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.”
- graphics46 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game feature a unique hand-drawn art style that some players find initially off-putting, yet many praise it for its beauty and nostalgic 80s/90s shoujo aesthetic. While the quality of character sprites varies, the beautifully rendered CGs and overall artwork are often highlighted as standout elements, contributing to a visually pleasing experience that complements the game's themes. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, with many players appreciating the artistic design and attention to detail.
“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 art style is a cut above the usual western visual novels I've come across.”
“Do expect some slight graphical hiccups caused by backgrounds due to the HD treatment.”
- gameplay13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily focused on standard visual novel mechanics, featuring a mix of player choices and character-driven obstacles that influence branching paths and endings. While it incorporates themes of queerness and gender identity, the gameplay is largely linear, with limited interactivity beyond making choices. The interface is well-designed, offering features like skipping, auto-play, and a jukebox, but players seeking more complex gameplay may find it lacking.
“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 development10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally perceived as weak, with most characters lacking significant growth, though some routes offer slight progressions. The princess stands out as the most compelling character, featuring a dark secret that adds depth. Overall, while there are intriguing elements, many players feel that the potential for richer character arcs is not fully realized.
“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. Yet, I am going to recommend it because I saw some elements which I haven't seen in other visual novels.”
“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.”
- replayability10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
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 find it less appealing.
“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.”
- emotional9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers a mix of emotional storytelling and sentimental moments, with players experiencing a rollercoaster of feelings through its romantic connections and character dynamics. While some moments are genuinely touching, others feel forced or overly convenient, detracting from the overall emotional depth. Despite these inconsistencies, the narrative remains engaging and replayable, appealing to fans of the genre.
“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.”
- humor9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as versatile and engaging, with clever banter and well-developed secondary characters contributing to its comedic elements. 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 main character's intelligence adds to the humor, making the game a compelling experience.
“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.”
“All in all, this game is enjoyable and sometimes even funny and intriguing.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
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.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game can be lengthy, particularly in the first and third chapters, which feel repetitive across different tracks. However, the majority of the content remains engaging and varied, preventing it from becoming overly tedious.
“The first and third chapters, which are story-heavy, are nearly the same no matter the track, so they can be a bit tedious to get through.”
“Grinding can feel repetitive and drawn out, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“The amount of grinding required to progress feels excessive and detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
