The King's Dilemma: Chronicles
- January 29, 2023
- Big Trouble
Get on Steam"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.
Mac OS
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- 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.
- story92 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
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.”
- gameplay70 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
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.”
- music12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
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.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
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.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
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.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
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.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
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.”
