The Deed: Dynasty
- May 9, 2016
- Pilgrim Adventures
- 10h median play time
Get on Steam"The Deed: Dynasty" is a stand-alone expansion that offers three new scenarios based on the original murder mystery concept found in "The Deed." Players will explore different eras, including a 15th century English castle and a wild west frontier saloon, with the goal of committing a murder and framing someone else for the crime. Every decision made can influence the outcome, leading to multiple endings.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features three distinct storylines set in different time periods, providing a richer narrative experience compared to the original.
- There are numerous dialogue options and branching paths that enhance replayability and allow for creative ways to frame other characters.
- The writing is engaging, with well-crafted characters and a compelling atmosphere that draws players into the murder mystery.
- The gameplay can become incredibly repetitive, as the core mechanics remain largely unchanged from the first game.
- There are minor bugs and issues, such as a lack of a quick load option and occasional crashes when using certain commands.
- Some players found the dialogue choices to be overly punishing, leading to frustration when trying to achieve specific outcomes.
- story56 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is praised for its depth and variety, featuring three distinct narratives that explore themes of betrayal and revenge, each with unique characters and settings. While some players found the dialogue lengthy and the overall plot somewhat repetitive, many appreciated the interactive storytelling and the ability to influence outcomes through choices. Overall, the game successfully expands on its predecessor with richer storytelling and engaging character arcs, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of narrative-driven gameplay.
“I have to admit I love the choose-your-own-adventure aspect of it all, and the storylines behind each of the dynasties is fascinating.”
“Dynasty expands on the original's concept and foundation with deeper storytelling, more diverse characters, who strangely seem to be incredibly memorable despite their generic appearance and names.”
“So boring, the story sucks, conversations are long and boring.. characters seem to act stupid!”
“The game has improved in overall story detail and length, but at points seemed bland and as if some conversations carried on far too long.”
“However, despite them taking place in different time periods they are all quite similar, since while the story and characters change the mechanics do not.”
- gameplay36 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is largely repetitive, revolving around selecting dialogue options and executing similar murder scenarios across different characters and settings, which can lead to a sense of monotony. However, the sequel offers improved mechanics and more complex interactions, providing a longer playtime and a slightly more engaging experience for fans of the original. While the core mechanics remain unchanged, the game is recommended for its immersive roleplaying elements, especially at a low price point.
“This prequel improves on 'the deed' in many ways, especially when it comes to the character models and gameplay, so if you enjoyed the original, I'd definitely recommend giving this game a try.”
“The gameplay involves gathering gossip about others, hiding your true motive by choosing conversations carefully, selecting from a variety of weapons, and using certain evidence all in order to frame others (or make it look like a suicide) and ultimately get away with murder.”
“Fortunately, it's a good surprise, and anyone who enjoyed the first game will enjoy this game, with more refined gameplay and three scenarios to play instead of one.”
“The essential gameplay loop is selecting the same 5 dialogue options for every NPC (changing 1 if you need to frame someone else) and doing the same thing over and over with a mere difference of weapon and piece of evidence.”
“Like most RPG Maker shovelware and asset flips, the game features extremely low quality copy-pasted 2D retro pixel art, looks awful, and has even worse gameplay.”
“Therefore, while I loved the first 'The Deed', I am unable to recommend 'The Deed: Dynasty' in any way whatsoever, which is kind of sad, as the actual thought behind the gameplay could have been made a lot more than it ultimately became.”
- replayability16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability due to its diverse approaches, multiple character interactions, and various endings, encouraging players to experiment with different strategies and outcomes. Users appreciate the challenge of achieving all achievements and the fun of exploring numerous ways to frame characters and utilize weapons. Overall, the replay value is considered strong, making it a worthwhile experience even for those new to the series.
“It's more replayable, with more to do, say, and hear, and is absolutely worth a go even without having played the first game.”
“More often than not these choices would very much derail your attempt to commit a perfect murder, but I also believe added to the replay value.”
“There's plenty of replay value since you can try several weapons and frame all the characters.”
“Replay value is moderate to high since you can go back and try to get endings for every character in that time period.”
“Reverse clue is really fun and if it can be made to not be so repetitive it'll have a lot of replay value, which is where both games fall short right now.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally criticized for their low quality, typical of RPG Maker titles, with limited support for modern resolutions and no customization options. While some players find the visuals acceptable or even decent, many agree that they lack polish and fail to impress, often overshadowed by stronger writing and gameplay elements. Overall, the graphics are seen as a significant drawback, failing to meet the expectations of modern gamers.
“Graphics are really good, story is also ok.”
“This could be due to the fact this game's art style, whilst looking plain and brown, strikes a resemblance of old school mixed with modern sprite work.”
“I'll re-iterate the character portraits and art style again.”
“As with all RPG Maker games, the poor quality engine displays badly in fullscreen and doesn't have full HD support or any graphics tweaking options, making this unacceptable for any dedicated modern PC gamer.”
“The graphics suck hard, but the writing is pretty good.”
“The graphic is decent at most considering that the character you play as looks nothing close to what it is supposed to look like.”
- music10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its fitting and atmospheric qualities, with many users appreciating the variety and mood it creates. While some noted the historical inaccuracies of certain pieces, the overall sentiment is that the background music enhances the experience, though a few players wished for a broader selection to enrich the ambience further.
“Amazing and quite fitting background music.”
“Great writing, nice music and atmosphere, lots of different approaches, replayable.”
“Nice period music for each scenario to help set the mood.”
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“The background music (although it's baroque music, which came 200 years later, so it's not exactly medieval) is also very nice.”
“I really like the music and setting.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its engaging writing, evocative music, and a strong sense of mystery that immerses players in a crime novel-like experience. While the sequel "Deed Dynasty" is noted for its decent execution, it lacks the atmospheric horror of the original. Interestingly, the absence of voice acting is seen as a positive element that further enhances the overall atmosphere.
“The sense of mystery and high stakes add a lot to the atmosphere and makes you feel like the protagonist in a crime novel.”
“I recommend because it's a great idea, the atmosphere is great, and the execution/writing was decent.”
“In this game, the lack of voice acting, I think, enhances the atmosphere and enjoyment.”
“The sense of mystery and high stakes adds a lot to the atmosphere and makes you feel like the protagonist in a crime novel.”
“They gave atmosphere to the game.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often requiring significant time investment to unlock achievements. While the varying timelines and outcomes provide some enjoyment, the repetition of dialogue and limited player agency can detract from the overall experience.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“It gets a bit tedious when you're replaying the game to unlock specific achievements.”
“The only real flaws this game has are repeated dialogue getting tedious as you replay scenarios.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game is reported to run smoothly with no bugs detected, indicating a solid level of optimization. Users have rated the optimization aspect positively, scoring it a 3 out of 5.
“The game runs smoothly, with no bugs detected.”
“The optimization is top-notch, providing a seamless experience.”
“The game runs poorly on even high-end systems, making it frustrating to play.”
“I constantly experience frame drops and stuttering, which ruins the immersion.”
“The lack of proper optimization means that loading times are excessively long.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game to be a mix of amusing scenarios, such as the funny dialogue when attempting to place a love letter in a character's wagon. However, some fans feel that the new dialogue choices lack the quirky charm of the original game's humor, missing the oddities that made it memorable.
“In 1401, I tried to put a love letter as evidence in Brother Simon's wagon, and the dialogue was quite funny.”
“I appreciate having more scenarios included, but I miss some of the odd humor that could be found in the first game.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a profound and emotionally charged narrative that explores the player's choice to evade justice, resulting in a heart-wrenching experience.
“This game features in-depth and heart-wrenching narration regarding the player's decision to avoid justice.”
“The emotional depth of the characters truly resonated with me, making every choice feel significant.”
“I was genuinely moved by the storyline; it evoked a range of emotions that I didn't expect from a game.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, users emphasize that stability is a critical factor in evaluating a game, suggesting that even if a game has appealing features, it should not be judged favorably if it suffers from bugs and crashes.
“Never judge a game by its price, its cover, or its reviews (unless it's buggy and crash-prone, of course).”
