January 30, 2023
Big Trouble

The King's Dilemma: Chronicles

The King’s Dilemma: Chronicles delivers a unique strategy experience that’ll hook players in with its brilliant decision-making gameplay and gripping plotline. I genuinely found myself engrossed in the game from the moment I started playing, and whilst there is a bit of a learning curve before you figure things out, the steps to get there are always entertaining. Players will have to juggle a lot of different mechanics as they progress through the game and there’s as much of an emphasis placed on luck as there is strategic nuance, but it’s the unpredictable nature of the game that makes it so entertaining. If you’re a fan of strategy action with a clever narrative-driven twist, you won’t want to miss out on The King’s Dilemma: Chronicles.

66%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

replayability, stability

58% User Score Based on 90 reviews

Critic Score 84%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

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About

The King's Dilemma: Chronicles is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Big Trouble and was released on January 30, 2023. It received positive reviews from critics and neutral reviews from players.

"The King's Dilemma: Chronicles" is a narrative-driven strategy game where players advise a medieval monarch in a series of moral dilemmas, with choices impacting the kingdom's future. Players engage in cooperative decision-making, balancing personal beliefs and the common good, and face the consequences of their actions in subsequent playthroughs. This Steam edition compiles the base game and its expansions, providing an immersive and thought-provoking experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

The King's Dilemma: Chronicles screenshot

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58%

Audience ScoreBased on 90 reviews

story34 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

The game features a very nice, story-driven narrative that is engaging and immersive.
It offers a nostalgic experience for fans of the original board game, with well-presented visuals and text.
The game allows for multiple playthroughs, providing opportunities to explore different story branches and outcomes.

The mechanics do not translate well to a single-player experience, leading to a lack of meaningful choices and player agency.
Many decisions feel arbitrary and do not have the expected impact on the story, resulting in a frustrating gameplay experience.
The game is relatively short for its price, with low replay value unless players are focused on achieving all achievements.

story
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
60%
3%
The game's story is praised for its depth and intriguing narrative, drawing heavily from the original board game, but many players feel that the linearity and reliance on resource management diminish the impact of their choices. While the writing is considered excellent and the branching storylines offer replayability, the gameplay mechanics often force players into decisions that conflict with their desired narrative paths, leading to a sense of frustration and hollow experience, especially in solo play. Overall, the story is engaging, but the execution leaves some players wanting more meaningful interaction and continuity.
- “This is an excellent way to get the board game's story if COVID messed up your group's chances of finishing.”
- “But with this version, it's possible now, and they succeed in making it so interesting that you want to continue the story after every choice.”
- “Honestly, once you understand the systems (perhaps after the first 2 hours or so), it becomes a tense and intriguing experience when it comes to unraveling the 6 main branching story threads, whilst trying to outwit your political opponents and appease the masses - at the same time, trying to be an all-around good person.”
- “The story feels very linear, and instead of picking the choices you think are good, you are forced to pick the choices that help you get the right resources.”
- “Very disappointed in the game; I got this because I wanted to get invested in the choices and story, but the balancing system they have in place is the ultimate decider, so it ruined my enjoyment of the game sadly.”
- “It's structured into several self-contained story arcs that have nothing to do with each other, which makes for absolutely horrid continuity errors and a general feeling of meaninglessness.”
gameplay
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
72%
11%
The gameplay has been criticized for being poorly designed and overly complex, with mechanics that often detract from the narrative experience. Many players found the mechanics to be obscure and poorly explained, leading to frustration and a lack of engagement, particularly in a single-player context. While some appreciated the potential for a rich story and replayability, the consensus is that the gameplay feels disjointed and fails to effectively translate the charm of the original board game.
- “The charm of the board game is that you have to push your agenda and make deals with other players, persuade them or straight up trick them, which makes for interesting gameplay.”
- “For better or worse, the complex gameplay systems are difficult to master - but the game rewards that mastery with an excellent branching story experience with tons of replayability.”
- “Get ready for a frustrating start trying to learn the gameplay systems - but if you don’t mind lots of reading and trial and error, then you’ll be rewarded with one of the richest and most intriguing story experiences in recent years!”
- “Frankly, the game mechanics actively work against the narrative, which otherwise would be the point of this game.”
- “The game has a slew of absolutely pointless mechanics, and would be better off without them.”
- “It's an exceptionally poorly designed game, with occasionally great writing, but an incredibly disjointed narrative and totally pointless gameplay.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The music in the game is highly praised for its soothing quality and ability to enhance the reading experience, making it feel more like a living book. While there is no voice acting and the sound effects are minimal, the original soundtrack is considered great and complements the unique hand-drawn art associated with each story event. Overall, the combination of art and music is seen as a strong point of the game.
- “All the reading is brought to life with nice pictures and a great original soundtrack that makes it not annoying at all, but more like a living book.”
- “Art and music are on point - nearly every story event/thread has its own unique hand-drawn art.”
- “Okay, it has a few sound effects, but it's mostly music that you'll be listening to, and the music is great.”
- “No voice acting so far and nothing fancy when it comes to the music.”
- “Okay it has a few sound effects, but it's mostly music that you'll be listening to, and the music is great.”
- “No voice acting so far and nothing fancy when it comes to the music.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while it offers a branching story that encourages multiple playthroughs and rewards mastery of its complex systems, many players feel that its short length (4-6 hours) diminishes overall value unless pursuing achievements. Overall, the potential for replayability exists, but it may not be sufficient for all players.
- “For better or worse, the complex gameplay systems are difficult to master - but the game rewards that mastery with an excellent branching story experience with tons of replayability.”
- “While I do like the concept of the game, it is too short for the price, and the replay value is rather low, unless you want all the achievements.”
- “It'll probably take you 4-6 hours to get through a single playthrough, and the game gives opportunities for multiple playthroughs thanks to its replayability potential.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users consistently express that the emotional aspect of the game is profoundly impactful, describing it as "heartbreaking." This suggests a strong ability of the game to evoke deep feelings and resonate with players on a personal level.
- “I found it heart-breaking.”
- “I found it heart-breaking.”
- “I found it heart-breaking.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits some stability issues, with users reporting glitches that could disrupt gameplay if exploited. However, many players were able to avoid these problems and still enjoy their experience.
- “I encountered several glitches that could potentially ruin gameplay if exploited, but I managed to avoid them and still had a good time.”
- “I ran into a few glitches that could disrupt the experience, but I was able to navigate around them.”
- “There were multiple stability issues that affected my gameplay, making it frustrating at times.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics of the game are consistently praised for their impressive visuals, highlighting a strong aesthetic appeal that enhances the overall gaming experience.
- “The game features great visuals that truly enhance the overall experience.”
- “The graphics are stunning and bring the game world to life.”
- “The visuals are impressive, making every scene a delight to behold.”

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84%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions

The King's Dilemma: Chronicles is a role playing game.

The King's Dilemma: Chronicles is available on PC, Mac OS, Steam Deck and Windows.

The King's Dilemma: Chronicles was released on January 30, 2023.

The King's Dilemma: Chronicles was developed by Big Trouble.

The King's Dilemma: Chronicles has received neutral reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its replayability.

The King's Dilemma: Chronicles is a single player game.

Similar games include Yes, Your Grace, The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante, Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York, The Pale Beyond, We. The Revolution and others.

The King's Dilemma: Chronicles

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